This time, Classic Causeway won’t be sneaking up on the Grade 1 Saratoga Derby field as a 26/1 afterthought. That untested turf question mark is now an exclamation point. And thus, we have the biggest storyline for Saturday’s Saratoga Derby, the second leg of the New York Racing Association’s Turf Triple. […]
The aptly named Grade 1 Test Stakes applies to six of the seven 3-year-old fillies in the field. And it’s a test that — according to Matareya — none of the six are likely to pass. That’s due to Matareya, the leader in this class. She brings her 4-for-4 record […]
To the surprise of nobody who has seen him run, Flightline was installed as the 3/1 favorite for the first of two Breeders’ Cup Classic Future Wager pools. This first Breeders’ Cup Classic Future Wager pool opens Friday at noon ET. It closes Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET. The wager is […]
Yes, this is the Grade 3 West Virginia Derby. Do not adjust your eyes when you see the likes of Triple Crown ex-pats Simplification, Skippylongstocking and We the People entering the starting gate for Saturday’s featured race at Mountaineer Park. The 1 1/8-mile West Virginia Derby headlines a seven-stakes, nine-race Saturday card. […]
Helium last won a race on March 6, 2021. That came at 15.40/1 in the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby at Tampa Bay Downs. That was eight starts and nearly 17 months ago. It was before he ran in the 2021 Kentucky Derby and before he was gelded. And it provides […]
Given his history in such geographic matters, the fact Golden Pal is back in the US and back at Saratoga bodes well for one of the best turf sprinters in North America. This particular stop is Friday’s Grade 3 Troy Stakes at Saratoga. It should be no hill for this […]
Santa Anita Park’s 2022-23 Winter/Spring Meet offers 93 stakes races — 58 graded and 10 of those Grade 1s — during what is one of the longest racing meets of the year. Santa Anita’s Winter/Spring Meet runs Dec. 26-June 19. “We feel there is something for everyone in this stakes […]
As Todd Pletcher sees it with Wit, the turf pedigree is there. As he sees it through recency bias, moving him to grass has a good precedent. And as Pletcher sees it through recent history, why not? The Hall of Fame trainer moves his 3-year-old multiple graded stakes winner to […]
The shifting, quaking earth under the 3-year-old division slid once again Saturday, when 6/5 favorite Epicenter put away Zandon, Tawny Port and Early Voting, winning the Grade 2 Jim Dandy at Saratoga by 1 ½ lengths. Put aside for the moment that Epicenter passed the $2 million mark in career […]
Jackie’s Warrior came into Saturday’s Grade 1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap wanting to make progress toward his ultimate goal – the Breeders’ Cup Sprint. He ended up making history. Jackie’s Warrior won the Vanderbilt by two lengths Saturday, a victory that made him the first horse in Saratoga history to […]
The Grade 2 San Diego Handicap is considered the major prep for Del Mar’s flagship race: the Grade 1 Pacific Classic. But you can be forgiven if you mistake this nine-horse field for what lies ahead Labor Day weekend in the Pacific Classic. And that’s not only because defending Pacific […]
The first instinct when looking at Saturday’s Grade 1 Bing Crosby Stakes at Del Mar is to see who’s not here for California’s richest sprint race ($400,000). There’s no Brickyard Ride. No Cezanne. No Dr. Schivel, the defending Bing Crosby champion, who finished second by an eyelash in the Breeders’ […]
Since Jackie’s Warrior is understandably attracting all the attention in Saturday’s Grade 1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Stakes, trainer Steve Asmussen is searching for more superlatives to describe his star sprinter. He’s officially out of superlatives. And even after looking at Jackie’s Warrior’s resume, Asmussen realizes simple is best. “He’s 4-for-4 […]
The first thing that stands out about Saturday’s Grade 2 Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga is the “Grade 2†class prefix that comes along for the ride. There is no truth-in-advertising here. Not with this year’s 1 1/8-mile Jim Dandy, which figures to answer more questions than who’s hot going […]
Taking a page from their Churchill Downs counterparts, the Breeders’ Cup took a long-awaited, beneficial step for horseplayers, instituting future wagering on the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic. The Breeders’ Cup future wager not only borrows a page from Churchill Downs’ Kentucky Derby Future Wager (KDFW) pools, it cribs the […]
The return of Jackie’s Warrior to Saratoga and the return of Triple Crown veterans to the track highlight this week’s Cross Country Pick 5. This week’s Cross Country Pick 5 is light on the stakes. Only two make this week’s wager: the Grade 1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Stakes and the […]
Todd Pletcher wants to paint a like-father, like-son picture with Corniche. This explains one reason why he chose Friday’s Grade 2 Amsterdam Stakes as the sophomore’s season debut. Last year’s Champion 2-Year-Old hasn’t run since going gate-to-wire in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile last fall at Del Mar. That victory put […]
After riding Baaeed to his ninth consecutive victory, Jim Crowley was in awe. After watching his charge capture the Group 1 Sussex Stakes by 1 3/4 lengths, trainer William Haggas was relieved. These are the reactions perfection — and the tightrope navigating that entails in horse racing — bring out […]
Creative Minister was good enough to hit the board in the second leg of the Triple Crown and good enough to earn a spot in the third leg of the Triple Crown. Now, we’ll see what he can do against easier competition in Friday’s restricted Curlin Stakes at Saratoga. The […]
Even putting aside undefeated favorite Baaeed, who comes into Wednesday’s Group 1 Sussex Stakes at 8-for-8, the depth in this Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series race is so pronounced that trainer Charlie Appleby can replace one major contender with a Breeders’ Cup champion. Appleby has that luxury, courtesy of Modern Games. […]
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