For the third straight year, Monmouth Park offers a $1 million bonus to the connections of any horse who sweeps three of the biggest races remaining on the 2022 racing calendar. All you have to do is win the Grade 1 Haskell Stakes, the Grade 1 Travers Stakes and the […]
Tag: Keeneland
Keeneland Ups Its Stakes Game for Fall Meet with Record $8.75 Million in Stakes Purses
With the Breeders’ Cup serving as rich icing on the cake, Keeneland announced a record $8.75 million in stakes purses during its Oct. 7-29 Fall Meet. Of Keeneland’s 22 stakes, nine of those are Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” Challenge Series events. The track plays host to the Breeders’ […]
Breeders’ Cup Digs In, Creates Dirt Dozen Incentive Program
Further trying to incentivize participation in its dirt races, the Breeders’ Cup announced a participation bonus for connections of dirt horses – the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Dozen. The 12-race program encompasses existing graded stakes races scheduled from now through October at six US tracks. The Dirt Dozen awards bonuses for […]
Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series Brings New Twist to US Races
The Breeders’ Cup announced its 2022 list of Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series races, known as the “Win and You’re In” events. The premise is simple: win one of these 82 races in 11 countries and you have a starting spot in one of the 14 Breeders’ Cup races. That brings […]
Keeneland Brings Home Record Spring Meet Handle Across the Board
Keeneland enjoyed its third consecutive year of record Spring Meet handle, bringing in an all-sources handle of $219,284,979 for its just-concluded Spring Meet. That handle was the largest total in the Kentucky track’s history. The more than $219 million from the 15-day meet that ended Friday represented a 33.16% increase […]
Ward’s Decorated Duo Lead an American Invasion of Royal Ascot
Wesley Ward’s decorated duo of Golden Pal and Campanelle headline a 16-horse American contingent of nominees for this year’s Royal Ascot Group 1 races. A customary presence at the mid-June meet, Ward is one of four American trainers nominating horses to one of the eight Group 1 races. Graham Motion, […]
Canadian Champion Mighty Heart Back for More at Keeneland
Saturday’s Grade 3 Ben Ali at Keeneland will feature a champion horse who didn’t show up at February’s Eclipse Awards. Instead, Mighty Heart showed up once again at last week’s Sovereign Awards in Canada. Did he ever. The popular one-eyed horse carted off his second consecutive Sovereign for Horse of […]
Due to Untimely Fever, Slow Down Andy Stops Short of Kentucky Derby
Slow Down Andy, trainer Doug O’Neill’s top Kentucky Derby prospect, spiked a fever in his Keeneland stall and will miss the Derby, O’Neill confirmed to OG News. “Andy got a cold, he’ll be fine, just won’t be ready for the Derby,†O’Neill said via text to OG News. A two-time […]
Salty Kentucky Derby Prep, Ascot Winner Head Cross Country Pick 5
The last stop on the 2022 Kentucky Derby trail and a Royal Ascot winner making her season debut headline this week’s New York Racing Association Cross Country Pick 5 wager. This week’s Cross Country Pick 5 features races from Keeneland and Aqueduct. Two of the five races are stakes events. That […]
Smooth Like Strait Makes His Way East for Maker’s Mark Mile
Smooth Like Strait ventured outside his California barn once last year: for the Grade 1 Turf Classic on the Kentucky Derby undercard. He ventures forth again for Friday’s Grade 1 Maker’s Mark Mile at Keeneland, the featured race on that track’s Good Friday card. And according to his trainer, Mike […]
Golden Pal Blazes His Way Past Rivals, Will Return to Royal Ascot
Golden Pal first broke into the public conscience nearly two years ago when he finished second in the Group 2 Norfolk Stakes at a near-empty Royal Ascot. You could be forgiven for not noticing, considering not even Queen Elizabeth II made a Royal Ascot appearance. You’ll probably notice when Golden […]
Colt Mo Donegal, Filly Nest Give Pletcher 1-2 Derby/Oaks Punch
As training days go, Todd Pletcher would take a lot more weekends like this. Days where he puts out a potential Kentucky Derby winner and a potential Kentucky Oaks winner. The Hall of Fame trainer’s Derby contender? Mo Donegal, who provided Pletcher with his record-tying seventh Wood Memorial title and […]
Smile Happy, Zandon Set Themselves Apart in Blue Grass Stakes
Keeneland’s stop on the Kentucky Derby trail, the Blue Grass Stakes, headlines opening weekend at the Lexington, KY. track. But this edition of Saturday’s 1 1/8-mile Derby prep does so with a renewed prestige boost. Grade 1 status. The Blue Grass regained that status this year, putting it with the Santa Anita Derby, […]
Wesley Ward Rides Herd Over Another Strong Keeneland Crop
Keeneland’s 15-day Spring Meet begins on Friday, offering a loaded weekend featuring 10 stakes worth $4.55 million. But this being Keeneland in the spring, many eyes are focused on just one stable. That would be Wesley Ward’s, he of the three consecutive Keeneland Spring Meet training titles. Ward comes into […]
Keeneland Lays Out Record $7.7 Million in Spring Meet Stakes Purses
Fueled by purse increases to two of its flagship 3-year-old races, Keeneland is putting a record $7.7 million in purses into the 19 stakes races on its just-announced 2022 Spring Meet card. The Lexington, Kentucky track announced increases to all stakes purses for the April 8-29 meet. Prominent among those […]
Champion Sprinter Gamine Retired Mere Days Into Her 5-Year-Old Season
Gamine, the incomparable sprinter who is among the fastest runners this century, was retired Monday, according to a release from her owner, Pandora jewelry baron Michael Lund Petersen. Through a representative, Petersen announced the now-5-year-old mare will reside at Hill ‘n’ Dale Farm in Kentucky. With a 9-0-1 record and […]
Bettors Give Keeneland an 85th Anniversary Gift: Record Meet Handle
Keeneland threw itself an 85th anniversary party and horseplayers responded with a wagering gift: a record $181 million in all-sources handle for its just-concluded Fall Meet. The 17-day Fall Meet, which ran from Oct. 8-30, brought an all-sources handle of $181,009,626. That destroyed the previous mark of $164,680,229, set during […]
Code of Honor Rides Into Retirement After Saturday’s Fayette Stakes
The Grade 2 Fayette Stakes brings a host of recognizable names to its Keeneland starting gate Saturday for the featured event on Keeneland’s Fall Meet final day. None more recognizable than the horse running his final career race: Code of Honor. The 5-year-old owns two Grade 1 wins: both as […]
After 27/1 Shocker, What Can Two Emmys Bring to the Keeneland Stage?
When Two Emmys won August’s Mr. D Stakes at Arlington Park at 27/1, Hugh Robertson was the trainer of record. When Two Emmys leaves the Keeneland starting gate for Friday’s Grade 3 Sycamore Stakes, where he’s the 3/1 morning-line favorite, Mac Robertson will be the trainer of record. What’s going […]
What Break? Empress Josephine Back, Searching for First US Grade 1
When it comes to his Irish-bred filly Empress Josephine, the concept of “load management†is a foreign one to Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien. It’s apparently also a foreign concept to Keeneland’s morning-line author, who made Empress Josephine the 3/1 favorite for Saturday’s Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup. This, […]