#Jose Valdivia

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…

Prince Abama was the victor in the Hollywood Turf Cup Nov. 26 at Del Mar. (Benoit Photos) ARCADIA, Calif-Trainer Phil D'Amato, who has become a dominant force on turf while relying heavily on Irish-bred imports, will send out likely post time favorite Prince Abama, a 4-year-old Irish-bred gelding in Monday's Grade II San Gabriel stakes at Santa…

Mr. Misunderstood wins Saturday's Commonwealth Turf at Churchill Downs, headed for bigger things in the year to come. Photo courtesy of Churchill Downs A spate of major weekend races around the world fueled hopes for the coming season, even as this year's championships are still being debated. In Australia, Redzel silenced any lingering doubts…

Flightline wins his third straight race in style in Sunday's Grade 1 Malibu at Santa Anita. Benoit photo, courtesy of Santa Anita Dec. 27 (UPI) -- Epicenter entered the Kentucky Derby picture with a handy win Sunday at Fair Grounds while a sparkling Opening Day program at Santa Anita featured a dazzling performance by budding superstar…

DEL MAR, Calif.- Tizamagician will try again to get back in the winner's circle when the stakes action at Del Mar shifts to the main track Sunday for the mile and an eighth, G3 Native Diver. The son of Tiznow heads up a six-pack of horses, 3-year-olds and up. He hasn't had his picture taken after a race since winning the G3 Cougar II during the…

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…

With Champion 3-Year-Old Male finalist Omaha Beach and Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile winner Spun to Run out for the $3 million Pegasus World Cup on Saturday at Gulfstream Park, the field has opened up for the remaining 10 horses. Spun to Run was withdrawn with hives, and even money favorite Omaha Beach scratched due to swelling in his right hind leg. Bob…

MEET THE MAN WHO RIDES FLIGHTLINE FOR A LIVING You're a true horseman when every time you see a quality horse you wonder'What would it be like to ride him.' The man to answer that question about Flightline, this Saturday's TVG Pacific Classic favorite, is Juan Leyva, assistant trainer to John Sadler and exercise rider for Flightline. "He's not like…

G1 RUNHAPPY FUTURITY, G1 TVG DEBUTANTE BEGIN TO TAKE SHAPE The Del Mar racing office has released a list of probables for next weekend's Grade 1 stakes races to decide the champion 2-year-olds of the soon-to-conclude summer meet and set the stage for the run to the Breeders' Cup in November at Keeneland. Six fillies are probable for Saturday's TVG…

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…