#Louisiana Champions Day

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…

Lovely Ride wins Saturday's Pippin Stakes at Oaklawn Park Coady Photography, courtesy of Oaklawn Park Jan. 9 (UPI) -- Trainer Bob Baffert saddled the first three finishers in Sunday's $100000 Grade III Sham Stakes at Santa Anita, a "Road to the Kentucky Derby" race, while the other weekend qualifier went to a colt who might find the Derby distance…

Fair Grounds News: Bron and Brow Highlights 1st Gary P. Palmisano Stakes From the Fair Grounds Media Team: Gary Barber's Bron and Brow enters the 1st running of the $75000 Gary P. Palmisano Memorial Stakes after showcasing his best effort to date in a second-level allowance on Dec 15. A field of nine Louisiana-breds will take to the court in…

The excitement is building for opening day for the 2023 Quarter Horse live racing season at Louisiana Downs. Seven races are carded for Thursday, January 5, the first of 46 days to showcase the explosive speed of "America's Fastest Athletes." In addition to the horses, there is an emerging talent to watch this season: jockey Arturo Alvarez. The…

The ball drops at Times Square, fireworks explode around the globe and North American Thoroughbreds celebrate their birthdays at midnight on Jan. 1. A few of the newly turned 3-year-olds waste no time starting their once-in-a-lifetime quest for the Kentucky Derby starting gate as Aqueduct rings in 2018 with the $150000 Jerome Stakes. On New Year's…

California Spangle, seen at trackwork Dec. 7, tackles champion Golden Sixty and some tough foreign competition in Sunday's Group 1 Longines Hong Kong Mile. Photo courtesy of Hong Kong Jockey Club HONG KONG, Dec. 9 (UPI) -- The Longines Hong Kong International Races take center stage in weekend horse racing, with competition from around the globe…

Winning connections celebrate after the inaugural running of the Royal Saint Lucia Turf Club's $150000 Pitons Cup on Friday. Photo courtesy of Royal Saint Lucia Turf Club Dec. 16 (UPI) -- On a horse racing weekend when "new" was the watchword from Japan all the way to Saint Lucia in the Caribbean, Instilled Regard and War Story provided a hint of…

California Spangle holds off Golden Sixty in Group 1 Longines Hong Kong Mile Photo courtesy of Hong Kong Jockey Club HONG KONG, Dec. 12 (UPI) -- A super day for Hong Kong highlighted weekend horse racing with action-starved fans emerging from pandemic lockdowns to cheer on some new heroes from the Sha Tin Racecourse grandstand. Two-year-old filly…

Arkansas' iconic Oaklawn Park, literally situated within a National Park, kicks off its biggest season ever Friday and runs 68 dates through Kentucky Derby Day on May 6. A track record 45 stakes races will be offered and total nearly $14 million purses alone. Friday's opening day feature will be the $150000 Advent Stakes, a 5-1/2 furlong dash for…

Sodashi, a rare white Thoroughbred shown winning the Artemis Stakes earlier in the season, is among the favorites for Sunday's Grade 1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies. Photo courtesy of Japan Racing Association Dec. 11 (UPI) -- Weekend horse racing takes an international turn as Sunday's Longines Hong Kong International Races could see the final runs by…

This weekend's horse racing action is highlighted by a quartet of Grade 1 turf races in Hong Kong which have drawn an international cast, including Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare turf heroine Loves Only You. Stateside, the stakes action is led by the G2 Los Alamitos Futurity and the G3 Mr. Prospector on Saturday. Additionally, Arkansas Derby winner…

The history of 151 years of horse racing at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots can be read in the stakes names, from the Colonel Power to the Rachel Alexandra (G2), the Allen Lacombe to the Buddy Diliberto. That tradition continues with the addition of six new opening weekend restricted stakes, serving as the perfect springboard for Louisiana…