Tag: horse racing

After his 1 1/4-length Kentucky Derby loss to Authentic, Tiz the Law stares at a future that may not include the Preakness Stakes. (Image: Darron Cummings/AP Photo)

After Kentucky Derby Loss, Tiz the Law May Skip Preakness

- 3 min read

Tiz the Law came out of the Kentucky Derby perfectly fine, save for his aura of invincibility and his Triple Crown hopes. And, according to trainer Barclay Tagg, that aura may not renew at the Preakness Stakes. Tagg is non-committal about his prize trainee’s future plans, but intimated he may […]

Authentic and John Velazquez led the Kentucky Derby at every post en route to upsetting heavy favorite Tiz the Law. (Image: Churchill Downs/Coady Photography)

Authentic Drama Takes Over Wild 2020 Kentucky Derby

- 4 min read

There was a thin sense of normalcy to the 2020 Kentucky Derby. Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert won his record-tying sixth Derby, this time with Authentic. And unheralded Mr Big News played this year’s designated long shot, blowing up many tickets – in good ways and bad – by […]

Woodward Stakes favorite Tacitus breezed to an 8 1/4-length victory in July's Grade 2 Suburban. But can he finally break through in a Grade 1 event? (Image: Sue Kawczynski/Eclipse Sportswire)

There’s A Prominent Race Outside Kentucky: The Woodward Stakes

- 3 min read

One of Saturday’s most prestigious races goes 1 ¼ miles and features the likes of Seattle Slew, Affirmed, Spectacular Bid and Pleasant Colony on its winner’s roll. That would be the Woodward Stakes at Saratoga, not the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. Even with the Derby sucking the racing and […]

The draw of nine fillies competing for the most prestigious title for 3-year-old fillies -- the Kentucky Oaks. (Image: Churchill Downs)

Gamine, Swiss Skydiver Finally Meet as Kentucky Oaks Favorites

- 4 min read

Gamine has been an unstoppable force. Swiss Skydiver, the prototypical immovable object. That prompts the inevitable question surrounding Friday’s Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs: Who will prevail and emerge as the best 3-year-old filly in America? The unstoppable force that is even-money Gamine? Or the immovable object that […]

Considered the Kentucky Derby's second favorite, Art Collector will miss the Run for the Roses after suffering a minor injury during a Monday gallop. (Image: Eric Crawford)

Hoof Injury Knocks Art Collector Out of Kentucky Derby

- 3 min read

Expected to be a single-digit second favorite and the chief challenger to favorite Tiz the Law, Art Collector withdrew from Saturday’s Kentucky Derby due to a slight injury to his left front hoof. Trainer Tommy Drury, who was making his first career Kentucky Derby appearance with Art Collector, said that […]

John Velazquez will ride even money favorite Gamine in Saturday's Kentucky Oaks. (Image: Alton Strupp/Louisville Courier Journal)

Gamine Takes Even Money Favored Status In Kentucky Oaks

- 2 min read

At even-money, Gamine enters Friday’s Kentucky Oaks as the shortest-priced favorite in 11 years, where she looms large over the smallest Oaks field in 15 years. Gamine starts the 146th running of the prestigious 1 1/8-mile race for 3-year-old fillies from post 5 in the nine-horse field, drawn Monday afternoon […]

Art Collector, seen her romping to an easy victory in the Ellis Park Derby, is one of six Kentucky Derby horses with a triple-digit Beyer Speed Figure. (Image: Coady Photography)

Speed Rules: How Fast is Your Favorite Kentucky Derby Hopeful?

- 4 min read

When it comes to handicapping the Kentucky Derby, the speedy rule of thumb used to be simple. Bring your thumb down to the horses who ran at least a 95 Beyer Speed Figure, and begin your handicapping from there. That’s an easy place to start, considering 25 of the last […]

The South Point Race Book is one of 82 Nevada race books that will book Kentucky Derby wagers outside of the national pari-mutuel pool. The state's race books and Churchill Downs Inc. are 10 months into a stalemate over the amount CDI wants per-dollar wagered. (Image: South Point)

Despite Impasse, Nevada Books Can Handle Kentucky Derby Wagers

- 2 min read

An impasse between Nevada casinos and Churchill Downs Inc. sent the state’s casinos back to booking the Kentucky Derby in-house, rather than partaking in the national pari-mutuel pools. In an agreement signed last week, the Nevada Gaming Commission approved a resolution that allows the state’s casinos to book action on […]

Maryland Jockey Club President and GM Sal Sinatra said the claiming system in North American racing needs to disappear. (Image: Eric Stocklin)

Racing Exec Says Scrap Claiming System at Jockey Club Conference

- 4 min read

Nuke the claiming system and start over with ratings. That’s the unequivocal message Sal Sinatra, the president and general manager of the Maryland Jockey Club, left virtual attendees at this year’s Jockey Club’s Round Table Conference on Matters Pertaining to Racing. Normally held in Saratoga Springs, NY, the annual conference […]

Colonial Downs has had a rough decade, exacerbated by a six-year closure. Now, the Virginia track canceled the rest of its 2020 season due to the coronavirus. (Image: Coady Photography)

Colonial Downs Cancels Remainder of 2020 Meet Due to COVID-19

- 2 min read

Virginia’s Colonial Downs is the latest racing victim of COVID-19, announcing Friday evening that its canceled the remainder of its 2020 summer meet. The abrupt closure came three days after jockey Trevor McCarthy, who led the track’s jockey standings with 14 wins, tested positive for COVID-19. The Daily Racing Form […]

Jockey Chris Hayes and He Knows No Fear (9) nipped 7/5 favorite Agitare and Kevin Manning at the Leopardstown finish line. He Knows No Fear's stretch drive rewarded nervy bettors wagering on the 300/1 long shot. (Image: David Fitzgerald/SportsFile)

He Knows No Fear Shows Plenty of Nerve, Winning Irish Race at 300/1

- 3 min read

Franklin D. Roosevelt famously said that “there’s nothing to fear but fear itself.” No one mentioned that to He Knows No Fear, who lived up to his name on Thursday afternoon, becoming the biggest-priced winner in British or Irish racing history when the 300/1 shot captured a maiden race at […]

Kentucky Derby hopeful Max Player is on the move, from Linda Rice's New York barn to Steve Asmussen's Kentucky barn. (Image: Skip Dickstein)

Derby Hopeful Max Player Moved to Steve Asmussen’s Kentucky Barn

- 3 min read

Three days after Max Player finished third to Tiz the Law in his second consecutive Grade 1 effort, owners for the horse switched trainers, moving him from Linda Rice to Steve Asmussen. The move came after Max Player finished third – 7 ½ lengths behind Tiz the Law at Saturday’s […]

With the San Gabriels framing the track, horses go through their morning paces at Santa Anita Park. The Southern California track's fall season opens Sept. 19 -- one week earlier than usual. (Image: Jenna Schoenfeld/NY Times)

Santa Anita Park Falls into Autumn Meet with 24 Stakes Races

- 2 min read

Santa Anita Park’s fall season begins a week earlier than usual, but features 24 stakes – 15 graded – over its 18-day autumn campaign. The Southern California track opens Sept. 19 and runs through Oct. 25. Usually, Santa Anita’s opening weekend loads up with graded stakes races. But with the […]

Jockey Brian Hernandez and Art Collector plan using the Ellis Park Derby as a tune-up for the Kentucky Derby. They are the 4/5 morning line favorite for the penultimate Kentucky Derby prep. (Image: Keeneland/Coady Photography)

Art Collector Unveiled as Easy Ellis Park Derby Favorite

- 3 min read

Being a Kentucky Derby prep is uncharted waters for Ellis Park. And training a Kentucky Derby hopeful is definitely uncharted waters for Tom Drury. Those two storylines will collide Sunday at the Ellis Park Derby with all eyes on Drury’s odds-on favorite, Art Collector. In a normal year, the ungraded […]

Thousand Words earned Bob Baffert his 3,000th career victory at the Robert B. Lewis in February. His Kentucky Derby futures odds fell to 12/1 after he won his first race since capturing the Lewis. (Image: Benoit Photo)

Thousand Words Has More to Say About His Derby Futures Odds

- 3 min read

Thousand Words is now out of the Kentucky Derby futures shadow. And Cezanne is now out of the Derby futures picture. Those are the oddsmakers’ takeaways from last weekend’s Derby Prep – the Shared Belief Stakes at Del Mar. Thousand Words, who spent the spring disappointing and the summer disappearing […]

Tom's d'Etat stumble coming out of the gate likely cost him his fifth consecutive victory. Instead, Improbable captured the centerpiece of Saratoga's Whitney Day card. (Image: Erica Miller/Daily Gazette)

Saratoga Enjoys Record Whitney Day Handle, Memorable Upsets

- 3 min read

Thanks to the coronavirus, this was not a typical Whitney Day crowd at Saratoga, because there was no Whitney Day crowd. Even so, that didn’t prevent the track from setting an all-sources handle record of $35,796,435. That bested the previous record of $31,835,863, set last year when Saratoga welcomed 40,791 […]

Don't be surprised if you see a replay of Honor A.P.'s Santa Anita Derby victory romp in Saturday's Shared Belief Stakes at Del Mar. He is the 8/5 favorite in the Kentucky Derby prep. (Image: Benoit Photo)

Honor A.P. Returns, Cezanne Makes Stakes Debut at Shared Belief

- 3 min read

Honor A.P. is safely in the Kentucky Derby. So safe, he’s one of the favorites. Thousand Words is not-so-safely on the Derby bubble. And Cezanne is nowhere near the Churchill Downs gate, nor the bubble. That’s the scenario all three would-be Derby contenders face entering Saturday’s Shared Belief Stakes at […]

Even in the mud, Tom's d'Etat finds Saratoga to his liking. He's 3-for-4 at the Spa, seeking his fifth consecutive win in Saturday's Whitney Stakes. (Image: Elsa Loreul/NYRA)

The Whitney: Where History and Horse Racing Meet

- 4 min read

It’s appropriate that in a race named after one of America’s most prominent families, the field consists of five millionaires. Yes, Saturday’s $1,200,000 Grade 1 1 1/8-mile Whitney Stakes at Saratoga, one of the most prestigious races for older horses in North America, features only five horses. But quality abounds. […]

War of Will's 'WOW' factor went on display en route to the 2019 Preakness Stakes title. He will join his sire, War Front, at stud next year. (Image: Coady Photography)

Like Father, Like Son: War of Will Set to Join His Sire at Stud

- 3 min read

The people who run Claiborne Farm expect this to be another case of like father, like son. The large Kentucky breeding farm purchased the breeding rights to War of Will, who will join his sire, War Front, upon his retirement. That gives Claiborne a true rarity that will appeal greatly […]

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