Having stewards elevate Campanelle to victory was a novel way for trainer Wesley Ward to win his 12th Royal Ascot race. But after the American trainer endured a less-than-regal slog at Royal Ascot this week, Ward was not throwing this Group 1 Commonwealth Cup victory back. Off as the 5/1 […]
Horse Racing
California Could Merge Fantasy Sports and Pari-Mutuel Wagering
Fantasy sports meets pari-mutuel wagering and spawns visions of an endless revenue stream for California. That’s the dream, and an actual possibility, by this coming August if a proposal by the California Association of Racing Fairs (CARF) gains traction with the California Horse Racing Board. CARF officials presented the proposal […]
Commonwealth Favorite Campanelle Seeks Second Crown at Royal Ascot
To give you an idea of how good Campanelle is only four races into her career, she captured the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot last year in only her second start. Plenty of horses win graded stakes their second time out — even graded stakes at a […]
Judge Grants Baffert’s Request for More Testing of Medina Spirit’s Urine
Kentucky Judge Thomas Wingate granted permission on Wednesday for a urine sample of Kentucky Derby champion Medina Spirit to undergo extra testing at a New York lab. Blood-Horse first reported that Wingate, a Circuit Court Judge from Franklin, Kentucky, specified the details for the sample’s transfer from the Kentucky Horse […]
Saratoga, Breeders’ Cup Opening Gates to 100% of Capacity
Officials from both Saratoga Race Course and the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar announced Wednesday that their facilities will open to 100% capacity this year. The NYRA also announced the full reopening of Belmont Park, beginning June 24. The NYRA’s announcements came on the heels of New York Gov. Andrew […]
Stradivarius Seeks to Write His Name in the Royal Ascot Record Book
Can Stradivarius, a horse named after a musical instrument, equal Yeats, a horse named after a poet? That next landmark awaits the 7-year-old horse as Thursday’s Day 3 storyline at Royal Ascot. That landmark would be a fourth consecutive Gold Cup title, which would tie Stradivarius with Yeats. He won […]
Can Defending Champion Lord it Over Love in Prince of Wales’s Stakes?
The Prince of Wales’s Stakes gives you defending champion Lord North with leading jockey Frankie Dettori and standout trainer John Gosden getting an assist from his son, Thady. What could possibly go wrong for the 5-year-old gelding in Royal Ascot’s Day 2 marquee race? Well, that’s what Love’s got to […]
Baffert Continues Legal Offensive, Sues NYRA Over Suspension
Remaining on the legal offensive, even as he keeps a low profile, Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert filed a lawsuit against the New York Racing Association Monday. The suit claims Baffert’s right to due process was violated when the organization suspended him. The Thoroughbred Daily News first reported that […]
Rachael Blackmore Seeks to Conquer Royal Ascot
Not content with owning Cheltenham and the Grand National, standout jockey Rachael Blackmore will now tackle Royal Ascot on Tuesday’s first day of the five-day meet. Blackmore takes the reins of Cape Gentlemen for the Listed Ascot Stakes, the finale of Royal Ascot’s seven-race opening day. Headlining the day are […]
Art Collector Set for 2021 Debut at Kelly’s Landing Stakes
Art Collector, one of last year’s most heralded 3-year-olds, will make his 4-year-old debut in the Black-Type Kelly’s Landing Overnight Stakes at Churchill Downs. The June 25 Kelly’s Landing is one of eight stakes on Churchill Downs’ closing weekend for its Spring Meet. It sends its competitors seven furlongs on […]
Informative Makes his 79/1 Presence Known in Salvator Mile
Since Informative can’t explain himself or describe the impact of his 79/1 upset in Saturday’s Salvator Mile at Monmouth Park, let’s go to his jockey, Jose Ferrer. “The horse can’t read the board, so he didn’t know (his odds),†Ferrer told Monmouth Park. “I’ve always said you don’t have a […]
Breeders’ Cup Crowns Royal Ascot With Four Challenge Series Races
For the fourth consecutive year, Royal Ascot’s 2021 meet not only features the usual pomp and pageantry, but four tickets to the 2021 Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar. The prestigious meet, which begins Tuesday and runs through Saturday, will play host to the season’s first four Breeders’ Cup “Win and […]
Louisiana, New Hampshire Latest States Welcoming HHR Machines
Two more states joined the Historical Horse Racing machine parade this week, when Louisiana and New Hampshire passed legislation approving HHR machines. On Tuesday, the Louisiana Senate passed SB 209 by a 32-3 vote. That gives off-track betting facilities license to install up to 50 HHR machines per OTB facility. […]
Mandaloun Looms Large and Fast in This Pegasus Stakes Field
Last year, the Pegasus Stakes ran as the final stop on the Kentucky Derby trail. As such, it enjoyed a large field, serious betting interest and more than casual interest from racing fans. This is a different Pegasus Stakes. Yes, it takes its five candidates – only five, mind you […]
Kentucky Derby Runner-Up Mandaloun Returns for Pegasus Stakes
Vacation time is over for Kentucky Derby runner-up Mandaloun, who comes back from his six-week hiatus into favored status for Sunday’s Listed Pegasus Stakes at Monmouth Park. The reason for Mandaloun’s return to action doesn’t have to do with beating his four rivals in the 1 1/16-mile jaunt around Monmouth […]
As Usual, Ward Leads the American Contingent Into Royal Ascot
Royal Ascot’s 11-horse American invasion hit the Newmarket stables on Wednesday, six days before the five-day meet opens next Tuesday. Nine of those horses come from Wesley Ward’s barn, which shouldn’t be surprising since Ward is the usual American invader to Ascot’s premier meet. Dating to his first victory in […]
Domestic Spending Puts His Rivals in a Turf Talent Deficit
The last time Domestic Spending and Colonel Liam tried determining who was the best older male turf horse in the country, they decided nothing but what a dead-heat looks like. That came at the Grade 1 Turf Classic, on the Kentucky Derby undercard. There, Domestic Spending made the most of […]
Oh Canada! Horse Racing Returns to Woodbine on Saturday
There won’t be any fans in the stands, but Woodbine Racetrack will open for Thoroughbred racing on Saturday. The track is just one beneficiary of the Province of Ontario’s earlier-than-expected move into Step One of its “Roadmap to Recovery†plan. That’s six days earlier than the suburban Toronto track planned […]
Baffert, Zedan File Suit Seeking Extra Testing for Medina Spirit
Bob Baffert and Amr Zedan, the trainer and owner of Kentucky Derby champion Medina Spirit, went on the legal offensive Tuesday, filing a lawsuit against the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission. The suit, filed in Franklin Circuit Court in Kentucky, claims the KHRC’s ban on betamethasone applies only to injections and […]
Oaklawn Park Proposes Meet Extension Into December
Oaklawn Park announced a proposal for a historic extension of its racing season Monday, adding December race dates to its calendar to create a 66-day season at the Arkansas track. Under the proposal, Oaklawn would open its meet Friday, Dec. 3, 2021 and run through Sunday, May 8, 2022. By […]