#Javier Castellano

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…

Kentucky Derby 147 champ Medina Spirit will run from the No. 3 spot in the gate at Pimlico in the 146th Preakness Stakes on May 15 with Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert agreeing to a special set of conditions after the colt failed his post-Derby drug test. He opens as the 9-5 favorite. The 2021 Preakness Stakes will air on Saturday, May 15 from 2…

ARCADIA, Calif. - It's proving time for 3-year-olds in the barn of trainer Bob Baffert. The next four months will weed out the best of the bunch as the calendar moves closer to May and the start of the Triple Crown series. "See what you have, see what they like to do," Baffert said. "You learn from the races and hope they stay healthy. That's the…

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…

Top contenders for the 142nd running of the Kentucky Derby are listed in order of preference, with comments provided by Joe Drape and Melissa Hoppert of The New York Times. Churchill Downs has adopted a points system to determine the Derby field, with points being earned by the top four finishers in designated prep races. The odds are from the…

Another racing week at Saratoga begins on Wednesday with a 10-race program, highlighted by the Jonathan Kiser Novice Stakes for steeplechase runners going 2 1/16 miles. I've highlighted my five favorite races on the program, which gets underway at 1:05 p.m. EDT. Best Bet: Java Buzz (Race 5) Best Value Bet: Frosty Invasion (Race 2) Race 1 No. 3…

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…

Editor's note: last summer, Ed Sehon (aka Mr. Ed) called this column "Saratoga on (about) $100 a Day," but sometimes had trouble finding plays on the mid-week cards, which put a drain on the bankroll. So, for this summer's meet at the Spa, Mr. Ed is saving his bankroll for the higher-quality cards (and horses) on the weekend and is posting his…

SARATOGA SPRINGS - Wit, who races for the Repole, St. Elias and Gainsway Stables, followed his usual racing pattern of coming from off the pace when he took the trophy in the Spa's $135000 Better Talk Now Sunday afternoon at Saratoga Race Course. With Jose Ortiz in the saddle for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, the colt by Practical Joke…

At the age of 92 most of us would be safely tucked up in bed at around 11pm with a big day ahead, but the Queen showed phenomenal staying power on Friday night by staying up late to watch her homebred four-year-old Call To Mind win the Grade 2 Belmont Gold Cup Invitational before talking to her racing adviser John Warren on the phone…

The 2021 Preakness Stakes gets underway this evening, putting the second jewel of the horse racing Triple Crown up for grabs. Here is everything you need to know to enjoy the thrilling race that was preceded by the Kentucky Derby and leads into the Belmont Stakes. The Preakness Stakes 2021 is set to run on Saturday, May 15 with an approximate post…

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - There is a full field of 14 entered for the 147th running of the Travers Stakes on Saturday, including the Preakness victor Exaggerator and the Belmont champion Creator. Still, the Midsummer Derby, as the race is known, is a wide-open affair in a year in which the crop of male 3-year-olds seems evenly matched. The…

Tiz the Law is the 6-5 morning line favorite for Saturday's 152nd running of the $1 million Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park. The Barclay Tagg-trained multiple Grade 1 winner will break from the eight post against nine competitors in the 1-1/8 mile test around one turn. Posts were drawn Wednesday. "It could have been worse. I was hoping to get five…

For the first time since 2015, there will be no rain falling on the Twin Spires of Churchill Downs for a Kentucky Derby held on its traditional date in Louisville, Ky., on the first Saturday in May. The 2020 Run for the Roses was contested under clear skies and a fast track on Sept. 5, with no fans in the grandstand due to the coronavirus pandemic…

A Triple Crown sweep lies silent this year with Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike side-stepping Saturday's Preakness Stakes. But a trio of big-time talents make this year's middle jewel a fabulous, triple-threat race. Kentucky Derby runner-up and beaten favorite Epicenter was installed as the 6-5 morning-line favorite by Pimlico oddsmaker Keith…

Letruska edges Monomoy Girl in Saturday's $1 million Grade I Apple Blossom at Oaklawn Park. Photo by Coady Photography, courtesy of Oaklawn Park April 19 (UPI) -- Million-dollar races at Oaklawn Park produced a big upset and a potential star for the remainder of the year in highlights of horse racing this weekend. The Kentucky Derby field continued…

The horses for the 149th running of the Belmont Stakes are listed in order of post position, with comments by Joe Drape and Melissa Hoppert of The New York Times. The morning-line odds were set by Eric Donovan of the New York Racing Association. Purse: $1.5 million guaranteed Distance: One and a half miles Track record: 2:24 (Secretariat,…

Friday's Breeders' Cup card at Santa Anita offers six championship races, giving horseplayers plenty of opportunities to find wagering value. Large fields and competitive races can lead to long shots, and the Ladies' Classic (formerly known as the Distaff) has produced a few bombs over the years. Among the long shots that have won the…

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…

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL - The 2022-2023 Championship Meet at Gulfstream Park will get underway Monday, the first of 71 days of World Class Racing that will be highlighted by the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1), $1 million Curlin Florida Derby (G1), and $400000 Fountain of Youth (G2) on the three most prestigious racing days during the…

Wudda U Think Now much the best in the Alex M. Robb (Joe Labozzetta) By Mary Eddy - NYRA Press Office OZONE PARK, N.Y.- The Elkstone Group's Wudda U Think Now returned to the winner's circle for the first time since August for trainer Rudy Rodriguez in Saturday's $100000 Alex M. Robb, a one-mile main track test for New York-breds 3-years-old and…

Vacation Dance victorious in the Atlantic Beach (NYRA/Coglianese) By Mary Eddy - NYRA Press Office OZONE PARK, N.Y.- Sleeping Giant Stables, America's Pastime Stables and KimDon Racing's graded stakes-placed Vacation Dance will vie for his second consecutive stakes score for trainer John Kimmel in Saturday's $500000 NYSSS Great White Way, a…

Les Bon Temps upsets the Maid of the Mist (NYRA/Coglianese) By Ryan Martin - NYRA Press Office OZONE PARK, N.Y.- A field of 11 will assemble with aspirations to give their bankroll a massive boost in Saturday's $500000 NYSSS Fifth Avenue for eligible New York-sired 2-year-old fillies going seven furlongs at Aqueduct Racetrack. Leading the charge is…

Dr. Blute wins the Empire Classic Oct. 30 (Janet Garaguso) By Ryan Martin - NYRA Press Office OZONE PARK, N.Y.- Flanagan Racing's Dr. Blute will try to wrap up the year by doubling up on stakes scores in Saturday's $100000 Alex M. Robb for New York-breds 3-year-old and upward going a one-turn mile at Aqueduct Racetrack. Dr. Blute, a 4-year-old…

Venti Valentine wins the Busher Invitational March 5, 2022 (Chelsea Durand) By Keith McCalmont - NYRA Press Office OZONE PARK, N.Y.- NY Final Furlong Racing Stable and Parkland Thoroughbreds' multiple graded-stakes placed Venti Valentine will seek her third career stakes score in Saturday's $100000 Bay Ridge, a one-turn mile for New York-bred…

The coronavirus pandemic hit the horse racing world this week when star jockey Javier Castellano tested positive for COVID-19. The Kentucky Derby had already been postponed, and several racetracks have shut down amid the outbreak. One track that remains open, however, is Castellano's winter base, Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida, where…

Even if you are successful in the sport of horse racing in North America and around the world, you are not guaranteed to win one of the famous and well-known races. So if you haven't entered the winner's circle for the feature race on the first Saturday in May, the pursuit is not likely to waver until you get there or until the day comes that…

Regal Glory winds up her career with a victory in Sunday's Grade I Matriarch at Del Mar. Benoit photo, courtesy of Del Mar Turf Club Dec. 5 (UPI) -- Mind Control and Regal Glory wound up their careers with Grade I victories a continent apart in weekend racing, while the another name popped up on the "Road to the Roses" Kentucky Derby 2023…

Yo Cuz wins the Maddie May Feb. 21 at Aqueduct (Chelsea Durand) By Ryan Martin - NYRA Press Office OZONE PARK, N.Y.- New York-bred sophomore stakes winners Yo Cuz and Galaxina will attempt to regain winning form against elders in Sunday's 16th running of the $125000 Staten Island division of the New York Stallion Stakes Series for eligible New…

Racing on the 2023 Kentucky Derby trail in New York resumes on Saturday at Aqueduct with the Grade 2, $250000 Remsen Stakes. The 1 1/8-mile contest, which is the second official Derby qualifying race of the year at the Big A, attracted a field of seven 2-year-olds and offers points to the top five finishers (10-4-3-2-1). Last year the Remsen…

Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr., Gulfstream Park's record-setting leading rider the past three years, is entered to make his 2021-2022 Championship Meet debut Thursday. Ortiz is named in six of 10 races starting with Macedonian in Race 2 for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr., who leads the Championship Meet with 21 wins through the first 23 days including Unsociable…

Medina Spirit, who won the Kentucky Derby on May 1 to give the trainer Bob Baffert a record seventh victory in the race, was installed as the 9-5 morning-line favorite in Saturday's Preakness Stakes, despite nearly not running at all after it was disclosed that he had tested positive for betamethasone, a corticosteroid, after the Derby. While…

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The horses for the 143rd running of the Kentucky Derby are listed in order of post position, with comments by Joe Drape and Melissa Hoppert of The New York Times. The morning-line odds were set by Mike Battaglia of Churchill Downs. Purse: $2 million guaranteed Distance: 1¼ miles Track record: 1:59 2/5 (Secretariat, 1973) Post…

Tuskegee Airmen breaks his maiden first out Sep. 24 at Parx (Bill Denver/EQUI-PHOTO) By Mary Eddy - NYRA Press Office OZONE PARK, N.Y.- Cash is King and LC Racing's undefeated Tuskegee Airmen will make his graded stakes debut for trainer John Servis in Saturday's Grade 2, $250000 Remsen, a nine-furlong main track test for juveniles, at Aqueduct…

The horses for the 146th running of the Kentucky Derby, which was moved to Saturday from May 2 and will have no spectators present because of the coronavirus pandemic, are listed in order of post position, with comments by Joe Drape and Melissa Hoppert of The New York Times. The morning-line odds were set by Mike Battaglia of Churchill Downs. Tiz…

Battle Bling victorious in the G3 Turnback the Alarm (Joe Labozzetta) By Keith McCalmont - NYRA Press Office OZONE PARK, N.Y.- Michael Dubb and Gandharvi's graded-stakes winner Battle Bling will look to add to her spoils when she headlines a talented field of 11 in Saturday's Grade 3, $200000 Go for Wand, a one-turn mile for fillies and mares…

White Abarrio, seen winning the Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park, is among the Kentucky Derby contenders returning to action in Saturday's Ohio Derby at Thistledown. Photo courtesy of Gulfstream Park June 24 (UPI) -- Derby contenders from Louisville and Epsom Downs return to action in weekend horse racing and "Win and You're In" spots for…

SARATOGA SPRINGS - How much of a future is there for Mo Strike? That's the question facing Brad Cox, the trainer of the 3 1/2-length winner of the 107th running of Saratoga's Grade II Sanford Stakes. The contest for 2-year-olds drew a field 12, with most of them making their second career starts. Mo Strike, fresh from a maiden win at Churchill…

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…

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Gun Runner will start from one of the outside posts in Saturday's Pegasus World Cup Invitational, a less-than-ideal situation even for the top horse in the sport right now. Then again, at least he'll be out there. Gun Runner's connections wanted him in the inaugural edition of the Pegasus a year ago, only to have their…

General Jim takes command in an allowance at Keeneland Oct. 29 (Coady Photography) By Mary Eddy - NYRA Press Office OZONE PARK, N.Y.- Courtlandt Farms' talented juvenile General Jim will test his abilities against stakes company for the first time in Saturday's $120000 Central Park for 2-year-olds traveling one mile over Aqueduct Racetrack's outer…

There's a reason we're the #1 trusted source for premium racing picks & info. Winngate Stables' dual graded stakes winner and Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks alumna Kathleen O. resumes serious business against a field of seven other sophomore fillies in Friday's 73rd running of the Grade 3, $175000 Comely going nine furlongs at Aqueduct Racetrack. Trained by…

Aqueduct Barn Notes: Kathleen O Returns in G3 Comely Stakes (Kathleen O / Photos by Holly M. Smith) From the NYRA Media Team: Winngate Stables' dual graded stakes winner and Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks alumna Kathleen O. resumes serious business against a field of seven other sophomore fillies in Friday's 73rd running of the Grade 3, $175000 Comely going…

The Mid-Summer Derby is now the Mid-Summer Derby Prep thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. The $1 million Travers Stakes was shifted to Aug. 8 from its traditional spot on the last Saturday in August so that the Grade 1 fixture can serve as a stepping stone to the rescheduled Kentucky Derby, now set for Sept. 5 at Churchill Downs. And this year the…

After lots of last-minute decisions, the 145 Preakness (G1) is set - a field of 11 was entered Monday with Kentucky Derby winner Authentic the morning-line 9-5 favorite leaving from post No. 9. Trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, Authentic has won five of six career starts, and put in his final workout - 4 furlongs in 47.60 seconds - earlier…

By Mary Eddy - NYRA Press Office OZONE PARK, N.Y.- Team D's graded stakes-placed Redifined will strive for her first stakes victory in Saturday's $120000 Stewart Manor, a six-furlong outer turf test for juvenile fillies, at Aqueduct Racetrack. Trained by Tony Dutrow, the daughter of More Than Ready was a narrow runner-up last out in the Grade 3…

D'ont Lose Cruz breaks his maiden at second asking (NYRA/Coglianese) By Keith McCalmont - NYRA Press Office OZONE PARK, N.Y. - D'ont Lose Cruz steps into stakes company for the first time in Friday's $100000 Notebook, a six-furlong sprint over the main track for New York-bred juveniles, at Aqueduct Racetrack. Trained and co-owned by Rick…

Kathleen O. gallops in preparation for the Kentucky Oaks, in which she finished fifth (Coady Photography) By Ryan Martin - NYRA Press Office OZONE PARK, N.Y.- Winngate Stables' dual graded stakes winner and Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks alumna Kathleen O. resumes serious business against a field of seven other sophomore fillies in Friday's 73rd running of…

Thin White Duke after a win in the Lucky Coin at Saratoga (Susie Raisher) By Mary Eddy - NYRA Press Office OZONE PARK, N.Y.- Conditioner David Donk will have two chances to capture his first $150000 Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship with Thin White Duke and Yes and Yes in Friday's six-furlong outer turf sprint for 3-year-olds and up at Aqueduct…