#Donegal Racing

The Kentucky Derby, the first and perhaps most important leg of the Triple Crown, is just two days away and horse racing fans will finally get to see what the race looks like without a Bob Baffert-trained colt on the track. Zandon, this year's betting favorite to win in the field of 20 thoroughbreds at 3-1, enters the 148th Run for the Roses having…

According to Churchill Downs' Mike Battaglia's opening odds, thoroughbred contender Cyberknife is a 20-1 shot for Saturday's Kentucky Derby. Even if he doesn't win, his owner deserves a bouquet of roses or at least a glass of champagne. You see, Al Gold had more important things on his mind when he named his Chestnut colt. The prostate cancer he…

Mike from Queens got to see his two horses finish first and second in New York's biggest race. Mike Repole, who owns Mo Donegal and filly Nest, watched as Mo Donegal passed We the People and Skippylongstocking on the outside in the stretch of the 2022 Belmont Stakes. Once clear, Mo Donegal powered ahead, leaving the rest of the field well behind.…

Donegal Racing's Mo Donegal, perfectly piloted by Joel Rosario, arrived in the final strides to capture Saturday's Grade 2, $750000 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino, a nine-furlong test for sophomores at Aqueduct Racetrack. The victory provided Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher a record-tying seventh win in the Wood Memorial,…

Festive hats and mint juleps are just accessories to the Kentucky Derby, the annual horse race held in Louisville's Churchill Downs. The horses are the main event, and at this year's 148th race slated for May 7, a Connecticut-owned horse is set to take the track. While Mo Donegal is making his Derby debut this weekend, Durante and Buckley were also…

So, fairy tales do not have legs in horse racing. If they did, Sonny Leon aboard Rich Strike would have been ding-donging down the stretch of the 154th running of the Belmont Stakes on Saturday. Instead, a colt named Mo Donegal, trained by Todd Pletcher, who is based in New York, and ridden by the nation's top rider - another New Yorker, Irad Ortiz…

Triple Crown veteran Todd Pletcher had simple advice Saturday for jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. before the Belmont Stakes. "Be patient," Pletcher said. "I think you have the best last quarter of any horse in the race." Sometimes, less is Mo. Mo Donegal pulled away down the home stretch and held off filly Nest to win the Belmont Stakes, giving Pletcher a…

The horses are nearing the starting gate for the 148th running of the Kentucky Derby. Mo Donegal will be first to load into the starting gate in post No. 1, and he'll be first to cross the finish line in the 2022 Kentucky Derby. You can bet on it. The opening pari-mutuel odds on Mo Donegal to win the Derby are 10/1. We're sticking to our plan to…

The excitement is consuming Keith Luke night and day, though at times it doesn't seem real. "I have the experience where I get to sleep, I wake up in the morning, and we still have a horse going to the Kentucky Derby. It's a positive type of anxiety, and it's surprisingly exhausting," said Luke, economic development director for the city of…

After having a massive upset winner in the Kentucky Derby, things returned to normal in the 2022 Belmont Stakes with betting favorite Mo Donegal getting the biggest win of his career. Coming into the race with 7-2 odds (bet $200 to win $700), jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. took a conservative approach with Mo Donegal before turning him loose. The horse came…

LEXINGTON, KY - Mike Repole is heading into Breeders' Cup weekend with' Uncle Mo' on his side. After fulfilling a lifelong dream by running one-two in the GI Belmont S. with the recently retired and Spendthrift-bound Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo) and Nest (Curlin)-one of Repole's seven Grade I victories on the year-the momentum has continued to build for…

Barese captures the Gander Feb. 12, 2022 at Aqueduct (Chelsea Durand) OZONE PARK, N.Y.- A total of 99 New York-breds are entered for a special 10-race card on Closing Day Sunday at the Belmont at the Big A fall meet to celebrate the best of New York for the annual Empire Showcase Day, featuring eight stakes races worth $1.6 million, topped by the…

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Spendthrift Farm has announced stud fees for its roster of 27 stallions set to stand at the Lexington-based farm for the upcoming 2023 breeding season, led again by North America's reigning three-time champion General Sire, Into Mischief who will stand for $250000 S&N. Spendthrift has added four new stallions including 2022…

ELMONT, NY - The kid from Queens got his GI Belmont Stakes. Carrying the royal blue-and-orange, New York Mets-inspired silks of Middle Village native Mike Repole, Donegal Racing and Repole Stable's Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo) delivered an authoritative, three-length victory as the 5-2 favorite before an announced crowd of 46103 in Saturday's GI Belmont…

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - It's typical for supporters of Kentucky Derby horses to wear caps with their favorite's name stitched on the front. Monday morning, the Minnesotans who came to cheer on Zozos got their new white lids, just before they boarded a bus to begin a week of horse-country revelry. Pete Mattson put his hat on right away, signaling his…

Courvoisier, shown winning the Jerome Sakes, returns for Saturday's Grade III Withers at Aqueduct, a Kentucky Derby prep. Photo by Chelsey Durand, courtesy of New York Racing Association Feb. 4 (UPI) -- Three official Kentucky Derby prep races top the U.S. weekend horse racing schedule while Hot Rod Charlie, one of last year's Triple Crown…

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Spendthrift Farm has announced stud fees for its roster of 27 stallions set to stand at the Lexington-based farm for the upcoming 2023 breeding season, led again by North America's reigning three-time champion General Sire, Into Mischief who will stand for $250000 S&N. Spendthrift has added four new stallions including 2022…