Horse Racing

Canoodling has dominated ungraded stakes, such as this victory in the Zia Park Distaff last month. Now, she ventures into the deep waters of the Grade 1 La Brea Stakes at Santa Anita Sunday. (Image: Coady Photography)

Canoodling Cozying Up to the Big Time at Santa Anita’s La Brea Stakes

Canoodling’s name translates into “engaging in amorous embracing, caressing, and kissing.” And on Sunday, the 3-year-old filly will be canoodling in deeper, rougher racing waters than she ever has. Canoodling finds herself back at Santa Anita Park, where she hasn’t raced since finishing fifth in the Listed Surfer Girl Stakes […]

The United States Anti-Doping Agency couldn't reach an agreement to provide drug testing and enforcement for the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act. The two sides suspended negotiations Thursday, putting a key element of HISA into flux. (Image: USADA)

HISA, USADA Fail to Reach Agreement on Drug Testing, Enforcement

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) announced Thursday that it suspended talks with the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) to help enforce HISA’s Anti-Doping and Medication Control program. The two entities broke off negotiations on Thursday after failing to reach terms on an agreement. The USADA was seen as an […]

Hot Rod Charlie, seen turning away Midnight Bourbon in September's Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby, comes into Sunday's San Antonio Stakes as the 6/5 morning-line favorite. (Image: Equi-Photo)

Hot Rod Charlie Making Final 3-Year-Old Stand at the San Antonio

First, it was blinkers off for Hot Rod Charlie. Then, blinkers on for the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Now, the colt will finish his 3-year-old season in Sunday’s Grade 2 San Antonio Stakes at Santa Anita without blinkers. This is a case of trainer Doug O’Neill going back to what worked […]

Manhattan Up, seein here winning the Los Alamitos Special in September, was one of a flurry of early claims at Oaklawn Park. The Arkansas track is on a record claiming pace only nine days into its meet. (Image: Benoit Photo)

Oaklawn Park Claims its Role as a Claim Box Haven for Trainers

Like he did last spring at Oaklawn Park with C Z Rocket, Tom Kagele is trying to catch claiming lightning in a bottle again. And a sizzling claiming market at Oaklawn this winter is creating the perfect storm for him to do that. This time, it’s double bolts of claiming […]

Golden Gate Fields shares two bets with Santa Anita Park during its Winter/Spring Meet. The meet runs from Sunday through June 14, 2022. (Image: Golden Gate Fields)

Golden Gate Fields Opens, Shares Wagers With Bigger Cousin Santa Anita

Overshadowed by its southern cousin and its six stakes races – including three Grade 1s – Golden Gate Fields also opens its Winter/Spring Meet on Sunday. But instead of three Grade 1s – the marquee events on Santa Anita Park’s opening day — the Northern California track turns out two […]

Beholder and the young Q B One, her first foal. Now 3-years-old, Q B One makes his debut at Santa Anita Sunday. (Image: Spendthrift Farm)

Beholder’s Son, Q B One, Trying to Follow in Mommy’s Hoofprints

In June of 2012, a $180,000, 2-year-old filly named Beholder finished fourth in a maiden special weight race at Hollywood Park. At 21.8/1, she finished 8 1/2 lengths behind winner Executiveprivilege, getting outkicked by a half-length by a filly named Travesura for third. Something apparently kicked in at that point, […]

Flightline won this Del Mar allowance by 12 3/4 lengths in early September. The flashy 3-year-old makes his stakes debut in Sunday's Grade 1 Malibu Stakes at Santa Anita. (Image: Benoit Photo)

Fleet Flightline Sets Himself Up for a Malibu Stakes Cruise

It speaks volumes about Flightline’s frightening speed and fearsome reputation that Dr. Schivel, his erstwhile rival in Sunday’s Grade 1 Malibu Stakes at Santa Anita Park, won’t be the morning-line favorite. The runner-up in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint and the favorite in four of his eight career starts will be […]

Make It Big held off Osbourne in deep stretch of Friday's Springboard Mile at Remington Park. The half-length victory put the Saffie Joseph Jr. colt on this winter's Kentucky Derby trail in his native Florida. (Image; Dustin Orona Photography/Remington Park)

Make It Big Gives Trainer Joseph Kentucky Derby Trail Options

Make It Big did exactly that in Friday’s Springboard Mile at Remington Park, winning the Kentucky Derby prep by a half-length as the 6/5 favorite. More importantly, Make It Big gave trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. a new project for the new year: figuring out what’s next for his colt on […]

Junior Alvarado and Doswell glide to victory in Saturday's Grade 2 Fort Lauderdale Stakes. This turf test is often a good preview for the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Turf next month at Gulfstream Park. (Image: Ryan Thompson/Coglianese Photos)

Fort Lauderdale Upset Winner Doswell Could Fly to Pegasus Turf

Last year, Doswell followed Largent across the Fort Lauderdale Stakes finish line, falling short in the Grade 2 prep for next month’s Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational. But the 5-year-old Giant’s Causeway progeny went gate-to-wire Saturday, capturing the Fort Lauderdale at Gulfstream Park. That puts the gelding on the radar […]

Bye Bye Bobby (5) pulled away in the stretch for a debut victory in last month's Zia Park Juvenile. He gives horseplayers a closer's option in Friday night's Springboard Mile at Remington Park. (Image: Coady Photography)

Off to Oklahoma for This Week’s Derby Prep: the Springboard Mile

Before you dive into this week’s Kentucky Derby prep — Friday night’s Springboard Mile at Remington Park — a couple of caveats are in order. First, no Springboard Mile alum has ever won the Derby. That shouldn’t be surprising, given Remington Park’s off-the-beaten-path locale in Oklahoma. But don’t look at […]

Disgraced trainer Jorge Navarro was sentenced to five years in prison Friday for doping racehorses. (Image: Gulfstream Park)

Judge Sentences Trainer Jorge Navarro to Five Years for Horse Doping

Former trainer Jorge Navarro, one of the pivotal figures in a federal investigation into alleged doping of Thoroughbreds, was sentenced to the maximum five years in prison Friday. Along with the sentence, Navarro was ordered to pay more than $26.8 million in restitution. That figure represents the amount of earnings his […]

C Z Rocket's last victory was this score in the Count Fleet. The multiple graded-stakes winner returns to Oaklawn Park for a Saturday allowance. (Image: Coady Photography)

Standout Sprinter C Z Rocket Returns with New Trainer, Lasix

Between May 25, 2020, and May 31, 2021 — a nine-race stretch — C Z Rocket finished no worse than second. That included seven victories in those nine races. It also incuded two victories at Oaklawn Park, where the 7-year-old, multiple Grade 2 winner wraps up his 2021 campaign on […]

Fearless, shown here winning the Gulfstream Mile, won three of his last four races at Gulfstream. He comes in as one of the horses to beat in Saturday's Grade 3 Harlan's Holiday Stakes. (Image: Lauren King/Coglianese Photos)

Fearless, Mighty Heart Seek Redemption In Harlan’s Holiday Stakes

On what is generally a quiet weekend on the graded stakes front, one of the most intriguing duels this weekend involves Fearless vs. Mighty Heart, who led the parade into Saturday’s Grade 3 Harlan’s Holiday at Gulfstream Park. The 1 1/16-mile Harlan’s Holiday is the primary prep for next month’s […]

California Senator Dianne Feinstein (D) called for the California Horse Racing Board to exhibit transparency in its investigation of Kentucky Derby champion Medina Spirit's sudden death. (Image: Jay Calderon/Desert Sun)

California Senator Feinstein Calls Out CHRB on Medina Spirit Investigation

California Democrat Senator Dianne Feinstein, one of the Senate co-sponsors of the Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Act of 2020 and a frequent critic of horse racing, wrote a letter to the California Horse Racing Board seeking transparency in the sudden death of Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit. In the […]

Knicks Go made the Breeders' Cup Classic look like a workout. He comes into his final race at next month's Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup looking for his ninth win in his last 11 races. (Image; Horsephotos)

Cox Looking Ahead at Knicks Go’s Pegasus Finale with Mixed Feelings

Brad Cox looks at Knicks Go standing in his barn. Then, the trainer looks ahead at next month’s Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational with a mixture of anticipation and sadness. Anticipation at seeing the likely 2021 Horse of the Year finish his career in a $3 million race that […]

Loves Only You followed up this April victory at Sha Tin with a farewell conquering of the richest race on the Sha Tin slate: the Hong Kong Cup. The Deep Impact mare will become a broodmare. (Image: Kenneth Chan)

Breeders’ Cup Winner Loves Only You Rides Off With Hong Kong Cup

Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf winner Loves Only You ended her eclectic, globetrotting career by winning the biggest race on Saturday’s Hong Kong International Races card: the HK$30 million Hong Kong Cup at Sha Tin Racecourse. Loves Only You is the daughter of standout sire Deep Impact and the […]

Irad Ortiz Jr. points the way for Life Is Good after his dominant Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile victory last month. The next stop on the colt's race itinerary is the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Jan. 29 at Gulfstream Park. (Image: Skip Dickstein)

Pletcher Points Life Is Good Toward Pegasus World Cup Invitational

Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile winner and Eclipse Award candidate Life Is Good will open his 4-year-old season in the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational, a race trainer Todd Pletcher lacks on his Hall of Fame resume. Pletcher won the Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational last year with Colonel Liam, […]

Messier and Flavien Prat controlled the Grade 3 Bob Hope Stakes last month at Del Mar. Oddsmakers make the pair a 1/2 morning-line choice to give Bob Baffert his eighth consecutive Los Alamitos Futurity title. (Image: Benoit Photo)

Los Alamitos Futurity: The Race Bob Baffert Made His Own

The Bob Baffert Invitational, otherwise known as the Los Alamitos Futurity, goes off on Saturday as the penultimate day of Los Alamitos’ short Thoroughbred Winter Meet. And as you would expect, the 1 1/16-mile test for 2-year-olds has that usual Baffert flavor to it. There’s Messier, the prohibitive 1/2 favorite. […]

Super Stock won the Zia Park Derby Thanksgiving week. He wheels back as the favorite in the inaugural Poinsettia Stakes at Oaklawn Park. (Image: Coady Photography)

Super Stock Throws His Millionaire Weight Around in Inaugural Poinsettia

Not three weeks after he parachuted in and came out with a resounding victory in the Zia Park Derby in New Mexico, Arkansas Derby champion Super Stock returns for Saturday’s inaugural Poinsettia Stakes at Oaklawn Park. The inaugural 1 1/16-mile Poinsettia, which gives 3-year-olds their last jaunt as sophomores, is […]