#Mind Control

An enticing sequence of graded stakes make up a fascinating Pick 4 opportunity on Saturday's Churchill Downs slate. Post time for the first leg of the Pick 4 is 3:40 p.m. ET. My top pick is #2 Main Event (5-1), but I can't single the colt in a deep race. #6 Portfolio Company (9-2), Transylvania S. (G3) star #7 Sy Dog (7-2), and Shug McGaughey's #1…

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…

It is the great story of the understudy getting that one shot to step in for the star. One shot to step into the spotlight. And maybe even stay there. When Drew Bledsoe got hurt, in came Tom Brady. Wally Pipp was replaced by Lou Gehrig. Phil Fulmer less elegantly for Johnny Majors. On the other hand, sports are full of one-hit wonders like Jeremy…

Zandon, shown winning the Grade I Blue Grass Stakes, runs in Saturday's Grade I Cigar Mile at Aqueduct. Photo courtesy of Keeneland Dec. 2 (UPI) -- Triple Crown contenders from the past three seasons will battle it out in a field of seven for one of this weekend's top races, the Grade I Cigar Mile at Aqueduct, where 2023 Kentucky Derby hopefuls…

Controversy enveloped the final Breeders' Cup race at Del Mar on Friday when a horse that had been removed from the wagering was allowed to run and crossed the finish line first in the $1 million Juvenile Turf. The bizarre incident on one of horse racing's biggest days occurred after Modern Games, the inside horse in the field of 13, reared back in…

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…

Red Oak Stable and Madaket Stables' multiple Grade 1-winner Mind Control will retire on top of his game after securing a trademark gutsy score in Saturday's Grade 1, $750000 Cigar Mile Handicap presented by NYRA Bets, at Aqueduct Racetrack. Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher and piloted by fellow Hall of Famer John Velazquez, the 6-year-old son…

Fridays Race Recap from Aqueduct: (All odds US) Replays for yesterday's races from Aqueduct can be found here: Aqueduct: Race 3: 3rd@ 13.10/1 Race 8: 2nd@ 2.30/1 Race 9: SCRATCH In Race 3, jockey Luis Rodriguez had Keen Dancer well behind and didn't move a muscle on her until the race was practically over. Once he finally began flailing his arms…

Blue Grass Stakes winner Zandon takes on older horses for the first time when he leaves the starting gate in the 2022 Cigar Mile on Saturday at Aqueduct Race Course. Trained by Chad Brown, Zandon has two wins, three seconds and three thirds in eight career starts. He is coming off a second place finish in the Pennsylvania Derby. He is the…

Hot Rod Charlie gives the Grade 3, $150000 Salvator Mile on Saturday at Monmouth Park a nice star attraction for racing fans to watch. Unfortunately, his class advantage also makes this race hard to approach as a bettor. Last year, Hot Rod Charlie crossed the wire first in the Haskell Stakes (G1) on this course, before a disqualification knocked…

Zandon, shown winning the Grade I Blue Grass Stakes, runs in Saturday's Grade I Cigar Mile at Aqueduct. Photo courtesy of Keeneland Dec. 2 (UPI) -- Triple Crown contenders from the past three seasons will battle it out in a field of seven for one of this weekend's top races, the Grade I Cigar Mile at Aqueduct, where 2023 Kentucky Derby hopefuls…

Coast-to-coast Grade 1 stakes races are in the offing this weekend as Aqueduct and Del Mar start the month of December with a bang. Saturday's Grade 1 Cigar Mile in New York and Hollywood Derby in California will set the weekend table for Sunday's Grade 1 Matriarch Stakes on the west coast. It's a month on the racing calendar that will build to a…

Mind Control after the 2021 G2 John A. Nerud, his most recent win on the NYRA circuit (Susie Raisher) By Ryan Martin - NYRA Press Office OZONE PARK, N.Y.- Red Oak Stable and Madaket Stables' dual Grade 1-winner Mind Control will attempt to go out on top when he takes on a field consisting of three other Grade 1 winners in Saturday's Grade 1,…

Epicenter, shown training before his second-place finish in the Kentucky Derby, meets the winner of that race, Rich Strike, again Saturday in the Grade I Travers Stakes at Saratoga. Photo courtesy of Churchill Downs Aug. 26 (UPI) -- The "Midsummer Derby" at Saratoga pits the first three finishers from the Kentucky Derby against one another again in…

Last week, Belmont Park was the focus of the racing world with the final leg of the Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes, preceded by a host of stakes for other Thoroughbred divisions. Earlier this week, the action shifted across the pond to England's Ascot racecourse for the Royal meet. On Saturday, the Jersey Shore will be the place to be as Monmouth…

Love him or hate him, he is the first name people think of when they think of horse trainers. Seemingly always clouded by controversy, this year more than others, Bob Baffert is ready to try to add to his already impressive Breeders' Cup resume. Baffert has won the most money at the Breeders' Cup, netting nearly $36 million in purses, $9 million…

Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports The fastest horses on dirt will be in action in the Breeders' Cup Sprint Competitive betting market is already expected for the exciting race The Breeders' Cup will see some of the biggest equine stars compete, but none more may be more captivating than the Breeders' Cup Sprint. A purse of $2 million is the prize for…

The post positions are set for all the races at the 2018 Breeders' Cup, and while many horse racing fans are looking forward to Saturday's Classic, there are five key races that will start the event on Friday. The races include the Juvenile Turf Sprint, Juvenile Fillies Turf, Tito's Handmade Vodka Juvenile Fillies, Juvenile Turf Mile, and the…

With undefeated phenom Flightline (Tapit) and sophomore star Epicenter (Not This Time) headlining a respectably deep GI Breeders' Cup Classic, one oft-repeated quip is that 2022 is turning out to be "a tough year to have a good horse" aiming for a divisional championship. Yet a few rungs farther down the class ladder-more than a few, in truth-a…

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…

Cyberknife, shown winning the Arkansas Derby, runs in Saturday's $1 million Pennsylvania Derby at Parx Racing. Coady Photography, courtesy of Oaklawn Park Sept. 23 (UPI) -- Saturday's Pennsylvania Derby brings together many of the top U.S. 3-year-olds just hours after a few of the top prospects for next year's European Classics kick off the…

The Pennsylvania Derby appears to be a throw down this year. The race at Parx drew some of the ultimate 3 year old superstars including Taiba, Zandon and Cyberknife. Post: 12:05 PM ET; $100k Maiden Special Weight going 7 furlongs on dirt; Entries: 17 #12 DIDINGER (7-2) could be a dangerous threat to get loose on the front end. This one has the…

The winner of the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) and Pegasus World Cup (G1), Life Is Good has drawn the outside post of a talented field of six older males entered in Saturday's $1000000 Whitney Stakes at Saratoga. A disappointing fourth in the Dubai World Cup in March, the son of Into Mischief returned to his winning ways last time, easily…