Horse Racing

Irad Ortiz rode R Mercedes Boy to victory in Gulfstream Park's ninth race. That was his sixth victory Saturday. (Image: Gulfstream Park Photo)

Ortiz Helps Himself to a Six-Pack of Gulfstream Victories

Less than two weeks after picking up his third consecutive Eclipse Award as the nation’s top jockey, Irad Ortiz Jr. illustrated why he owns an Eclipse trifecta: riding six winners on Saturday’s Gulfstream Park card. Putting this into further perspective, Ortiz won half of Gulfstream’s 12-race Saturday card. “You never […]

Smiley Sobotka broke his maiden at Keeneland in October. He owns that win and two seconds in three races coming into Saturday's Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs. (Image: Coady Photography)

You Never Know What Champions Come Out of Sam F. Davis Stakes

Three years ago, a horse named Flameaway captured the Grade 3 Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs. The Mark Casse-trained colt set a stakes record for the 1 1/16 miles – 1:42.44. Flameaway would finish second in the Tampa Bay Derby. He would win a minor stakes as […]

Jockey Dylan Davis had plenty of high-fives to deliver after delivering a 6 3/4-length victory aboard Capo Kane in the Jerome. Davis and Capo Kane are the 3/1 second-favorite in Saturday's Withers Stakes at Aqueduct. (Image: Janet Garaguso/NYRA)

The Withers: A Derby Prep Running on History

The Withers predates the Kentucky Derby by one year, a testament to its one-time status as one of the country’s prestigious spring races. This race once held court just below the Triple Crown races in terms of status and prestige. Man o’ War? Won the 1920 Withers. Native Dancer? Your […]

Colonel Liam romped to victory in the Pegasus World Cup Turf, Jan. 23. His victory in one of two Grade 1 races during January helped build strong January handle numbers. (Image: Lauren King)

Racing Economic Indicators Show Jump in January Handle

Total horseracing handle jumped for the second consecutive month, providing one key takeaway from Equibase’s first Economic Indicators in Thoroughbred Racing report of 2021. Betting in January climbed 9.57% from January 2020’s numbers to $959,602,269. That followed a 6.24% boost in December wagering, signifying that horseracing may be rebounding out […]

Gamine, seen here winning the Test Stakes last summer, forfeited her third-place finish in the Kentucky Oaks after her second positive drug test. (Image: Coglianese Photo/HYRA)

Champion Sprinter Gamine Disqualified from Kentucky Oaks

The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission formally disqualified Gamine from the 2020 Kentucky Oaks after the Bob Baffert charge tested positive for betamethasone. Along with that, the commission fined Baffert $1,500. As a result of the Jan. 30 ruling, posted on the KHRC website, Gamine forfeits the $120,000 she earned for […]

Would this punter at a British book subject himself to financial scrutiny? Under a proposed system of affordability checks, he may have no choice if he wants to keep wagering on races or sports. (Image: Reuters)

Affordability Checks: What are They and What Do They Mean for Racing?

Picture this scenario, courtesy of the Great Britain Gambling Commission and its proposed “affordability checks” on sports and race bettors. You save your betting money for the Royal Ascot meet in June. The meet arrives and you wager £100 each-way on the second favorite in the Group 1 Queen Anne […]

Knicks Go brings a four-race winning streak into the $20 million Saudi Cup. (Image: Coady Photography/Keeneland)

Saudi Cup Connections Exempt from COVID Ban; Knicks Go a Go

As the Saudi Cup field takes shape, the Saudi Arabian government announced connections for the $20 million race participants will be exempt from the country’s ban on entering Saudi Arabia. Citing COVID-19 concerns, the country banned entry to residents of 20 nations, including the United States and the United Kingdom. […]

Keeneland offers 10 turf stakes races on its 15-day Spring Meet. It begins April 2 and runs through April 23. (Image: Coady Photography)

Keeneland Springs Into Robust Stakes Slate for Spring Meet

The 97th running of the Grade 2 Blue Grass Stakes and the 84th running of the Grade 1 Ashland headline Keeneland’s 2021 Spring Meet, which runs April 2-23 at the Lexington, Kentucky, track. The Blue Grass is one of the last Kentucky Derby preps. Last year, it featured a stellar […]

Tarantino, seen here in an October workout, finished a solid second in the Grade 3 Holy Bull. That earned him a prominent odds cut on this week's Kentucky Derby futures boards. (Image: Ernie Belmonte)

Derby Futures: Tarantino Shows Even Reservoir Dogs Have Their Day

It wasn’t a case of pulp fiction that Tarantino was sitting at 225/1 when he debuted on the Circa Sports and William Hill Nevada Kentucky Derby futures boards last week. Even the Jackie Browns and Inglorious Basterds of the world stared juicy odds in the face before Tarantino entered the […]

Known Agenda (inside) beat Greatest Honour in this November maiden special weight at Aqueduct. He returns to Derby prep action this weekend in the Withers Stakes at Aqueduct. (Image: Coglianese Photo)

Weekend Stakes: Not Every Good 3-Year-Old Race is a Derby Prep

We’ll see several Kentucky Derby hopefuls return this weekend when two East Coast Grade 3 Derby preps headline the stakes races. And, we’ll meet some Kentucky Oaks contenders in two Oaks preps – one on each coast. At the same time, we’ll see a Grade 2 for 3-year-olds that isn’t […]

Greatest Honour (left) captured Saturday's Holy Bull at Gulfstream Park by 5 3/4 lengths. His Kentucky Derby futures odds plummeted as a result. (Image: Coglianese Photos)

Greatest Honour Piggy-Backs Gulfstream to Holy Bull Record Handle

As Greatest Honour joined the front row of Kentucky Derby contenders, he helped carry Gulfstream Park to a record Holy Bull handle day on Saturday. The south Florida track rolled up a total handle of $21.87 million. That surpassed last year’s total handle by 20% and blew past 2017’s previous […]

Hot Rod Charlie is one of two Doug O'Neill horses in the Saturday's Robert B. Lewis field. He's seeking a repeat of his out-of-nowhere second as a 94/1 longshot in the Breeders' Cup Classic. (Image: Horsephotos)

Lewis Stakes Recount Historic Horses, Revive Current Rivalries

In 2012, little-known 43/1 long shot I’ll Have Another won the Robert B. Lewis Stakes at Santa Anita Park. This feat drew mild murmurs and a few curious looks throughout the horseracing world. After all, the Doug O’Neill-trained colt came into the Lewis off a horrible sixth in the Hopeful […]

Greatest Honour already owns a 1 1/16-mile victory from December. He is the 5/2 favorite to win a deep Holy Bull Saturday at Gulfstream Park. (Image: Lauren King/Gulfstream Park)

Forget the Name: The Holy Bull Is No Bull When Talking Derby Preps

The Holy Bull is the race that vaulted Tiz the Law onto the front row of Kentucky Derby contenders. Never mind the fact he didn’t win the rescheduled Derby. It vaulted him to the Belmont Stakes title. Tiz the Law didn’t come out of the Holy Bull to a garland […]

Authentic carried jockey John Velazquez to a Kentucky Derby title in September and his connections to an Eclipse Award as 2020 Horse of the Year. (Image: Gregory Shamus/Getty)

Authentic Runs Away With 2020 Horse of the Year Eclipse Award

Authentic rarely won his big races by big margins. But, he won his final “race” – the Eclipse Award for 2020 Horse of the Year – by a Secretariat at the Belmont-esque 31 lengths on the track. The Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup Classic champion garnered 224 out of a […]

The versatile Mutasaabeq owns stakes victories on turf and dirt -- like this one in the Mucho Macho Man Stakes. The colt suffered a minor shin injury during a workout that takes him off the Kentucky Derby Trail. (Image: Lauren King, Coglianese Photos)

Mutasaabeq Exits Kentucky Derby Trail After Shin Injury

Mere days before he was set to run in the Grade 3 Holy Bull at Gulfstream Park, Mutasaabeq suffered a shin injury that will take the Kentucky Derby prospect off the Triple Crown trail. Trainer Todd Pletcher told reporters the injury – while frustrating for an upper-level Derby contender – […]

Authentic's dynamic victory in the Breeders' Cup Classic earned him the No. 2 spot on Longines 2020 World Racing Awards. (Image: Breeders' Cup)

Authentic Ranked Second to Ghaiyyath in 2020 World Racing Awards

Two days before his expected coronation as Horse of the Year, Authentic took home the No. 2 spot in the 2020 Longines World Racing Awards. This translates to the Into Mischief colt being named the second-ranked horse in the world. It also translates into Authentic earning top honors as the […]

Jockey Manny Franco rode Sharing to her signature victory: the 2019 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Santa Anita. The 4-year-old filly retired after suffering a paddock injury. (Image: Getty)

Breeders’ Cup Champion Sharing Retired After Paddock Injury

Standout filly Sharing, who won the 2019 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf as one of her five career victories, was retired from racing Tuesday after suffering an undisclosed paddock injury. The undisclosed injury won’t take the 4-year-old daughter of Speightstown out of her broodmare career, according to Aron Wellman, president […]

Santa Anita canceled Friday's racing card due to expected showers. The Southern California track will make up the races next week. (Image: Benoit Photo)

Santa Anita Scratches Friday’s Card Due to Expected Downpour

Citing a major winter storm expected this weekend, Santa Anita Park canceled its Friday racing card. The Southern California track announced the move Tuesday morning. Track officials announced that two turf stakes, the Grade 2 San Marcos on Saturday and Sunday’s Black-Type $75,000 Baffle, will move to next week. The […]