Seeing enough in their charges coming out of Saturday’s Listed Jerome Stakes, all three trainers of the top three finishers, Courvoisier, Smarten Up, and Cooke Creek, plan running their colts in Aqueduct’s next Kentucky Derby prep, the Grade 3 Withers Stakes. That 1 1/8-mile prep, set for Feb. 5 at […]
The Listed Jerome Stakes, one of four New Year’s Day Kentucky Derby preps, generally doesn’t prove anything come Derby time. But the Aqueduct one-turn mile race for 3-year-olds that dates to 1866 does serve as a proving ground of sorts. The eight newly minted 3-year-olds competing for the 10-4-2-1 Derby […]
When last we saw Brooklyn Strong, the New York-bred gelding was finishing an uninspiring fourth in June’s Pegasus Stakes at Monmouth Park. But now, the Kentucky Derby contestant returns after a six-month hiatus for Saturday’s Alex M. Robb Stakes at Aqueduct. The $100,000 Robb sends its state-bred 3-year-olds and up […]
The sport of horse racing found itself in another legal tangle on Thursday when Jeff Drown, the owner of Grade 2 Remsen Stakes runner-up Zandon, filed a protest with the New York State Gaming Commission over a rejected post-race inquiry against race winner Mo Donegal. Drown filed the protest after […]
As the latest stop on the Kentucky Derby trail, Saturday’s Grade 2 Remsen Stakes at Aqueduct introduces new faces to the Derby trail. But while you’re getting to know 8/5 favorite Mo Donegal and 5/2 second choice Zandon, re-acquaint yourself with another pertinent name. That would be Thunder Gulch. He’s […]
The questions for Saturday’s Grade 1 Cigar Mile Handicap at Aqueduct make the final Grade 1 race of the year in New York one of the saltiest fields on Aqueduct’s stakes schedule. Before we pose them for horseplayers, a history lesson is in order. Named after the 1994 champion of […]
Channel Cat is by default, the class of the Grade 2 Red Smith Handicap field. This is a status that by no means, makes him a lock to win the $200,000 race over Aqueduct Racetrack’s inner turf course. He may be the lone millionaire in the 10-horse field of 3-year-olds […]
After serving time as a New York State COVID vaccination center, Aqueduct Racetrack reverts back to its traditional duties as the state’s winter home for racing on Thursday. The track opens to fans on Veteran’s Day for its 18-day fall meet. That meet runs through Sunday, Dec. 5 with a […]
That Public Sector took his second consecutive graded stakes race at the expense of Never Surprised shouldn’t have surprised anyone who watched the two 3-year-old turf prospects duel in Saturday’s Grade 2 Hill Prince at Belmont Park. The M.O. was as simple as it was familiar to anyone versed with […]
There’s Gufo, who hasn’t missed the board in 12 career starts. There’s Japan, one of his rivals, who ships in from Europe for another crack at Gufo. And there’s Arklow and Channel Maker, who combined to win the last three editions of the Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic. It’s […]
Unlike her 2-year-old male counterparts, who were slugging it out on both coasts on Saturday, Echo Zulu left no doubt as ti who the best juvenile filly in the country is right now. This statement came in Sunday’s Grade 1 Frizette Stakes at Belmont Park where she dismissed her rivals […]
The Grade 1 Woodward Stakes returns to Belmont Park for the first time since 2005, bringing with it a field full of intriguing characters at varying points in their careers. And all seeking validation for where they are in those varying points. One of two Grade 1s on Belmont Park’s […]
The New York Racing Association is adding a Pick 6 with a twist this weekend, playing host to the inaugural two-day Breeders’ Cup Challenge Pick 6 that features six races from the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series. All six races coming to bettors from Belmont Park and Santa Anita Park are […]
Coming out of a layoff into a Grade 1 proved a minor annoyance for Life Is Good. Now, the 3-year-old standout will face another hurdle when he takes on older horses for the first time in Saturday’s Grade 2 Kelso at Belmont Park. When we last saw Life Is Good […]
British-bred Yibir highlighted a sterling weekend for breeding colossus Godolphin, winning Saturday’s $1 million Black-Type Jockey Club Derby Invitational – the final leg of the New York Racing Association’s Turf Triple series. This last-to-first outing over the 1 ½-mile Widener turf course at Belmont Park earned Yibir a berth in […]
Saratoga cracked $800 million in all-sources wagering handle for the first time in its storied history, ending its most successful summer meet with $815,508,063 in all-sources handle. That represented a 15.6% increase over the track’s previous record of $705,343,949 set in 2019. Saratoga set its new record last Wednesday, with […]
By several hours, the Hopeful Stakes get the honor of being the first Grade 1 of the year for 2-year-old males. That means it gives horseplayers the first glimpse of possible 2022 Kentucky Derby contenders. In this edition of the 117-year-old, seven-furlong sprint on Saratoga’s closing day, you get 11 […]
One day before Kentucky Downs begins its six-day meet, the track reached an agreement with the New York Racing Association that opens up wagering to NYRA’s markets and platforms. The late agreement means NYRA, its racetracks and its NYRA Bets advance deposit wagering (ADW) platform can access the track’s races. […]
The Jockey Club Gold Cup trophy carries the names of four Triple Crown winners: Gallant Fox (1930), Whirlaway (1942), Citation (1948) and Affirmed (1979). You’ll find Hall of Famers like Man o’ War (1920), Hill Prince (1950), Sword Dancer (1959), Buckpasser (1966), Damascus (1967), Forego (1974), John Henry (1981), Easy […]
As is his MO, Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott brought War Like Goddess along slowly, guiding the 4-year-old filly through the class pyramid with care and an eye toward building confidence. So when War Like Goddess won three consecutive races – and 5-of-her-first-6 – Mott realized she is ready […]
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