#Rachel Alexandra

They will all dream on Saturday. Owners and trainers and jockeys of 20 thoroughbred horses will be hoping their prayers will be answered when the 145th running of the Kentucky Derby is done at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. One thing learned from the prior 144 editions of America's greatest horse race is that any horse entered has a shot to win…

Three-year-old dirt fillies get one last chance to compete at the top level against their own age and sex in the $300000 La Brea Stakes (G1), which runs Monday, December 26 at Santa Anita! The race drew a field of eight, four of whom are already graded winners and four who seek those honors for the first time in their career. The field is led by…

Now we are talking Kentucky Derby preps. This time we mean it. Life Is Good can race across, up and down or diagonally through the San Felipe. Greatest Honour can close on pedestrian fractions in the Fountain of Youth. Concert Tour can be anointed prince of the Bob Baffert Invi … er … Rebel Stakes. Essential Quality can be forgotten with his…

A historic 15 weeks after it began, the 2020 Triple Crown drew to a close as Swiss Skydiver crossed the line first in the 145th Preakness Stakes at a spectatorless Pimlico to become the sixth filly to win the race. She was the first filly to run in the Preakness since Ria Antonia in 2014, who finished last. Hall of Famer Rachel Alexandra was the…

Stonestreet homebred Clairiere (Curlin) kicked home convincingly in Saturday's GI Cotillion S. at Parx to earn a first highest-level victory and snap a five-race winless streak while capping an exacta for her sire. A neck winner of the GII Rachel Alexandra S. in February, the Steve Asmussen pupil was second best to familiar foe Travel Column…

And now we wait. Post positions are drawn and morning line odds set for all 14 Breeders' Cup races to be run Friday and Saturday at Churchill Downs, which will host the championships for the first time since 2011. Get a look at the fields below. Friday, Nov. 2 • 10 races total carded; first post time 12:55 p.m. It's an overflow field, as expected…

A Triple Crown sweep lies silent this year with Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike side-stepping Saturday's Preakness Stakes. But a trio of big-time talents make this year's middle jewel a fabulous, triple-threat race. Kentucky Derby runner-up and beaten favorite Epicenter was installed as the 6-5 morning-line favorite by Pimlico oddsmaker Keith…

Esteemed horse racing expert Steve Kornacki made his 2022 Preakness picks and predictions. Find out which Preakness horses Steve Kornacki is betting on at Pimlico Race Course in 2022. The Preakness may not have as much excitement this year because of the absence of Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike. However, there are some interesting storylines…

Fair Grounds' Barn Notes: Jace's Road Will Return in Dec. 26 Gun Runner Stakes (The Alys Look will run in the Untappable Stakes / Hodges Photo & Courtesy of the Fair Grounds) From the Fair Grounds Media Team: West Point Thoroughbreds and Albaugh Family Stables' Jace's Road, who finished a good third in the Iroquois (G3) at Churchill Downs two…

The 2022 Preakness Stakes may not feature the Kentucky Derby-winner Rich Strike in its field, but there are still plenty of interesting racehorses to keep an eye on. And among the most interesting may be Secret Oath. Secret Oath didn't run in the Kentucky Derby, so she may not be familiar to casual fans of horse racing. However, the filly has a…

Wednesday, December 14, 2022 at 6:17 am |Back to: Bret Jones | Sarah K. Andrew Bret Jones is the vice president at Airdrie Stud located in Midway, KY, a 2500-acre breeding operation founded in 1972 by his parents, Governor Brereton Jones and his wife, Elizabeth. He is a graduate of the University of the South (Suwanee) and has formally been a…

The 2022 Jim Dandy Stakes (G2) at Saratoga offers a purse of $600000. It is the premier local prep for the Travers Stakes (G1), The Spa's flagship race for three-year-old dirt routers. Though the 2022 Jim Dandy only drew a field of five horses, the group is long on talent. The second- and third-place finishers in the Kentucky Derby (G1), Epicenter…

Arguably the best horse ever to be trained in Hong Kong, Golden Sixty became a household name during the region's strict Covid lockdown period. J A McGrath traces his career ahead of his hat-trick attempt in Sunday's Hong Kong Mile, one of four Group 1 events at the annual HK International Races at Sha Tin Covid lockdown heroes were uncovered in…

Even if you are successful in the sport of horse racing in North America and around the world, you are not guaranteed to win one of the famous and well-known races. So if you haven't entered the winner's circle for the feature race on the first Saturday in May, the pursuit is not likely to waver until you get there or until the day comes that…

As the dust settled on Rich Strike's improbable 81-1 victory in the 148th Kentucky Derby on Saturday, the question of who would challenge him in the Preakness Stakes on May 21 in Baltimore, Maryland began to make the rounds across the country. Rich Strike, a last-minute Derby entrant who got a dream trip under jockey Sonny Leon for trainer Eric…

The 2022 TVG.com Haskell Stakes (G1) has drawn a field of eight, including some of the best three-year-olds in training right now. Taiba, the dazzling winner of the Santa Anita Derby (G1), has been named the 7-5 morning line favorite. Jack Christopher, undefeated in four starts, stretches out to two turns for the first time in the Haskell. Arkansas…

By Andy Serling FOX Sports Horse Racing Analyst The 147th Preakness Stakes takes place in Baltimore on Saturday. Let's dive into the betting favorites, trainers, jockeys and the history of the race. The Preakness Stakes was first run in 1873, two years before the first Kentucky Derby. Named for the winner of the first Dinner Party Stakes - the…

Editor's note: An earlier version of this report included Giacomo among the Kentucky Derby winners who never had another win. Giacomo won the San Diego Handicap in 2006. The Kentucky Derby is the Holy Grail of racing, and this is the time of year when the frenzy peaks. The preps are over, the future bets are down, and the obsessive overanalyzing is…

Life Is Good, shown winning the Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park in January, is favored in Saturday's Grade I Whitney at Saratoga. Photo courtesy of Katsumi Saito Aug. 5 (UPI) -- Life is Good and Olympiad square off in the heavyweight match that is Saturday's Whitney Stakes at Saratoga, just one race after an international Group I rematch on…

Michael McLaughlin's $300000 Iroquois Stakes (Grade 3) winner Curly Jack headlines a field of nine 2-year-old colts that were entered in Saturday's 96th running of the $400000 Kentucky Jockey Club (G2), a "Prep Season" race on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. The Kentucky Jockey Club, run at 1 1/16 miles, will award the Top 5 finishers points on a…

Churchill Downs' Barn Notes: Curly Jack May Set Them Straight In G2 KY Jockey Club (Curly Jack / Photos by Holly M. Smith) From the Churchill Downs Media Team: Michael McLaughlin's $300000 Iroquois Stakes (Grade III) winner Curly Jack headlines a field of nine 2-year-old colts that were entered in Saturday's 96 running of the $400000 Kentucky…

After lots of last-minute decisions, the 145 Preakness (G1) is set - a field of 11 was entered Monday with Kentucky Derby winner Authentic the morning-line 9-5 favorite leaving from post No. 9. Trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, Authentic has won five of six career starts, and put in his final workout - 4 furlongs in 47.60 seconds - earlier…

Take a look at Steve Asmussen's resume and it's pretty impressive. He's trained four Horse of the Year winners, was inducted into the sport's Hall of Fame in 2016 and was voted an Eclipse Award as the nation's top trainer in 2008 and'09. He's North America's all-time leading trainer in victories. One glaring omission? He's never won the Kentucky…

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…

The TVG.com Haskell Invitational has emerged as a summer fixture at the Jersey Shore and beyond, with a $1 million purse, Grade 1 stature and a national television audience on NBC for the 52nd running on Saturday, July 20, 2019. Its namesake, Amory L. Haskell, played a prominent role in amending the state constitution after World War II to legalize…

The $1 million Grade 1 Preakness Stakes on May 15 at Pimlico Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve as the second leg of the Triple Crown, taking place just two weeks after the fabled showdown under the twin spires at Churchill Downs. But what a difference two weeks makes in how horseplayers approach handicapping the two races. The Kentucky…

This marks the latest edition of "Stackin' Cheddar: Looking Back", a new biweekly series on America's Best Racing. Here, we'll look back on an early race in the careers of some of the greatest horses of all time, including spots where they went off at a big price. June 13, 2008 Maiden Special Weight Jess Jackson and Steve Asmussen arrived at…

With Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike bypassing the Preakness Stakes to focus on the Belmont, Derby second-place finisher Epicenter is the horse to beat in Saturday's second leg of the Triple Crown. The Steve Asmussen trainee will re-oppose Derby fourth-place finisher Simplification and also-ran Happy Jack in the 1 3/16-mile race, which features a…

One year ago, trainer Todd Pletcher's filly Malathaat started her 3-year-old campaign with a late rally to win Ashland Stakes by a head. The victory launched her to an Eclipse Award-winning season that also included Grade 1 wins in the Kentucky Oaks and Alabama Stakes. Pletcher will hope for similar things Friday and beyond with Nest (2-1),…

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…

In this biweekly series, racing analyst Keeler Johnson shares promising horses from his handicapping watch list, reviewing runners who have recently caught his eye and previewing horses scheduled to run back in the near future. Upcoming Entries I loved the performance Epicenter put forth in the Lecomte (G3) at Fair Grounds last month. After carving…

It is Florida Derby Day! The crowd is ready, and the bettors are looking to do some handicapping! Turfwriter J.N.

With Secret Oath officially pointing toward the Kentucky Oaks again on May 6 at Churchill Downs, the comparisons between the daughter of Arrogate and last year's 2-year-old filly champion Echo Zulu will carry on for the next few weeks. According to oddschecker, Echo Zulu remains the slight favorite over Adare Manor in overseas wagering.…

Led by the unbeaten and highly regarded La Crete, a field of eleven 3-year-old fillies will look to prove worthy to remain on the Kentucky Oaks trail in Saturday's Grade 2 Rachel Alexandra Stakes at Fair Grounds. A very impressive debut winner at Churchill Downs, La Crete lived up to expectations last time in her stakes debut when she battled back…

Pappacap (green silks), shown finishing second to Corniche in the Breeders' Cup Classic, is among the favorites for Saturday's Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds, a 50-point qualifier for the Kentucky Derby. Photo by John Voorhees, Eclipse Sportswire, courtesy of Breeders' Cup Feb. 18 (UPI) -- This is the weekend when we find out if a few highly…

1 3/16ths (Dirt) Preakness Stakes (G1), $1 million, 3 (Saturday 21 May) The 147th running of the Preakness Stakes is on the clock... Now, that a Derby Champion was crowned last Saturday, it is time to turn our attention to Pimlico Race Course, which once again hosts the 2nd jewel in the Triple Crown. Entries will be taken... and as the field takes…

Churchill Downs' Newsstand: Jace's Road Returns in Sunday's G3 Street Sense Stakes (Trainer Brad Cox conditions Jace's Road / Photos by Holly M. Smith) From the Churhcill Downs Media Team: Albaugh Family Stables and West Point Thoroughbreds' Jace's Road, an impressive debut winner and recent third-place finisher in the $300000 Iroquois Stakes…

Live Racing Returns to Churchill Downs on Sunday for 19-Day Fall Meet (Churchill Downs / Photos by Holly M. Smith) From the Churchill Downs Media Team: Thoroughbred racing in Kentucky shifts from Keeneland to Churchill Downs on Sunday as the home of the Kentucky Derby readies to open its 133 Fall Meet with an 11-race program - all for promising…

Lost in all the talk about Rachel Alexandra, Zenyatta, and the Derby futures was the dominating performance by Quality Road in last Saturday's G1-Donn Handicap at Gulfstream Park. The Beyer figure came up 121 (revised down a point after an initial 122), and other performance ratings (Thoro-Graph, Ragozin, etc.) all came up with numbers that met or…

In yet another upset in a Triple Crown race, Swiss Skydiver (11-1) defeated race favorite Authentic (3-2), edging out the Bob Baffert trainee by a neck to win the 145th Preakness Stakes in a time of 1:53.10. This marks the first time that a filly has won the race since Rachel Alexandra did it in 2009. Swiss Skydiver took the lead after the…

Decisions, decisions, decisions. A few weeks ago, Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen acknowledged Pneumatic would show up for the 145 Preakness (G1) on Oct. 3, giving the trainer a shot at victory No. 3 in this classic to go with wins by Curlin in 2007 and Rachel Alexandra in 2009. In the past few days, Asmussen came up with two more Preakness…

The $1.25 million Kentucky Oaks (G1) at 1 1/8 miles for 3-year-old fillies headlines a loaded 13-race Friday card at Churchill Downs that includes five undercard graded stakes. The Oaks, the filly version of the Kentucky Derby, drew a field of nine, but this one sure looks like a showdown between the talented favorites - Gamine and Swiss…

Carryingtwo Grade 1 wins this year, Cyberknife probably will line up in the Breeders' Cup Classic, right? Notso fast, his trainer Brad Cox said Saturday after his Gun Runner colt lost toanother Gun Runner colt. Cyberknife finished third to Taiba in the Grade 1, $1million Pennsylvania Derby. SinceFebruary, Cyberknife has won four times, twice at 1…

When a heavy favorite starts at a lower price than the horse that beat him in their previous meeting, the latter is usually a value play. This pattern often happens in big stakes races where bettors favor fan favorites, even if they do not earn their role as favorite. In the Grade 1, $1 million Pennsylvania Derby on Saturday, Taiba starts as the…

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…

Churchill Downs' Barn Notes: Echo Zulu Returns in Saturday's G3 Dogwood Stakes (Echo Zulu / Photos by Holly M. Smith) From the Churhcill Downs Media Team: L and N Racing and Winchell Thoroughbreds' three-time Grade I-winning filly Echo Zulu will make her first start since finishing fourth in this year's $1.25 million Longines Kentucky Oaks (Grade…

In this biweekly series, racing analyst Keeler Johnson shares promising horses from his handicapping watch list, reviewing runners who have recently caught his eye and previewing horses scheduled to run back in the near future. Upcoming Entries Epicenter It is possible the Road to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard will have a new name at the top…

LEXINGTON, KY (Feb. 24, 2022) - L and N Racing and Winchell Thoroughbreds' champion Echo Zulu, who capped off a perfect 2021 campaign with a victory in the NetJets Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) at Del Mar, and Dawn and Ike Thrash's Turnerloose, winner of the Rachel Alexandra (G2) last Saturday at Fair Grounds in her dirt debut, headline the…

OCEANPORT - The 47th running of the $1 million William Hill Haskell Invitational, which will take place Sunday at Monmouth Park, is filled with potential drama. For starters, there is a very talented filly running against colts in Untapable, the 2-1 morning line favorite. It is the first time Untapable will run against colts. Then, there is always…

The question everyone wants to know in Saturday's $400000 Twinspires.com Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) in New Orleans, La.: what will 2021 juvenile filly champion Echo Zulu do for an encore in 2022? Since hitting the racetrack last summer at Saratoga, the Gun Runner filly has been everything and more for her owners, L & N Racing and Winchell…