#Desert Dawn

The principal action for Kentucky Derby 148 occurred more than 2000 miles west of Churchill Downs Thursday morning as Santa Anita Derby (GI) winner Taiba worked six furlongs in 1:12.80. "It was very straight forward," trainer Tim Yakteen said. "He worked three-quarters from the five-eighth pole. It was a typical Taiba work and we accomplished what…

Adare Manor was thought to be the West Coast's top Kentucky Oaks hopeful heading into Saturday's $400000 Grade II Santa Anita Oaks, but the connections for the overlooked Desert Dawn had other ideas. Ridden by Umberto Rispoli and trained by Philip D'Amato, Desert Dawn defeated Adare Manor, the 3-5 favorite, by a neck as the longest shot in the…

When a heavy favorite enters any athletic contest, the best strategy can sometimes be to never let the underdog get into the game. Echo Zulu employed that exact game plan to perfection in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies on Friday at Del Mar, and all but guaranteed herself an Eclipse Award at the end of the year. The 2-year-old Gun Runner filly…

The 2022 Kentucky Oaks horse race is in the books. Did you place a bet that hit it big? At 4-1 odds, Secret Oath won the 148th running of the Oaks on Friday at Churchill Downs. Trained by D. Wayne Lukas, Secret Oath and jockey Luis Saez held off Nest and Desert Dawn, your second- and third-place finishers, respectfully. Trained by Todd Pletcher,…

The co-feature of "Future Stars Friday" on Breeders' Cup weekend is the $2 million NetJets Juvenile Fillies. The country's top 2-year-old fillies will travel 1 1/16 miles on the dirt main track at Del Mar for the right to be called a Breeders' Cup champion. The Grade 1 race is scheduled as the seventh race on the card with a listed post time of…

Nest takes a shot against males in the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes on Saturday for trainer Todd Pletcher, a man who has won this race with the filly Rags to Riches in 2007. Even though Nest belongs in the Belmont, choosing the filly requires faith that the 1 1/2 miles elevates her to a new level. On previous form alone in normal route races, Nest…

Two very different, but very interesting, stakes races will highlight the Sunday Labor Day Weekend card at Del Mar. The first test brings out 3-year-old fillies, seven of them in fact, for the 45th edition of the Torrey Pines Stakes, a Grade III offering that carries a purse of $125000 and goes at a mile on the main track. The second is for…

There is one guarantee in this year's wide-open Kentucky Oaks. The post-time favorite will be higher than 5-2, the odds of morning-line choice Nest. Kathleen O., Nest, Echo Zulu and Secret Oath all have put forth efforts that are good enough to compete for the top spot. Below I take a closer look at all 14 fillies that will line up for the 2022…

Keeneland Barn Notes: Twilight Gleaming Headlines Field for Sunday's Franklin Stakes (Twilight Gleaming / Coady Photography) From the Keeneland Media Team: TWILIGHT GLEAMING (IRE) HEADS OVERFLOW FIELD FOR SUNDAY'S FRANKLIN Stonestreet Stables' Twilight Gleaming (IRE), winner of last fall's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G2) at Del Mar,…

Pozo de Luna's Blue Stripe (Arg) (Equal Stripes {Arg}), a Group 1 winner in her native country, scored her first top-level win in the big leagues of American racing Saturday, conquering odds-on defending champion Shedaresthedevil (Daredevil) and three other rivals in Del Mar's GI Clement L. Hirsch S. The victory in the Win and You're In qualifier…

Churchill Downs' Barn Notes: Echo Zulu Returns in Saturday's G3 Dogwood Stakes (Echo Zulu / Photos by Holly M. Smith) From the Churhcill Downs Media Team: L and N Racing and Winchell Thoroughbreds' three-time Grade I-winning filly Echo Zulu will make her first start since finishing fourth in this year's $1.25 million Longines Kentucky Oaks (Grade…

L and N Racing and Winchell Thoroughbreds' three-time Grade 1-winning filly Echo Zulu will make her first start since finishing fourth in this year's $1.25 million Longines Kentucky Oaks (Grade 1) when she goes to post as the likely favorite in Saturday night's 42nd running of the $275000 Dogwood (G3) at Churchill Downs. The seven-furlong Dogwood…

Two very different, but very interesting, stakes races will highlight the Sunday Labor Day Weekend card at Del Mar. The first test brings out 3-year-old fillies, seven of them in fact, for the 45th edition of the Torrey Pines Stakes, a Grade III offering that carries a purse of $125000 and goes at a mile on the main track. The second is for…

Even the most casual sports fan knows the Kentucky Derby. However, this weekend it may not even be the best race at Churchill Downs. That distinction likely belongs to the Kentucky Oaks. Post: 5:51 PM ET; Purse: $1250000 Longines Kentucky Oaks, 1 1/8 Miles on Dirt; Entries: 15 #1 SECRET OATH (6-1) was once a possibility to run against the boys in…

In this week's edition of the Racing Roundtable, James Scully, Kellie Reilly, and Vance Hanson recap the Whitney and address the future of two star mares. James Scully: Life Is Good showed his terrific turn of foot from the starting gate, and speed can play favorably at Keeneland in the fall, but the Whitney reinforced concerns surrounding the 1…