#Joe Sharp

Don Alberto Stable's Forza Di Oro gets the honors of morning line favorite at 7-2 in the $100000 Tenacious Stakes Monday at Fair Grounds, but last year's Tenacious exacta returns in the form of Estate of James J. Coleman Jr.'s Chess Chief and Lothenbach's Happy American, who is cross-entered in the $100000 Buddy Diliberto three races earlier on the…

Turf racing returns for Monday's "Road to the Derby Kickoff Day" card at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots in New Orleans, La. With the portable rail set at 34 feet, starters will be limited to eight runners for the $100000 Buddy Diliberto Memorial and the female counterpart, the 1 1/16 miles $100000 Blushing K.D. (Race 6). With the same parameters,…

Wildatlanticstorm keyed a lot of firsts, winning the $400000 Springboard Mile on Saturday night, for trainer Ray Ashford at 15-1 odds. The large colt scored the biggest 2-year-old stakes race of the Remington Park season. For the third time in the past five years, a locally-based horse took on all shippers from around the country and got the best…

Like a lot of kids who grew up on the racetrack, Jesus "Jesse" Cruz hoped to become a jockey. But long after he outgrew that king-sized dream, he continued to forge relationships with horses. When a homebred named Help a Brother arrived in the barn of his stepfather, Lewis Craig, Jr., at Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races in 2012, 18-year-old…

Keeneland Barn Notes: Basin Gets Final Prep for G2 Blue Grass Stakes (Trainer Steve Asmussen / Photo by Holly M. Smith) From the Keeneland Media Team: GRADE 1 WINNER BASIN WORKS FOR TOYOTA BLUE GRASS Toyota Blue Grass (G2) hopeful Basin, who races for Terry Green's Jackpot Farm, was the first horse to breeze over Keeneland's fast track Monday when…

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…

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…

Coming in off her biggest career victory, Regal Glory looks to make it two in a row when she headlines a field of eleven older females set for Saturday's $500000 Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Gulfstream Park. Trained by Chad Brown, the 6-year-old daughter of Animal Kingdom finished off last season in top form. Two starts back she was…

Churchill Downs' Barn Notes: KY Derby Winner Returns in G1 Clark'Cap (Rich Strike / Photos by Holly M. Smith) From the Churchill Downs Media Team: RED-TR Racing's Kentucky Derby (Grade I) hero Rich Strike will return to Churchill Downs and face a compact field of seven entered in Friday's 148 running of the $750000 Clark presented by Norton…

Notes & Quotes From the Claiming Crown Jewel (& More): Keystone Field (Keystone Field / All Photos by Holly M. Smith) From the Churchill Downs Media Team: Keystone Field, owned by Kirk Wycoff's Three Diamonds Farm, swept past early leaders Benevengo and Frosted Grace leaving the final turn and determinedly turned back a late charge by 2-1…

One week after racing's biggest stars contested the Breeders' Cup, the sport's hard knockers are featured Saturday under the Twin Spires. Intrepid Heart is the 5-2 morning-line favorite for the 2022 running of the $175000 Claiming Crown Jewel. Post time from Churchill Downs is 5:35 p.m. EST, with the race shown on FS2. The Claiming Crown features…

Churchill Downs' Barn Notes: Sconsin Returns in Sunday's Dream Supreme Stakes (Sconsin / Photos by Coady Photography) From the Churhcill Downs Media Team: Lloyd Madison Farm's growing broodmare band will add another member to their roster with their homebred Sconsin, who has a date with 2017 Horse of the Year Gun Runner in a few months. The…

Set Piece Is Set to Return to Churchill Downs in Sunday's G3 River City (Set Piece / Photos by Holly M. Smith) From the Churchill Downs Media Team: Juddmonte's multiple graded stakes winner Set Piece (GB) leads an oversubscribed cast of 14 horses that were entered in Sunday's $300000 River City (Grade III) at Churchill Downs. Sunday's featured…

Churchill Downs Press Release/Edited LOUISVILLE, Ky.- A total of 95 of some of the nation's top claiming-level horses, including seven also-eligible entries, have been entered in Saturday's 24th annual Claiming Crown Championship Series, which will be staged beneath Churchill Downs' historic Twin Spires in Louisville, Ky. for the first time. The…

There's a reason we're the #1 trusted source for premium racing picks & info. A total of 95 of some of the nation's top claiming-level horses, including seven also-eligible entries, have been entered in Saturday's 24 annual Claiming Crown Championship Series, which will be staged beneath Churchill Downs' historic Twin Spires in Louisville, Ky. for…

KY HBPA Interviews: "Claiming Crown" Coming to Churhcill Downs This Saturday From the KY HBPA Media Team / Jennie Rees: The Claiming Crown was created 24 years ago to serve as a Breeders' Cup-style event celebrating the blue-collar horses that populate most of America's racing programs. With the eight-race series coming to Churchill Downs for the…

Art Collector came through with a masterpiece in the $600000 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (G2) at Keeneland on Saturday, rolling past the filly Swiss Skydiver near the eighth-pole and cruising to a 3 ½-length victory. Sent off as the second choice just behind slight favorite Swiss Skydiver, Art Collector stamped himself as a Kentucky…

After a two-weekend pause, the Road to the 2022 Kentucky Derby resumes Saturday in New Orleans. Pappacap is the 8-5 morning-line favorite for the Grade 3, $200000 Lecomte Stakes. Post time from Fair Grounds is 7:20 p.m. EST, with TVG showing the 1 1/16-mile stakes for 3-year-olds. The Lecomte awards points toward the Kentucky Derby on a 10-4-2-1…

Eddie F's Racing's Dream Central will look to double up on stakes scores in the inaugural $125000 Suzie O'Cain, a 1 1/16-mile turf test for New York-bred sophomore fillies on Wednesday at Saratoga Race Course. Previously run as the Stillwater, the race is named in honor of Suzie O'Cain, who passed away in January following a battle with breast…

It's Closing Day... Keeneland wraps up its April Meet in style. The Grade 3 Bewitch S. is the highlight! Check out J.N. Campbell's selections, and a rundown of some of the key wagers! Race 1: 1-6-3-5 Race 2: 8-12-5-1 Race 3: 7-10-5-4 Race 4: 6-4-11-8 Race 5: 1-6-3-5 Race 6: 8-4-6-3 Race 7: 1-5-8-4 Race 8: 5-4-6-3 Race 9: 5-7-4-6 Race 10:…

Godolphin's recent $200000 Westchester (Grade 3) winner Cody's Wish tops a field of seven colts and geldings that were entered in Monday's $175000 Hanshin presented by the JRA (Listed) at Churchill Downs. The Hanshin is one of three stakes events carded on Monday's closing day program. First post is 12:45 p.m. and the Hanshin will go as Race 8 of 9…

With Breeders' Cup weekend around the corner, racing analyst Kevin Kilroy continues to examine track trends as well as individual performances at Keeneland. If you liked a rail horse on the dirt track last week, or most of the Keeneland meet, then you know - they are just not winning. Outside posts are breaking with alacrity and hustling over,…

Fulsome Could Break Out in Saturday's Ack Ack Stakes From the Churchill Downs Media Team: (Fulsome / Photos by Holly M. Smith) COX HOPES FULSOME FINDS PACE IN ACK ACK - Juddmonte's multiple graded stakes winner Fulsome will attempt to tally his third victory at Churchill Downs in Saturday's $300000 Ack Ack, and trainer Brad Cox hopes the 4-year-old…

LOUISVILLE, Ky.- Juddmonte's multiple graded stakes winner Fulsome will attempt to tally his third victory at Churchill Downs in Saturday's $300000 Ack Ack, and trainer Brad Cox hopes the 4-year-old Into Mischief colt will have a good pace set-up in the one-mile event. Fulsome has won eight races in his career and most recently closed from three…

Bell's the One Returns in Saturday's G2 TCA Stakes at Keeneland (Bell's the One / Coady Photography) From the Keeneland Media Team: Trainer Cipriano Contrereas and Andrew Knapczyk's Inthemidstofbiz will face five other fillies and mares as she goes for a repeat victory in the 41 running of the $250000 Thoroughbred Club of America (G2) Saturday…

Friday's Race Recap from Belmont at Aqueduct: (All odds US) Replays for yesterday's races from Belmont at Aqueduct can be found here: Aqueduct: Race 1: 5th@ 22.10/1 Race 5: 5th@ 13.90/1 Race 6: 4th@ 1.80/1 In Race 1 we sided with the debuting Just a Splash who looked loaded til the top of the stretch, when she was switched out and got a little leg…

The $1 million Pennsylvania Derby at Parx Racing on Saturday attracted six runners from the Kentucky Derby in field of 11 that includes four Grade 1 winners. The 1 1/8-mile Penn Derby is the final Grade 1 stakes race restricted to 3-year-olds that is run around two turns. The seven-furlong Malibu Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita on Dec. 26 is the final…

Nations Pride and Classic Causeway will face off once again in Saturday's Caesars Jockey Club Derby (G3) at Aqueduct closing out the Caesars Turf Triple. Classic Causeway got away easy in the Belmont Derby, but Nations Pride evened the score by winning the G1 Saratoga Derby. While the Jockey Club Derby's longer, mile-and-a-half distance could…

Modern Games, shown winning the 2021 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, returns to North America for Saturday's Grade I Ricoh Woodbine Mile. Photo by Alex Evers, EclipseSportswire, courtesy of Breeders' Cup Sept. 16 (UPI) -- Racing moves back to Churchill Downs and Aqueduct this weekend, but the main focus is north of the border, where Woodbine stages an…

Link text An overflow field of juvenile fillies will seek a berth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1) in Wednesday's $200000 Jessamine S. (G2) at Keeneland. The "Win and You're In" affair will be contested at 1 1/16 miles on the lawn and has attracted a fantastic field of good-looking prospects. While it is difficult to land on just a…

Cox Hopes That Set Piece Is "Set" For Saturday's G1 Arlington Million Stakes (Set Piece / Photos by Holly M. Smith) From the Churchill Downs Media Team: Set Piece (GB) arrived in the United States two years ago to the care of multiple Eclipse Award-winning trainer Brad Cox and since then owner Juddmonte has been rewarded with seven victories. The…

Churchill Downs' News: Santin, Smooth Like Strait May Be Showdown in Saturday's G1 Arlington Million (Santin / Photos by Holly M. Smith) From the Churchill Downs Media Team: Godolphin's Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic (Grade I) winner Santin will face six fellow turf specialists, including Cannon Thoroughbreds' 2021 Shoemaker Mile (GI)…

In Spa Selections, Saratoga correspondent Joseph Aiello provides Saratoga picks for a handful of key races at Saratoga, including all of the exciting stakes action! Race 8 - Grade I Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap 1. #4 Jackie's Warrior (1-5) - Not really a bettor's race with this buzzsaw colt, but barring a poor break or off race, this is still the…