Taylor: As Exciting As Advertised at the Downs

Pierre Esquirol's Alberta-homebred Jeff Fa Fa arrives on a four-race win streak to make his U.S. debut in Friday's Grade 3, $200000 Bold Ruler, a six-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds and up, at Belmont at the Big A. The Bold Ruler, slated as Race 8, is one of three stakes on Friday's lucrative nine-race program, including the listed $135000 Chelsey…

Canterbury Park will celebrate the Minnesota breeding and horse racing industry on Saturday, Sept. 9 with the 30th rendition of the Minnesota Festival of Champions, a 10-race program restricted to horses bred in Minnesota. Six of the races are stakes with purses totaling $500000. In all, 76 horses were entered. The first race is scheduled to be run…

Manitoba Derby winner Mano Dura will look to continue his winning ways, going 1 1/4 miles in the second leg of the Western Canadian Triple Crown this Saturday in the Grade 3, $200000 Canadian Derby at Edmonton's Century Mile Racetrack and Casino. Don't have an account? Create Account The series concludes with the Grade 3 British Columbia Derby on…

In many horse races, there is a tendency among bettors to favor horses who enter in winning form. But a horse who ran well in defeat against a talented rival can be just as likely to factor. The Kentucky Derby (G1) can be a good example of this phenomenon. Take the 2023 edition, in which the first five favorites were the Arkansas Derby (G1) winner,…

By Scott Taylor ( @staylorsports) Presented by: Assiniboia Downs' leading owner, Henry Witt Jr. , has won his first Manitoba Derby. Sending two horses into the 75th running of Manitoba's most prestigious horse race on Monday night, Witt's Mano Dura, trained by four-time Downs' trainer's champion Jerry Gourneau, stalked the prohibitive favourite,…

Since its inception in 1995, the B.C. Cup has been one of the biggest days of the year at Hastings. With a strong cast lined up Monday, this year should be no exception. Don't have an account? Create Account The six, $50000-stakes races include the Nursery for 2-year-olds, Debutante for 2-year-old fillies, Hong Kong Jockey Club for 3-year-old…

Talk about good luck. Picture-perfect weather set the stage for a lively opening night at Canterbury Park, drawing a crowd estimated at 7000 for Saturday's nine-race card. The first of 54 days of summer racing in Shakopee offered a little bit of everything: two $50000 stakes, some triumphant favorites and a few surprise winners. No upsets…

The Philadelphia Inquirer horse racing analysts have released their picks and predictions for the 2023 Kentucky Derby. This is the 149th running of the first leg of the American Triple Crown. The 1 1/4-mile horse race has been held at Churchill Downs since its inception in 1875. The 20-horse field Kentucky Derby will be broadcasted by NBC with…

Two Phil's won Canterbury Park's Shakopee Juvenile last year, and jockey Jareth Loveberry was the track's leading rider back in 2017. SHAKOPEE, Minn. - It only took a minute - well, 1 minute, 11 seconds - for some to see Two Phil's was special. The 2-year-old Kentucky colt stepped on the track at Canterbury Park last September for the Shakopee…

When: Saturday, post time 5:57 p.m. Where: Churchill Downs, Louisville, Ky. TV: NBC (Ch. 11) and Peacock, beginning with undercard races at 11 a.m. At Canterbury Park: The Shakopee track doesn't begin its live racing season until May 27, but it will be open Saturday for simulcast wagering and viewing. The racebook opens at 8 a.m., with the Derby…

The 2023 Kentucky Derby will take place on Saturday, May 6 at Churchill Downs, where the 2023 Kentucky Derby field is essentially set. History suggests that several 2023 Kentucky Derby horses will drop out in the weeks before the race, but several Kentucky Derby 2023 storylines are taking shape. Trainer Todd Pletcher has won the Kentucky Derby…

With so many options to bet in the Kentucky Derby, led by the champion Forte, it's highly unlikely that Two Phil's will be one of the talked about horses before the field of 20 enters the starting gate on the first Saturday in May. That seems only fitting for a horse who has had little fanfare so far in his successful young career. A workingman's…

A few days prior to Saturday's GIII Jeff Ruby Steaks at Turfway Park, Larry Rivelli, the trainer of Two Phil's (c, 3, Hard Spun -Mia Torri, by General Quarters), had said, "I've been trying to think of the easiest spot for the money and I think this will be the spot. If he absolutely hates the surface, that's on me. I'm sort of putting myself out…

On Saturday at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans, the age-old wager known as the Daily Double will encompass a pair of Grade III races late on the card. The GIII Louisiana S. for older males will give way to a group of youthful 3-year-olds in the GIII Lecomte S., as they look to chase Kentucky Derby points that have expanded to 20-8-6-4-2 for the top…

Assiniboia Downs recorded near-record wagering for the 2022 meet, which ended Sept. 28. with the second-highest wagering handle in the track's history. A total of $55326730 was wagered over the 50-day meet, which was second only to the amount recorded in 2020. "To conclude this season with the positive results we achieved is a true testament to the…

With only three live racing days left in the 65th season at Assiniboia Downs, the trainer, jockey and owner races have already been decided, but there's still one major stakes race for two-year-olds that nobody can predict, and two major mandatory jackpots that anyone could win. Read this article for free: Already have an account? Log in here " To…

It's last call for the 3-year-olds - including several Triple Crown alumni - in big-money spots before they'll have to start battling older horses. Parx, with Saturday's Grade 1 $1 million Pennsylvania Derby, and Remington Park, with Sunday's Grade 3 $400000 Oklahoma Derby, will put on their season's most important races this week. Parx will run 10…

Leading rider Jorge Carreno has a chance to sweep the final three open stakes of the live race meeting at Assiniboia Downs in the 93rd running of the $50000 Winnipeg Futurity on Monday, and he'll also have an extra day to increase his overall win total, which currently stands at 59. Read this article for free: Already have an account? Log in here…

America's three premier horse racing circuits - New York, Kentucky and California - all will have a change of address this week with the opening of new meets at Aqueduct, Churchill Downs and Los Alamitos. The New York scene will call Aqueduct home until spring of 2023 because of construction at Belmont Park. The September meets at Churchill and Los…

Back after a one-year hiatus and relocated from suburban Chicago to Churchill Downs, Saturday's Grade 1 Arlington Million will have an eerie feel. It's like seeing Joe Namath in a Los Angeles Rams jersey or Hakeem Olajuwon playing for the Toronto Raptors at the end of their careers. This American turf icon moves in front of America's most iconic…

The Assiniboia Downs' 74th running of the Manitoba Derby set fresh records this year. Total wagering for the race was $374166 and the total for the day was $3523260, the highest ever for both. The Derby was won by Red Knobs in a duel with Great Escape right to the finish. Jorge Carreno is credited with a fantastic ride, positioning the winner with…

For Darren Dunn, a trip out to Assiniboia Downs on Monday evening would be the perfect way to cap off the Terry Fox Day long weekend especially with the 74th running of the $100000 Manitoba Derby, the premier event on the local horse racing schedule. "Understanding that most people are at the lake, those who have access on the weekend it's a great…

There will be eight starters for Monday Night's 74th running of the Manitoba Derby at Assiniboia Downs. The early favourite, at 7-5 odds, is PrayForPeace, who is coming off an impressive 6 1/2 length victory in the July 11 Derby Trials race. The three-year-old, Kentucky-bred grey/roan gelding is owned by Henry S. Witt Jr of Waco, Texas, and trained…

The inclement weather hitting Manitoba means horse race enthusiasts will have to wait a little longer to head to the races. Assiniboia Downs said the late winter storms and other related weather issues in April have impacted training for the horses and riders. "Everyone rightfully wants to be able to come out of the gate to compete in top form and…

When three-year-old colt Rich Strike stunned the horse racing world on Saturday, it sent tremors through the dirt track and empty seats 2000 kilometres away at Winnipeg's Assiniboia Downs. "There was a lot of yelling and screaming - and even that was from people who didn't cash a wager. It was just a lot of pride here in Manitoba," said Darren…