#graded stakes

They could only scrape together a field of four for Saturday's GII Mother Goose S. at Belmont Park, run two weeks after they had a field of four in the GI Acorn S. Saturday's third race at Belmont fared no better. Only four went in the Wild Applause S., and three of them were trained by Chad Brown. And it isn't just a NYRA problem. The number of…

Item: Malathaat, the undefeated winner of the Kentucky Oaks, will not race next month in the Belmont Stakes. So much for the battle of the sexes. Item: Because of his ongoing medication contretemps, Bob Baffert and anyone associated with his stable have been ordered to stay away from New York Racing Association tracks. That means Kentucky Derby…

Pegasus World Cup Turf News: Atone Is A-Tuning Up (Trainer Mike Maker is getting Atone ready for Pegasus World Cup Turf / Coady Photography) From the Gulfstream Park Media Team: Three Diamonds Farm's Atone uncorked his third straight bullet workout Saturday at Gulfstream Park in preparation for the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf (G1), powering…

I led last week's column with this, but … "There seems to be more distractions than ever before for gamblers' attention with MLB starting to join NBA and NHL on the daily calendar" … and now we have football, too, with the second coming of the USFL. But, hey, there's always time to slip in some horse racing plays on our busy Saturdays. Last…

In what will go down as the most surreal week in sports since 9/11, racing got a double spoonful of distasteful medicine. As the sports world - and the real world - come to grips with the spreading coronavirus, the horse world must also sort out the impact of the criminal bombshell that dropped Monday. Rival trainers Jason Servis and Jorge Navarro,…

These Saturday races meet the criteria I've established for using the superfecta-key betting strategy. At Aqueduct Race 9 This one-mile allowance race on the dirt for 4-year-olds and up attracted a a field of 11, with one runner coming in off the claim. All entrants exit dirt races - 10 at Aqueduct and one at Penn National. The field has combined…

The winter campaign of the 2023 Santa Anita horse racing season is in full swing. The track, one of the nation's best, will host the Grade III $200000 La Canada Stakes on January 15, and Daniel Benjamin has the preview and prediction here. The La Canada is a one and one-sixteenth-mile race for 4-year-olds and upward fillies and mares. The $200000…

It is sometimes called the most important turf meeting in the U.S. this side of the Breeders' Cup. But is the Arlington Million card really all that? The ingredients are certainly there. Impressive purses for three Grade 1 races that have endured for more than three decades. Horses from around the world representing the sport's biggest powerhouse…

Stonewall Star after her victory in the Key Cents (NYRA/Coglianese) NYRA Press Office OZONE PARK, N.Y.- Barry Schwartz's New York homebred Stonewall Star will look to regain winning form for trainer Horacio De Paz in the $100000 Franklin Square, a 6 1/2-furlong sprint for state-bred sophomore fillies, on January 22 at Aqueduct Racetrack. The bay…

Even if a race does not carry qualifying points, if there are 3-year-olds running, it could end up being a prep for Kentucky Derby 2023. In addition to the Pasco Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs, there are six other races Saturday that include 15 horses who already are in the Derby futures market in Las Vegas or are on the verge of being there. Maiden…

The Eric Foster-trained and co-owned Kitodan rolled to a four-length victory under Gerardo Corrales in the $750000, Grade 3 Big Ass Fans Dueling Grounds Derby on Sept. 5 at Kentucky Downs. (Coady Photography) National HBPA Press Release LEXINGTON, Ky. - Turf specialist Kitodan, who went from being claimed twice last year to winning Kentucky Downs'…

An enticing sequence of graded stakes make up a fascinating Pick 4 opportunity on Saturday's Churchill Downs slate. Post time for the first leg of the Pick 4 is 3:40 p.m. ET. My top pick is #2 Main Event (5-1), but I can't single the colt in a deep race. #6 Portfolio Company (9-2), Transylvania S. (G3) star #7 Sy Dog (7-2), and Shug McGaughey's #1…

Welcome to Noel Michaels' Weekend Winners, the place to go for weekend best bets and spot plays from veteran handicapper and tournament-play pioneer Noel Michaels. Check back every week for a couple of highlighted selections designed to help you cash a few bets and make some money. Noel's selections have been featured just about everywhere horse…

As times change, even a two-time Triple Crown-winning, Hall of Fame trainer has to adjust. In an era when horses are racing less and less, Bob Baffert looks like he is not only ahead of the curve, but he is leading the vanguard. This goes way beyond what he did with Justify in a gaudy, 112-day dash from apprenticeship to retirement. Very quietly,…

A Grade 3 stakes winner last time in New York, Champions Dream headlines a strong pair of stablemates for Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse in Saturday's $125000 Pasco Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs. Likely to be favored in the field of six, the son of Justify has won 2-of-3 starts for former trainer Danny Gargan. Debuting at Saratoga, he broke his maiden…

This is "last call" weekend for Breeders' Cup hopefuls with more than a dozen "Win and You're In" races spread across three U.S. tracks. It's also Arc weekend in Paris and Winx seeks her 28th straight win in Australia. There's even more, with important 2-year-old races in Canada and the Group 1 Sun Chariot in England. Twenty-eight straight wins? It…

Three stakes winners plus a debut runner caught my eye last week. Each of them bred in Louisiana, and each of them with the talent to potentially face open company going forward. Let's start with the debut runner from Ron Faucheux's barn who ran on Thursday, Kyle Beauty. It didn't take an expert eye to be awed by this first-time-starter. After…

Trainer Bob Baffert holds a strong hand when he sends out the favored pair of Ganadora and Under the Stars in a field of six older females in the Grade 3 La Canada Stakes on Saturday at Santa Anita. Ganadora is the more lightly raced of the duo, but will likely be the post-time choice. The $1 million yearling purchase pushed a strong pace before…

The official state song "Maryland, My Maryland" will not be performed before the Preakness next month because the lyrics are perceived by some to be racist. A spokesperson for Pimlico Race Course, home of the Preakness, said Friday the tradition of playing the song before the race will be scrapped on Oct. 3, when the Triple Crown series comes to…

Three-year-old dirt fillies get one last chance to compete at the top level against their own age and sex in the $300000 La Brea Stakes (G1), which runs Monday, December 26 at Santa Anita! The race drew a field of eight, four of whom are already graded winners and four who seek those honors for the first time in their career. The field is led by…

Below are detailed notes on the individual lots: Lot 3: Cadenza - colt by Rafeef out of Casadesus: By the same sire as Gr1 winners Aragosta, Master Archie and Thunderstruck, as well as recent G2 Dingaans winner Union Square, Cadenza hails from a truly exceptional female line. She is out of the smart race mare Casadesus, who won three times up to…

It is the great story of the understudy getting that one shot to step in for the star. One shot to step into the spotlight. And maybe even stay there. When Drew Bledsoe got hurt, in came Tom Brady. Wally Pipp was replaced by Lou Gehrig. Phil Fulmer less elegantly for Johnny Majors. On the other hand, sports are full of one-hit wonders like Jeremy…

This is trainer Bob Baffert's really fun time of the year, running his stable full of talented 3-year-olds and learning which ones are ready for the big time and which are maybe a cut below. Cave Rock, Arabian Knight and Faustin might be at the head of the class right now, but Baffert unveiled three others Sunday at Santa Anita that he hopes could…

The 2023 Pegasus World Cup Invitational Series comes to Gulfstream Park on Saturday, Jan. 28 (4:30-6 p.m. ET, NBC, Peacock). Some of the biggest names in the sport are potentially going after the $4.5 million at stake. Cyberknife is most likely the biggest name that is probably to be in the field of the headline dirt race. He finished second in…

By the time the Grade 1, $1017500 Haskell Stakes was about to start Saturday evening, trainer Brad Cox was under extra pressure. He had been on a private plane from Saratoga only a few hours earlier with rival trainer Chad Brown, Brown's girlfriend and three jockeys. By the time the Haskell rolled around, Brown had won five races, including four…

Potential Breeders' Cup Horses Work Lexus Raven Run Winner Caramel Swirl Returns To Churchill Downs Conditioner Cox's "Cool Little Horse" Perryville Winner He'smyhoneybadger LEXINGTON, Ky. - Charles Fipke's undefeated Lady Speightspeare, scratched at the gate for the Oct. 16 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (G1) Presented by Dixiana, at Keeneland…

As Keeneland prepares to host the 2022 Breeders' Cup in two weeks, the Lexington, Ky., track continues its October meet Saturday with a graded stakes for filly sprinters. Smash Ticket (5-2) is morning-line favorite for the Grade 2, $350000 Raven Run Stakes. Post time from Keeneland is 5:16 p.m., with FanDuel TV to broadcast the seven-furlong sprint…

When a horse is purchased for $1.1 million, expectations are high. Baffert trains Shaaz, who has won two of four career starts but finished third going a mile against Grade 3 rivals last time out. His victory at Santa Anita in April was impressive. Cutting back to one turn may help Shaaz. That said, he is facing some veteran horses who know a thing…

This will be the 39th renewal of the great transatlantic horseracing shemozzle that is the Breeders' Cup and, while some races are a lot newer than that, most have a historical profile worth noting. What follows are some observations based on what we've seen previously in the hope that it might help to predict what will happen in Keeneland on the…

Some of the best thoroughbreds in the world compete in the Pegasus World Cup, a prestigious invitation-only race. This event, presented by Baccarat, will be held in the Carousel Club at Gulfstream Park on Saturday, January 28. There is no doubt that fans have been anticipating the yearly event and keeping an eye on the list of contenders. With a…

In this biweekly series, racing analyst Keeler Johnson shares promising horses from his handicapping watch list, reviewing runners who have recently caught his eye and previewing horses scheduled to run back in the near future. New to the Watch List A daughter of two-time horse of the year Curlin and a half-sister to Toboggan (G3) winner Great…

Two weeks after a Grade 1 win at Saratoga, trainer Christophe Clement is putting the star of his barn back in the starting gates. Gufo (7-5) is morning-line favorite Saturday for the Grade 2, $1 million Kentucky Turf Cup Stakes. Post time from Kentucky Downs is 5:45 p.m., with the race broadcast on both CNBC and FanDuel TV, the network formerly…

Topping a Bob Baffert trifecta, REINCARNATE (Good Magic), the co-longest shot on the board at 16-1, held off Newgate (Into Mischief) and favored National Treasure (Quality Road) to steal the GIII Sham S. Fresh off his maiden-breaking score in just his second start on the dirt following a pair of turf efforts in the fall, Reincarnate, a $775000…

Finally out from under And Tell Me Nolies's (Arrogate) shadow, ICE DANCING (Frosted) broke through for her first graded-stakes win in two prior tries and earned 10 points on the road to the Kentucky Oaks with a 3 1/4-length closing performance in the rescheduled GIII Santa Ynez S. Third behind the daughter of Arrogate when debuted at Del Mar Aug.…

Santa Anita Barn Notes: Friday's Card Gets 8.5 Starters Per Race From the Santa Anita Media Team: FRIDAY'S ALL-DIRT CARD ATTRACTS 8.5 STARTERS PER RACE With more rain in the forecast for Arcadia this week, the decision was made to run Friday's eight-race program exclusively on dirt. After entries were taken and the program finalized yesterday,…

Country House won the 145th Kentucky Derby after Maximum Security - who crossed the finish line first - was disqualified for a race infraction, an unprecedented result in race history. Read full coverage of the race here. Bob Baffert, the Hall of Fame trainer of Triple Crown winners American Pharoah in 2015 and Justify in 2018, has three horses in…

Southern California's first points-paying Kentucky Derby prep of 2023 features only two runners eligible to collect those points. National Treasure is the 2-1 morning-line favorite for the Grade 3, $100000 Sham Stakes. Post time from Santa Anita is 6:30 p.m. EST, with FanDuel TV showing the one-mile trip for 3-year-olds. Bob Baffert trains National…

Dr. J. David "Doc" Richardson, the distinguished Louisville surgeon who was an owner, breeder and widely-respected leader in the horse racing industry, died Tuesday at the age of 76. According to the Daily Racing Form, Dr. Richardson had been admitted to a hospital in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. with pneumonia following a COVID-19 diagnosis, then…

Cheval Grand, shown winning the 2017 Japan Cup, returns seeking a repeat victory in Sunday's renewal. Photo courtesy of Japan Racing Association Nov. 22 (UPI) -- Weekend horse racing action stretches from Tokyo to Bahrain with a stop in England and a quick look at Hong Kong's preparations for its big weekend two weeks down the calendar. The Grade 1…

Keeneland Announces Spring Stakes Schedule (Keeneland / Photos by Holly M. Smith) From the Keeneland Media Team: Keeneland will award a season record $8.05 million for 19 stakes to be run during its 2023 Spring Meet, which will cover 15 days from April 7-28. Leading the schedule are the 99 running of the $1 million Toyota Blue Grass (G1) and 86…

Making the Grade, which will run through the 2019 Belmont Stakes, focuses on the winners or top performers of the key races, usually from the previous weekend, who could impact the Triple Crown. We'll be taking a close look at impressive winners and evaluating their chances to win classic races based upon ability, running style, connections (owner,…

The Breeders' Cup Classic pits the top horses from around the world against each other in the ultimate showdown to finish out the year in horse racing. Here's everything you need to know about racing's grand finale this weekend at Santa Anita: What is the Breeders' Cup Classic? The $6 million Classic is a 1 1/4-mile race on the dirt with 14 spots…

A decade ago, the word "aftercare" was not part of the industry vernacular when talking about Thoroughbreds leaving the racetrack. There were a handful of nonprofits which had battled the tide of horses retiring from racing for years. The Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation launched in 1983, New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program in 1992,…

Team Tuley continues to look for value at horse racing tracks from coast to coast. After taking two weeks off, my friend Ed Sehon (aka Mr. Ed from his Saratoga and Keeneland columns at VSiN.com in addition to his contributions here) carried us last Saturday as his Late Pick 5 at Gulfstream Park paid $588.20. This Saturday, we're joined by Sehon as…

Horse racing gamblers are you looking for 2023 Jerome Stakes Free Pick & Handicapping Odds…plus some predictions? Need some advice on who to take? The 2023 Jerome Stakes is set for January 7 at Aqueduct Race Track in Queens, New York. Here's a preview of our top contenders. Race: Jerome Stakes Purse: $150000 Track: Aqueduct Race Track Date: January…

Carmelita's Man. (Benoit Photo) Stable Notes By Victor Ryan / ARCADIA, Calif.-The 10th and final race on Saturday's California Cup program is the $200000 Unusual Heat Turf Classic for older state-breds going 1 ⅛ miles on turf. While a field of nine was entered, led by 2-1 morning-line favorite Carmelita's Man, only eight will go postward as The…

California Chrome Set to Conquer Dubai World Cup 2016: Former Horse of the Year California Chrome will make his final Middle East appearance on Saturday, when he competes in the $10 million Dubai World Cup (GI) at Meydan Racecourse. The 5-year-old horse looks set to give a top performance in front of a worldwide audience and merits all attention…

Fresh off a visually impressive win in an ungraded stakes Nov. 19, C R K Stable's Justique heads a field of six sophomore fillies going seven furlongs in Sunday's Grade III, $100000 Santa Ynez Stakes at Santa Anita. Originally scheduled to be run on New Year's Day, the Santa Ynez was re-drawn Thursday due to this past Sunday's races being…

The Fair Grounds hasn't had the easiest time of it thus far this season, what with its turf course having been shut down for repairs, but the New Orleans oval got back on track the day after Christmas with a 13-race extravaganza chock full of stakes races. James Graham and Brendan Walsh took their fair share of the spoils. Graham brought in the…

The first full weekend of live racing action in 2023 features a pair of Kentucky Derby prep races - the Jerome Stakes from Aqueduct on Saturday and the Sham Stakes from Santa Anita on Sunday. Both races offer 10-4-3-2-1 qualifying points towards the Kentucky Derby to the top five finishers. Saturday's $150000 Jerome Stakes has drawn a field of…