The Breeders' Cup welcoming top international horses is not news, but it's worth pausing to consider the lineup for this year's World Championships that arrived from overseas. There is the current frontrunner for the Cartier Award as Europe's Horse of the Year, Roaring Lion, who already has won four group 1 races this year in England and Ireland. Roaring Lion, a Kentucky-bred son of Kitten's Joy, will...
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Three horses will try to defend their Breeders' Cup titles, and a pair of horses who won juvenile races at the event will look for more success in this year's World Championships. The three horses looking to repeat their 2017 success in the same race are Roy H in the TwinSpires Sprint (G1), Stormy Liberal in the Turf Sprint (G1T), and Talismanic in the Longines Turf (G1T). Also looking to add to their...
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Looking for something new in a jam-packed weekend of stakes races, many of which serve as key steppingstones to the Breeders' Cup World Championships? The three North American Breeders' Cup Challenge races to the inaugural Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint Nov. 2 at Churchill Downs will be contested this weekend at Santa Anita Park, Belmont Park, and Keeneland. Santa Anita gets the ball rolling Oct...
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When Godolphin Racing's Thunder Snow (IRE) starts in the $750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes (G1) Sept. 29 at Belmont Park, it could mark an important step toward a historic run in the Nov. 3 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) at Churchill Downs. Thunder Snow has shipped to the United States with the goal of becoming the fifth horse to post victories in both the Dubai World Cup Sponsored By Emirates Airline...
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Many thoughts filled my head today (Aug. 27) on the news of John Asher's passing, a bunch all at once, and then seemingly one about every hour as I thought, “I can’t believe John is gone.” These are a few of the many pleasant memories. In terms of John Asher’s professionalism, I’ll share the most recent example. All writers and reporters will get this right away, for those who are not, I’ll try to...
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Justify will look to become the 13th Triple Crown winner and second undefeated Triple Crown winner in the June 9 Belmont Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park. The Road takes this opportunity to recall the four previous Kentucky Derby (G1) and Preakness Stakes (G1) winners to enter the Belmont with an unblemished record....
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Should Justify win the Belmont, WinStar will become the first owner of the 21st century to have three Belmont winners. Also, WinStar would become the first owner since Belair Stud in the 1930s to have three or more Belmont winners in the same calendar decade. ...
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As Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) winner Justify prepares for the May 19 Preakness Stakes (G1), he has plenty of trends in his favor, including Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert's amazing record of winning the Baltimore classic each of the four times he's entered the Derby winner. But there is one recent trend going against this year's Kentucky Derby winner: Six of the past seven...
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On April 27, trainer Todd Pletcher sent out Audible, Magnum Moon, Noble Indy, and Vino Rosso for their final pre-Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) workouts at Churchill Downs. That would be this year's respective Xpressbet Florida Derby (G1) winner, Arkansas Derby (G1) winner, TwinSpires.com Louisiana Derby (G2) winner, and Wood Memorial Stakes presented by NYRA Bets Stakes (G2) winner...
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About 2,000 bettors went home happy after playing the mandatory-payout Rainbow 6 wager March 31 at Gulfstream Park. Thanks to new tax reporting and withholding rules put in place during the fall, the joy figures to spread through racing for quite some time. Betting the Rainbow 6 on this year's Florida Derby day card at Gulfstream has provided the best example yet of how pari-mutuel wagering will benefit...
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The connections of four horses being considered for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) will be watching the season's final two Road to the Kentucky Derby points races closely April 14. The race with the most potential to upset the apple cart is the Arkansas Derby (G1) at Oaklawn Park, which offers points on a 100-40-20-10 scale to its respective top four finishers. Also in play is the...
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Because a pair of international races could generate several Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) starters, this weekend's points races will be the most important weekend in determining where this year's Road to the Kentucky Derby qualifying points bubble will fall. As many as three horses based outside of North America could secure Derby spots this weekend, and a fourth horse, who likely...
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After punching through on the inside and rolling to a 4 1/2-length victory in the Feb. 19 Southwest Stakes (G3) in his first start at Oaklawn Park , a return trip to the Hot Springs, Ark., track seemed to be in order for My Boy Jack . But before owners Don't Tell My Wife Stables (Kirk Godby) and Monomoy Stables (Sol Kumin) and trainer Keith Desormeaux committed to a return trip to Oaklawn for the ...
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As last-second shots fly, setting off celebrations or disappointment during this weekend's men's college basketball tournament, every fan understands what's on the line: a trip to the NCAA Tournament. In recent years, horse racing's biggest events have done a decent job of providing similar clarity for fans through such tools as the Road to the Kentucky Derby points system, used to determine which...
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Welcome to March, when the Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) field begins to take shape thanks to increased prep race qualifying points that essentially ensure winners of races like the Xpressbet.com Fountain of Youth (G2), San Felipe (G2), and Rebel (G2) stakes a spot in the Derby gate. This year, Turfway Park 's top Derby prep, the Spiral Stakes—in 2018 it's the Jeff Ruby Steaks ...
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In a refreshing move, Kentucky Horse Racing Commission vice chairman John Roach listed a number of horseplayer concerns at a Jan. 16 rules committee meeting....
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A look at Gun Runner's Equibase Speed Figures for 2017 adds a bit more evidence of the consistently brilliant season enjoyed by the son of Candy Ride. In winning five of six starts, including four straight grade 1 wins to close out the season, Winchell Thoroughbreds and Three Chimneys Farm's runner not only registered the top ESF of the season with his 131 in the Woodward Stakes presented by NYRA Bets...
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Just as the big purses of the Breeders' Cup World Championships catch the attention of the owners of top horses, the big money available in the Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge attracts interest from top horseplayers. This year's total prizes are expected to exceed $1 million with a first-place prize of $300,000. While entries continue to be accepted, contest director Tim Schram said they've already...
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A few days after new standards for tax reporting and withholding of big wins in pari-mutuel wagering were put in place Sept. 28, professional horseplayer Mike Maloney hit a Pick 6 that returned $46,000....
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The success enjoyed on opening weekend at Keeneland by horses who made their previous start at Kentucky Downs serves as the latest example of the improving quality of horses competing at the lucrative September meet in Franklin, Ky....
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The Challenge, sponsored by Darby Dan Farm appears each week through Breeders' Cup, typically Saturday, in BloodHorse Daily. Of active, United States-based stallions, Malibu Moon leads the group of 2017 Breeders' Cup Challenge winners. A look at this year's Challenge, which concluded Oct. 11, shows Malibu Moon was the only active U.S. stallion with three individual Challenge winners in: Ransom the...
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With that new revenue from added gaming providing tracks some money and improving purses, one would have expected such tracks would have used the opportunity to try some new approaches to strengthen their core product, pari-mutuel wagering. ...
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Since California lawmakers approved a takeout hike effective for the 2011 racing season, the price increase on horseplayers has failed to deliver projected purse increases and has been followed by reduced handle and race days....
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Kentucky purses continue to benefit from the success of historical racing, which registered another strong year....
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In recent years I have been fortunate to make three trips to the winter Quarter Horse meet at Hialeah Park, where even though the breed changed, the walls-adorned with famous silks and photos of famous people-still told stories. And those walls echoed with new stories, specifically cheers of young fans enthusiastically encouraging horses, even sprinting with horses through the stretch. Hialeah president...
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