#Woody Stephens

Dr. J. David "Doc" Richardson, the distinguished Louisville surgeon who was an owner, breeder and widely-respected leader in the horse racing industry, died Tuesday at the age of 76. According to the Daily Racing Form, Dr. Richardson had been admitted to a hospital in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. with pneumonia following a COVID-19 diagnosis, then…

Tiz the Law is the 6-5 morning line favorite for Saturday's 152nd running of the $1 million Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park. The Barclay Tagg-trained multiple Grade 1 winner will break from the eight post against nine competitors in the 1-1/8 mile test around one turn. Posts were drawn Wednesday. "It could have been worse. I was hoping to get five…

Morello drawing away to a win in the $62000 Feature Allowance at Laurel Park, Oct. 8, 2022. (Jim McCue/MJC) NYRA Press Office OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Blue Lion Thoroughbreds, Iapetus Racing and Diamond T Racing's graded-stakes winner returns from a two-month absence in Friday's $135000 Gravesend, a six-furlong sprint for 3-years-old and up, at Aqueduct…

For the past 37 years, announcer Richard Grunder's enthusiasm for horse racing has left an enduring impact on countless visitors to Tampa Bay Downs. "There is no one on the planet who is more passionate about horse racing. Period," said Pete Aiello, the announcer for Gulfstream Park. "Nobody eats, sleeps and breathes horse racing more than he…

SARATOGA SPRINGS - Eddie Fazzone could barely speak, his vocal chords shot from rooting for his filly Dream Central. But he had plenty to say. The Schenectady native and Mont Pleasant High school graduate, who runs the popular Eddie F's seafood restaurant in Saratoga Springs with his wife, Lisa, a Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons grad, first owned…

With the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve and the Preakness Stakes in the books, it is time to turn our attention to the Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets on June 5 at Belmont Park Learn page on America's Best Racing for additional racing terms, educational information, and betting tips. Triple Crown: Thirteen horses in racing…

SARATOGA SPRINGS - After trying two turns, Jack Christopher returned on Saturday to what he is - an exceptional 3-year-old sprinter. In his first start since a third-place finish in the nine-furlong Haskell at Monmouth Park last month, Jack Christopher cut back in distance impressively with a 1 1/4-length victory in the Grade I Allen Jerkens run at…

OCEANPORT - His turf course. His race.Jockey Joe Bravo gave the Mike Maker-trained Bigger Picture a picture-perfect rail-skimming ride as that horse rallied from last in the field of nine with five furlongs left to win the Grade I $300000 United Nations Stakes by a head over Can't helpbelieving Saturday at Monmouth Park.For Bravo, a 13-time…

Malathaat, shown winning the 2021 Kentucky Oaks, faces old rival Clairiere in Saturday's Shuvee Stakes at Saratoga. Photo courtesy of Churchill Downs July 22 (UPI) -- The battle for year-end honors is hotter than the weather, as weekend horse racing has Clairiere versus Malathaat at Saratoga, top 3-year-olds in the Haskell at Monmouth and a rematch…

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…

Two Hall of Fame trainers -- D. Wayne Lukas and Todd Pletcher -- can tie the record for most Kentucky Oaks wins by a trainer when the starting gate opens in the 2022 Kentucky Oaks on Friday at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. Both Lukas and Pletcher have won the Run for the Lilies four times, one shy of the record held by the great Woody…

One of the most interesting races at the Breeders' Cup over recent years has been the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile. A number of runners have become star contenders to win the following year's Classic, including the 2020 winner of the race, Knicks Go, who went on to win the most recent edition of the feature race. The Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile 2022 could…

The feature race of the Breeders' Cup comes in the form of the G1 Breeders' Cup Classic. The race headlines a stunning second day of racing at Keeneland in 2022, as the world's best horses on the dirt compete over 1 ¼ miles for their share of the $6 million purse. When: Saturday, November 52022 Where: Keeneland, Lexington How To Watch: NBC…

Kentucky Derby winner Mandaloun works out at Churchill Downs in preparation for Saturday's Stephen Foster Stakes. Photo courtesy of Churchill Downs July 1 (UPI) -- The Fourth of July weekend kicks off the second half of the horse racing year with a bang as Mandaloun, Life Is Good, Ce Ce and other notables return from layoffs. Adding to the…

It will be a different Haskell this year. The name of Monmouth Park's signature race has been changed to the Haskell Stakes from the Haskell Invitational because the coronavirus pandemic moved the Kentucky Derby from its traditional the first spot of the first Saturday in May to Sept. 5. As a result of the date change of the Kentucky Derby, the…

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…

Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports Two massive Breeders' Cup Challenge races are staged this weekend Both Grade 1 affairs have attracted talented fields, as runners look to stamp their place in prestigious Breeders' Cup races If there was ever a weekend that showed how international the Breeders' Cup is, then this would be it. We have two massive…

The 154 running of the Belmont Stakes will take place Saturday at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. While the Triple Crown won't be on the line, Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike will be part of the eight-horse field. Post time for the race is set for approximately 6:49 p.m. In last year's edition of the race, favorite Essential Quality came in…

That's the way it usually works when Bob Baffert sends a horse to the Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park. Sunday should be no different, when the trainer makes his nearly annual trek to the Jersey Shore to saddle American Pharoah in the colt's first race since taking the Belmont Stakes and becoming the first Triple Crown winner in 37…

This year's Grade 1, $1 million TVG.com Haskell Stakes drew a field of eight, led by Jack Christopher, who is undefeated and untested in four races including the Grade 1 Woody Stephens Stakes in June. Cyberknife has been a horse to be reckoned with in the 3-year-old division, having won the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby in April and most recently…

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 Victorious in the Raven Run (G2) at Keeneland last fall, Caramel Swirl kicked off 2022 with a flashy 3…

OZONE PARK, N.Y.- Blue Lion Thoroughbreds, Craig Taylor and Diamond T Racing's Morello returns to the site of his lone graded stakes victory in Saturday's Grade 2, $300000 Kelso for 3-year-olds and upward going a one-turn mile at Belmont at the Big A. The Kelso offers the top-four finishers a free nomination and starting fee in the Grade 1, $750000…

Jim Bakke, Gerald Isbister, Coolmore Stud, and Peter Brant's Jack Christopher tracked the pace from second early, then moved to the lead nearing the stretch and captured his third win at the elite level in the $500000 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial Stakes (G1) Saturday at Saratoga. The 3-year-old Munnings colt suffered his first loss last time out when…

The Belmont Stakes weekend was a highly anticipated 3 days of racing. The stakes races lived up to their billing. The Wonder Again Stakes kicked off the graded stakes action. The race kicked off a big weekend on the grass for Chad Brown. In the race Consumer Spending was able to get the job done earning a Beyer Speed Figure of 88. The winner paid…

The highlight of the 2022 Belmont Fall meet at Aqueduct Racetrack is finally here as the 2022 Champagne Stakes looks to run this Saturday. The field is small but has a great field of two-year-olds as it is one of the first looks for the 2023 Kentucky Derby. In Last year's Champagne Stakes, we saw 2022 Woody Stephens Stakes winner Jack Christopher…

Nest Could Be A Star In The Making; Undefeated Sy Dog Might Head To Royal Ascot; Brinkman Has Big Plans Old Homestead LESINGTON, Ky.-Lucky Seven Stable's Smile Happy is the 9-5 morning-line choice in a field of 12 3-year-olds entered in today's 98th running of the $1 million Toyota Blue Grass (G1) going 1 1/8 miles on the main track. $1 million…

Trainer Bob Baffert can set the record for wins by a trainer when he sends out the favored Taiba in the 2022 Pennsylvania Derby on Saturday at Parx. The 69-year-old Baffert has won the Pennsylvania Derby three times, tied with fellow Hall of Famers Woody Stephens and Nick Zito for the most ever. On Saturday, Baffert goes for No. 4 with Santa Anita…

A total of nine Grade 1 races highlight this weekend's Belmont Stakes Racing Festival in Elmont, N.Y., with one Friday and eight on Saturday's blockbuster card. Though the field sizes may leave something to be desired, there is no shortage of stars lined up to show off for horse racing fans. Among the top matchups is that of the Met Mile, featuring…

The first post Saturday is at 11:20 am EST, with stakes action getting going at 12:33 pm. The first big race is the Acorn Stakes for three-year-old fillies going a one-turn mile. Like a bunch of the card on Saturday, it features one or two really high-class horses, and that means a small field because not many challengers want to volunteer to get…

SARATOGA SPRINGS - Steve Asmussen fielded a question Sunday morning asking for an example of a 3-year-old he's trained who experienced aftereffects later in the season from having weathered the grueling Kentucky Derby prep season and Triple Crown series. He laughed and said, "Every single one of them that wasn't Curlin or Gun Runner." Judging from…

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…