#Smart Strike

In the United States there were stables such as Calumet Farm that dominated horse racing for decades. In Canada, the gold standard begins and ends with Sam-Son Farm. Founded in 1972 by Ernie Samuel, Sam-Son has left an imprint on racing and breeding in Canada that has been second to none. It all started when trainer Art Warner claimed Takaring…

The first day of 2023 kicks off with a bang on the horse racing front. The $250000 Smarty Jones Stakes at Oaklawn Park serves as a Road to the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve qualifier, awarding points for entry to the 2023 Derby on a 10-4-3-2-1 basis to the top five finishers. Held over one mile on dirt, the Smarty Jones has yet to…

Maximum Security, the colt disqualified from victory in the Kentucky Derby, returns to the winner's circle Saturday at Belmont Park. Photo courtesy of New York Racing Association Oct. 28 (UPI) -- It was a very good weekend of horse racing for Japan as Lys Gracieux landed the Group 1 Cox Plate in Australia and Almond Eye returned to her dominant…

Rhea Moon (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) was produced by the hot-riding Juan Hernandez approaching the final furlong and fought her way past pace-pressing stablemate School Dance (Animal Kingdom) in the final couple of jumps to win Monday's GI American Oaks at Santa Anita. A 6-1 gamble exiting a 1 1/4-length success in the GIII Autumn Miss S.…

Favored In Italian went wire-to-wire to give owner Peter Brant and trainer Chad Brown their second graded victory of the afternoon in the GIII Honey Fox S. at Gulfstream Park Saturday. The chestnut filly rushed up to take the lead into the first turn. Allowed to set pedestrian splits, the favorite shrugged off a pair of challengers in upper stretch…

Curlin is known as "The Classic Sire." A talented race horse in his own right, he has been an en vouge sire for Classic distance winners. Saratoga honors him on Friday. Curlin was born in 2004. The Chestnut horse was sired by Smart Strike and was out of a Deputy Minister Mare. The 11 time winner was Steve Asmussen who stands as the all-time…

There's a reason we're the #1 trusted source for premium racing picks & info. Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert will have three opportunities to win the $300000-guaranteed Starlet - the final Grade I of 2022 for 2-year-old fillies - for a sixth consecutive year Saturday at Los Alamitos. The race at 1 1/16 miles is being offered locally for the ninth…

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…

Stars On Earth (No.8) clings on to win the Oka Sho at Hanshin Stars On Earth prevailed in a driving finish to the Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas) at Hanshin on Sunday, the Yuga Kawada-ridden filly taking out the Classic by a nose from Water Navillera. There was half a length back to the third, Namura Clair, with the margins back to favourite Namur,…

Making the 33rd start of her career, her 19th in the last two years and ninth of her 5-year-old season, Lothenbach Stables' She Can't Sing (Bernardini) may just be better than ever and earned an extremely valuable first victory at the graded level in the GIII Chilukki S. as the sun began to set on Churchill Downs Saturday afternoon. A highly…

Bango and Tyler Gaffalione victorious in the Bet On Sunshine (Coady Photography) Churchill Downs Press Release LOUISVILLE, Ky.- Tamaroak Partners' classy sprinter Bango overcame traffic trouble along the inside rail in mid-stretch before he shifted out to get a clear run and overhaul leader Sibelius in deep stretch to win Sunday's 14th running of…

Manchester United's 1-0 win against Real Sociedad on Thursday was not enough to earn Erik ten Hag's side top spot in Group E - meaning the Red Devils will have to face a Champions League drop-out to advance in the tournament as a result. Every team that finishes second in their Europa League group must face a club that has been eliminated from the…

Belmont at "Big A" News: Smokie Eyes Returns in Friday's Chelsey Flower Stakes From the NYRA Media Team: Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, Darlene Bilinski and Steven Rocco's New York-bred Smokie Eyes will return to the scene of her last-out maiden victory and look to notch her first stakes win in Friday's $120000 Chelsey Flower, a 1 1/16-mile inner turf…

Juddmonte's Elite Power (Curlin) showed a new dimension and continued his ascension while punching his ticket to the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint in Saturday's'Win and You're In' GII Vosburgh S. at Belmont at the Big A. Heavily favored at 1-2 to win his fourth straight over just four rivals in this belated stakes debut, Elite Power broke on top and…

The 152nd Travers Stakes, the Mid-Summer Derby, is Saturday, Aug. 28, at Saratoga Race Course. The top race of the summer for 3-year-olds is contested at 1¼ miles with a purse of $1.25 million. In the days leading up to the race, usracing.com will publish profiles of the contenders. Profiles will be updated with post position, odds, and jockey…

Mark Beecher, a Fallston-based amateur jockey, took the inside trip with Upland Partners' Mystic Strike in Saturday's $50000 My Lady's Manor, surged to the lead at the final fence, and held off a hard-charging Witor to win Saturday's 109th running of the Maryland timber classic. Bruton Street-US's Lemony Bay finished third on a sunny, pleasantly…

Nasser Bin Omairah's Mo Strike attended a strong pace but had plenty of stamina to spare en route to an impressive score in Saturday's Grade 3, $175000 Sanford, a six-furlong sprint for juveniles at Saratoga Race Course. Trained by Brad Cox, the Uncle Mo bay entered from a prominent three-quarter length debut win in a 5 1/2-furlong maiden special…

Handicapping horses by analyzing pedigree can be a helpful tool to identify which runners are suited to particular race conditions. And sire statistics are some of the most useful pedigree tools to utilize. Since top Thoroughbred stallions sire hundreds of foals each year, there is a lot of data to draw from. Distill that data into handy…

Bloodstock expert Nancy Sexton ranks the stallions who have left the most indelible mark in the last 100 years. Today: the top five Nearctic - Natalma (Native Dancer) Stood: Windfields Farm, Canada; Windfields Farm, Maryland, USA Northern Dancer was a game changer as far as the industry was concerned, and not just in North America but Europe as…