Tag: Breeders’ Cup Classic

Knicks Go is quite accustomed to being by himself down the stretch -- like he was here in August's Whitney Stakes at Saratoga. He won't lack for company when his stallion career begins at Taylor Made Farm in Kentucky. (Image: Sarah Andrew

Knicks Go Headed to Taylor Made Stallions After Racing Career Ends

Knicks Go, the current clubhouse leader for 2021 Horse of the Year, will retire to Taylor Made Stallions in Kentucky at the end of his racing career, the farm announced in a release Monday. The stud fee for the four-time Grade 1 winner will be announced after next month’s Breeders’ […]

Bob Baffert's star 3-year-old filly Private Mission heads to the Breeders' Cup Distaff after Sunday's convincing victory in the Grade 2 Zenyatta Stakes at Santa Anita Park. (Image: Benoit Photo)

Baffert Makes Santa Anita Park His Personal Playground — Again

Two weeks ago, Bob Baffert made what appeared to be a head-scratching decision, keeping star 3-year-olds Medina Spirit and Private Mission home in California. That, instead of running the pair against their age group rivals in Parx Racing’s two marquee races, the Pennsylvania Derby and the Cotillion. And yet again, […]

Tripoli has two victories and a second in his last three races. This includes this win in the Grade 1 Pacific Classic. He carries value-laden 3/1 odds into the Grade 1 Awesome Again Stakes at Santa Anita. (Image: Benoit Photo)

Awesome Again Pits ‘Youngster’ Medina Spirit Against His Elders

Medina Spirit is considered one of the “kids” in the Grade 1 Awesome Again Stakes, a change in status from what his consideration would have been, had he run in last week’s Pennsylvania Derby. From one of the fellow 3-year-olds in that race, to one of the kids in Saturday’s […]

Knicks Go's 4 1/2-length victory in August's Grade 1 Whitney at Saratoga set him up to run Saturday's Grade 3 Lukas Classic as a tune-up for the Breeders' Cup Classic. (Image: NYRA)

Is the Inaugural Lukas Classic an Impromptu Knicks Go Workout?

Knicks Go is back in his Churchill Downs stall, coming in off a resounding victory in one of the biggest older-horse races in the country. And he’s running against a familiar crew of competent, but hardly imposing, rivals. As Breeders’ Cup Classic tune-ups go, this one couldn’t come on a […]

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert faces another challenge from a racing organization. The Breeders' Cup began reviewing his eligibility for this year's Breeders' Cup World Championships. (Image: John Minchillo/Associated Press)

Breeders’ Cup Board Instigates Review on Bob Baffert’s Eligibility

The Breeders’ Cup announced this weekend that it began reviewing whether Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert can send his horses to this year’s event, set for Nov. 5-6 at Del Mar. The process began in the wake of the New York Racing Association’s scheduled Sept. 27 hearing for the […]

One of the most forthright trainers in the game, Kenny McPeek never blinks from a challenge. This is one reason why he's sending start filly Swiss Skydiver into the Grade 1 Whitney Aug. 7 at Saratoga. (Image: Kenny McPeek)

McPeek Sending Swiss Skydiver Against Colts Again in the Whitney

One of the ways Kenny McPeek made his bones as a trainer was to never doubt himself or his charges. This explains one reason why he plans on running star filly Swiss Skydiver in the Grade 1 Whitney Stakes at Saratoga. “Someone brought up the word ‘can’t’ to me the […]

Authentic (right) held off NY Traffic to win the 2020 Haskell Stakes. That helped the eventual Horse of the Year claim a $1 million bonus for winning three prestigious races.(Image: Ryan Denver/EQUI-PHOTO)

This $1 Million Bonanza is Easy: Just Win Haskell, Travers and BC Classic

Monmouth Park and BetMakers Technology Group announced a $1 million bounty – the BetMakers Bonanza — to any 3-year-old who wins the Haskell Stakes, the Travers Stakes, and the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Just win three of the most prestigious events in American racing. Simple, right? Actually, one horse collected the […]

Idol and Joel Rosario swiped the Santa Anita Handicap in deep stretch from Express Train. The 4-year-old standout will miss the second leg of the Wild West Bonus series with an undisclosed issue. (Image: Benoit Photo)

Big ‘Cap Winner Idol Sidelined, Won’t Chase Wild West Bonus

The $1 million Wild West Bonus will go unclaimed with the announcement that Santa Anita Handicap winner Idol will miss the Grade 1 Hollywood Gold Cup with an undisclosed issue. Trainer Richard Baltus told Santa Anita Park’s Ed Golden that the issue doesn’t appear to be career-ending and that the […]

This year's Breeders' Cup World Championships return to Del Mar for the first time since 2017. There are 84 Challenge Series events offering berths in the 14 races. (Image: Getty)

Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series Offers Record Nine Spots for Classic

The Breeders’ Cup World Championships announced its 2021 Challenge Series race schedule, which features a record nine Challenge Series “Win and You’re In” races to the event’s flagship Breeders’ Cup Classic. The $6 million Classic is an All-Star race, capping the two-day, 14-race, $31 million Breeders’ Cup. This year’s Breeders’ […]

Saudi Prince Khalid bin Abdullah created a breeding powerhouse on both sides of the Atlantic. One of the most respected owners and breeders in the world, Prince Khalid died Tuesday at 83. (Image: Trevor Meeks)

Powerhouse Owner, Breeder Prince Khalid bin Abdullah Dies at 83

Tributes from all over the racing world poured in Tuesday, remembering Prince Khalid bin Abdullah, who died Tuesday of undisclosed causes. The Saudi prince and nine-time Eclipse Award winner as owner and breeder was 83. A member of the Saudi Royal Family, Prince Khalid owned Juddmonte Farms, which announced the […]

Awesome Again sired 14 Grade 1 stakes winners and progeny who earned more than $98 million. A great racehorse in his own right, Awesome Again died Tuesday at 26. (Image: Adena Springs)

Awesome Again, Champion and Sire of Champions, Dies at 26

Awesome Again, who went from champion horse to prolific sire of champions, died suddenly at Old Friends Thoroughbred Retirement Farm in Kentucky. He was 26. The cause of death is unknown, but a full necropsy and veterinary report is pending, according to an announcement from Old Friends founder and President, […]

Tiz the Law will open his 2021 season at the Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park. He'll do so with new rider John Velazquez aboard. (Image: Albany Times Union)

Tiz The Law Rides Into 2021 with a New Jockey: John Velazquez

Five days after Tiz the Law came home a disappointing sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, ownership group Sackatoga Stable announced that Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez replaces Manny Franco in the irons for the colt’s 2021 season. That season begins at the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup at […]

Maximum Security won 10 of his 14 races, including six in a row at one point. He retires with more than $12.4 million in career earnings and a wild career of ups and downs. (Image: Matthew Stockman/Getty)

Maximum Security Retires: Closes Book On Wild, Accomplished Career

Three days after finishing off the board for only the second time in his career, Maximum Security retired from racing. The Eclipse Award 3-year-old Champion of 2019 heads to Coolmore America’s Ashford Stud, where he’ll begin his stud career in 2021 standing for $20,000. The move comes after Maximum Security […]

After Authentic and John Velazquez captured the Breeders' Cup Classic, the 3-year-old Kentucky Derby champion rides into retirement. He'll open the 2021 breeding season at Spendthrift Farm. (Image: Darron Cummings/AP)

After Breeders’ Cup Classic Win, Authentic Rides Off to Retirement

After watching his gate-to-wire victory in Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup Classic, it took Authentic’s owners barely 24 hours to retire the three-time Grade 1 winner at the end of his 3-year-old season. The Kentucky Derby champion heads to Spendthrift Farm, the large Kentucky breeding farm and majority owner of Authentic. He […]

Authentic went gate-to-wire to win the Breeders' Cup Classic over an all-star field of Grade 1 stakes winners. (Image: AP Photo)

On Record-Setting Day, Breeders’ Cup Handle Takes Mild Dip

With Kentucky Derby champion Authentic, standout filly Gamine, and Knicks Go all winning Breeders’ Cup races in record time – and without general public tickets available – the Breeders’ Cup World Championships managed its sixth-highest all-sources handle since 2007. That was the year the Breeders’ Cup expanded to two days. […]

Improbable was nothing short of awesome in the Grade 1 Awesome Again Stakes. The 5/2 favorite rides into the Breeders' Cup Classic on a three-race win streak. (Image: Alex Evers)

Breeders’ Cup Classic: Picking a Winner in this All-Star Field is a Puzzle

If you’re grasping to understand how good the field is for this year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic truly is, it’s easiest to picture what an All-Star horse race would look like. The Mid-fall Classic, as it were. If the Mid-fall Classic offered a $6 million purse, two Triple Crown race winners, […]

Maximum Security didn't even run his best Beyer Speed Figure in this Pacific Classic victory from August. But he owns the fastest Beyer and Equibase speed figures in the Breeders' Cup Classic field. (Image: Coolmore America)

Breeders’ Cup Speed Figures: Looking at an Instant Classic

As you parse the speed figures for the Breeders’ Cup Classic, you understand there is truth in advertising to this year’s edition of the Breeders’ Cup’s flagship race. Putting aside the eight Grade 1 winners in the 10-horse field, these speed figures should make this Classic well … an instant […]

Improbable stands out as a 5/2 favorite in what is one of the deepest Breeders' Cup Classic fields in the history of the event. (Image: AP)

Improbable Takes Favorite Status, Outer Post in Breeders’ Cup Classic

The last time Bob Baffert turned loose a Breeders’ Cup Classic favorite at Keeneland, that horse – American Pharoah – won him his second of three consecutive Classics. Now, Baffert has more than an outside chance of winning his fourth. He has three outside chances. That’s because his three mainstays, […]

Put three horseplayers in a room with the Breeders' Cup program and the number of possible bets is off the charts. (Image: Associated Press)

Breeders’ Cup Rolls Out Lucrative Wagering Menu, Race Schedule

Along with announcing its race schedule, the Breeders’ Cup World Championships announced a wagering smorgasbord for horseplayers consisting of seven multi-race pools offering a combined $8 million in guaranteed money. The two-day Breeders’ Cup is Nov. 6-7 at Keeneland. Even running spectator-free due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it provides bettors […]

Magical missed last year's Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita due to a fever. But the 2020 three-time Group 1 winner is the likely favorite for the Breeders' Cup Turf. (Image: Caroline Norris)

Baffert’s Classic Trio, O’Brien’s Turf Duo Head Breeders’ Cup Pre-Entries

Bob Baffert has six entries, including three in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Aidan O’Brien counters with 10 entries. And just like that with Wednesday’s pre-entries, lineups for the 14 Breeders’ Cup World Championships races are falling into place. All told, 201 horses pre-entered into the Nov. 6-7 racing festival at […]