#Loves Only You

Essential Quality, shown winning the Grade I Travers, is among the favorites in a Breeders' Cup Classic field announced this week. Photo courtesy of New York Racing Association Oct. 29 (UPI) -- It's a week for looking forward as horse racing around the globe nears its annual champion-making events and youngsters get in final licks to make a case…

A 5-year-old mare who was a Group 1 winnerlast spring in Hong Kong may be the best hope for a Japan-based horse to breakthrough for the first time ever in the Breeders' Cup. Loves Only You, who has amassed $5453602 inpurse earnings with a record of 14: 6-2-3, is expected to lead seven horsesbeing shipped from Japan to the Nov. 5 and 6 championships…

Knicks Go capped a Horse of the Year season late Saturday afternoon, winning the $6 million Breeders Cup Classic by 2¾ lengths over provisional Kentucky Derby champion Medina Spirit in the finale of the two-day event at Del Mar. Former Del Mar riding champion Joel Rosario guided the third choice in the field of eight to his third Grade I win of the…

Verry Elleegant and Nature Strip, the nation's best racehorses, are defying time - but for how much longer? Since the retirement of all-time great Winx three years ago, the Chris Waller-trained duo have reigned supreme. Nature Strip inherited the Horse of the Year title from his former stablemate in 2019-20 before Verry Elleegant claimed the honour…

A Group One winner in Hong Kong and third in the Sheema Classic in Dubai, connections were further rewarded for their globetrotting when she showed a devastating turn of foot to go between War Like Goddess and My Sister Nat. Trained by Yoshito Yahagi and ridden perfectly by Yuga Kawada, who had a brief spell in Britain in 2018, she looked beaten…

Flip a coin when deciding which was more surprising Saturday at Del Mar - Japanese trainer Yoshito Yahagi winning two Breeders' Cup races or his 5-year-old mare, Marche Lorraine, scoring a shocking 49-1 upset in the $2 million Distaff. The Distaff, traditionally one of the most formful of the Breeders' Cup races, was hardly that on this day as…

History tells you it takes a three-year-old of rare constitution and quality to run in the Derby and Irish Derby before tackling the older generation in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes. Only truly exceptional talents - Troy and Shergar in 1979 and 1981, followed by Generous a decade later and Galileo in 2001 - have been able to…

Loves Only You and Marche Lorraine changed the storyline on a glorious Saturday afternoon in Southern California. Jockey Yuga Kawada, one of the premier riders on the Japan Racing Association circuit (currently No. 2 in wins and overall earnings in 2021, trailing only Christophe Lemaire in both categories) guided 5-year-old Loves Only You, the…

Nest (white bridle), shown winning the 2021 Demoiselle at Aqueduct, returns as a heavy favorite in Saturday's Suncoast Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs, a Kentucky Oaks prep. Photo by Joe Labozzetta, courtesy of New York Racing Association Feb. 11 (UPI) -- Potential Kentucky Derby candidates are in action from California to Florida and all the way to…

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…

With Japan's top international race taking place at the weekend, Nicholas Godfrey looks at the task facing overseas runners in Tokyo - and traces the nation's emergence as a racing superpower One of the world's foremost international races takes place on Sunday [Nov 27] with the 42nd edition of the Japan Cup at Tokyo racecourse, the Japan Racing…

This year's LONGINES IJC will also be the first time that the two leading female jockeys in the world ride on the same card - Australia's Jamie Kah who makes her debut, while Hollie Doyle returns for a third time. Kah, 26, is the most successful female jockey in Australian racing history with eight Group 1 wins and over 1100 wins overall. In…

Contrail looked a monster at two and could become one of the stars of the Japanese spring Unlike many other major northern hemisphere racing and breeding nations, Japan has thus far been able to keep its Graded race programme intact in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. With the sport continuing minus its passionate on-course chorus of fans,…

In 2019, Master Fencer became the first Japanese bred horse to run in the Kentucky Derby. Since then Japanese horse racing has quickly seen massive success. Horse racing in Japan has been around since the mid 1800s. The racing as as we know it today was brought in by Europeans. The primary purpose of the races was to be an attraction for out of…

The two-day Breeders' Cup World Championships will conclude Saturday at Del Mar. Saturday's nine Breeders' Cup races will start at 3:05 p.m. EDT with the Filly & Mare Sprint and finish with the Classic at 8:40 p.m. Here's the TV schedule: NBC Sports (2:30-8 p.m.), NBC (8-9 p.m.). Here's an analysis of each race. All times EDT. The pick: Gamine…

There aren't many racedays around the world that match Hong Kong International Day. Perhaps only Dubai World Cup Day, Royal Ascot, Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe Day, and the Breeders' Cup are as strong a magnet for international horses as the four Group 1 races up for grabs here. Hong Kong racing has also become much stronger over the years. Horses…

Yibir, shown winning the 2022 Breeders' Cup Turf, preps for another American invasion with a start Friday at Newmarket in England. Photo by Carolyn Simancik/Eclipsesportswire, courtesy of Breeders' Cup April 29 (UPI) -- With a week to go before the Kentucky Derby, there's plenty of racing action to keep fan interest alive with Breeders' Cup runners…

Ray Acevedo-USA TODAY Sports The Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf 2022 is the Grade 1 for female horses, which is run over 1 3/8 miles It offers a purse of $2 million and was won in 2021 by Loves Only You The Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf is constantly one that grabs the attention at the curtain-closing event of the flat season. That will be no…

Dubai Honour: beaten at Royal Ascot but has come a long way since Dubai Honour suffered a handicap defeat off a mark of 91 on his first start of the year and ends it 30lb higher in the world's richest 1m2f turf race, but quick conditions - according to his camp - at Sha Tin may reduce his chances in Sunday's Longines Hong Kong Cup (8.30). The…

Messier wins Sunday's Bob Hope Stakes at Del Mar for trainer Bob Baffert. Benoit photo, courtesy of Del Mar Turf Club Nov. 15, 2021 Trainer Bob Baffert saddled the winners of both 2-year-old races at Del Mar, Bell's the One was a popular winner at Churchill Downs, while Mandate scored a big upset at Aqueduct in highlights of weekend horse…

It showed up like clockwork last week in my email. Remember email? About 240 of us voters for the Eclipse Awards received our annual packets of digital information, complete with the usual advice to tamp an eagerness we may have to cast an early ballot. "It is strongly encouraged," the instructions said, "that you consider waiting to vote until…

It's all over for another year - but what did we learn from this year's Longines Hong Kong International Races? We learned that Golden Sixty remains among the most destructive finishers on the planet and it will be fascinating to see whether he ends the year rated upsides Baaeed and Palace Pier as world's best miler. The Sprint pile-up showed that…

DEL MAR, Calif. (AP) - The opposition knew Knicks Go would charge out of the starting gate. Yet, none of his rivals went after him. He had it all his own way in setting an uncontested lead and winning the $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic by 2 3/4 lengths on Saturday at Del Mar. Knicks Go ran 1 1/4 miles in 1:59.57. He earned his fourth straight…

Friday of the Breeders' Cup features the rising stars of racing. Saturday however, is a chance to see some the best of the best competing to be a world champion in their division. The two-day card from Del Mar can be a war of attrition for even the most experienced handicappers. Along with more races and larger fields foreign form makes the puzzle…

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:…

DEL MAR, Calif. (AP) - Knicks Go set the early pace and kicked away to a 2 3/4-length victory in the $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic on Saturday at Del Mar. Ridden by Joel Rosario, 5-year-old Knicks Go squared off against a trio of top 3-year-olds - controversial Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit, Belmont Stakes winner Essential Quality and…

Tarnawa, defending champion and favorite for Saturday's Breeders' Cup Turf race, stretches her legs over the Del Mar track Monday. Photo courtesy of the Breeders' Cup DEL MAR, Calif., Nov. 4 (UPI) -- The 2021 Breeders' Cup World Championships have attracted a record 56 international entries for the two-day event that opens Friday at Del Mar in…

So far, so good for Baaeed, who might not be Frankel yet and probably never will be, but he is not doing a bad impression of the Juddmonte superstar's 2012 campaign. Then, as a four-year-old, the legendary colt swept to victories in the Lockinge and Queen Anne before the midsummer miling highlight, which he won in customary commanding…

In the days leading up to the 38th Breeders' Cup at Del Mar in California, usracing.com is publishing profiles on the horses in the $2 million Breeders' Cup Distaff (Saturday, Nov. 6). The profiles will be updated following the post-position draw on Monday, Nov. 1 (5:30 p.m. ET) By Ed McNamara In 1999 I was there at Longchamp, along with thousands…

The weekly TRC industry digest - a round-up of the international racing news from the past week. Europe: David Elsworth, one of the UK's finest dual-purpose trainers, has brought the curtain down on a career spanning 50 years, which will remembered mainly for his handling of the great Desert Orchid, one of the most popular racehorses in British…

OZONE PARK, N.Y.- For the past two seasons, George Krikorian's War Like Goddess has displayed superiority amongst her staying female counterparts at graded stakes level on grass. In Saturday's Grade 1, $500000 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic, the talented bay mare will target a new task when facing males for the first time for Hall of Famer Bill Mott. The…

Japan has been trying to win the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe for over fifty years. The country's first runner was Speed Symboli who finished out of contention in 1969. 30 years later, El Condor Pasa was beaten half-a-length into second by Montjeu in Europe's premier all-aged contest. . Nakayama Festa was beaten by just a head into second in 2010. In…

The Breeders' Cup is a glorious two days of. Fourteen championship races, top horses from around the globe, mostly full fields and a chance for a profitable day with just a few exotic wagering scores. The 2021 edition will be run Friday and Saturday at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club. The "Future Stars Friday'' card will feature five races restricted to…

There's been no racing in Hong Kong for more than seven weeks but there's still been plenty happening. Here are some of the off-season's more newsworthy events. The Jockey Club will offer its punters another form of fixed-price wagering in 2022-23, with the Trainer Challenge launching at Sunday's season opener at Sha Tin. Like the Jockey Challenge,…

In this week's edition of the Racing Roundtable, James Scully, Kellie Reilly, and Vance Hanson recap the Whitney and address the future of two star mares. James Scully: Life Is Good showed his terrific turn of foot from the starting gate, and speed can play favorably at Keeneland in the fall, but the Whitney reinforced concerns surrounding the 1…