Three very familiar names: Ryan Moore, Aidan O’Brien and Godolphin, wrapped up their respective titles as Royal Ascot wrapped up its 2022 meet Saturday. Godolphin’s successful defense of its owner title came after the Saudi monolith tied Coolmore with five wins each. But Godolphin notched three runners-up to Coolmore’s one. […]
Between a lack of stable success and a suspension to Irad Ortiz Jr., this has not been the greatest of weeks for Ortiz and trainer Wesley Ward at Royal Ascot. But all it takes is Campanelle winning her third consecutive Royal Ascot meet race to flip the plot. That comes […]
If we’re going to put a label on Stradivarius, the obvious one would be “crafty veteran.” It’s the perfect description for an 8-year-old staying legend who’s on the cusp of furthering his legacy. The three-time defending champion of the Gold Cup, Royal Ascot’s marquee race, will attempt to join Yeats […]
Nature Strip answered one question on Tuesday: who’s the best turf sprinter in the world. Now, the star Australian gelding has a history question to answer: will he run again Saturday in the Platinum Jubilee Stakes, on Royal Ascot’s final day? After taking apart Tuesday’s Group 1 King’s Stand by […]
They’re not wasting any time in giving the well-heeled racing fans at Royal Ascot the meet’s main attraction. On Tuesday’s first day of the 2022 Royal Ascot meet, those fans get Golden Pal vs. Nature Strip in the Group 1 King’s Stand Stakes. Only the top North American turf sprinter […]
Keeneland enjoyed its third consecutive year of record Spring Meet handle, bringing in an all-sources handle of $219,284,979 for its just-concluded Spring Meet. That handle was the largest total in the Kentucky track’s history. The more than $219 million from the 15-day meet that ended Friday represented a 33.16% increase […]
Wesley Ward’s decorated duo of Golden Pal and Campanelle headline a 16-horse American contingent of nominees for this year’s Royal Ascot Group 1 races. A customary presence at the mid-June meet, Ward is one of four American trainers nominating horses to one of the eight Group 1 races. Graham Motion, […]
Golden Pal first broke into the public conscience nearly two years ago when he finished second in the Group 2 Norfolk Stakes at a near-empty Royal Ascot. You could be forgiven for not noticing, considering not even Queen Elizabeth II made a Royal Ascot appearance. You’ll probably notice when Golden […]
Keeneland’s 15-day Spring Meet begins on Friday, offering a loaded weekend featuring 10 stakes worth $4.55 million. But this being Keeneland in the spring, many eyes are focused on just one stable. That would be Wesley Ward’s, he of the three consecutive Keeneland Spring Meet training titles. Ward comes into […]
You don’t usually see Wesley Ward holding court at Oaklawn Park. But the renowned trainer of younger horse carries an open secret that he hopes Happy Soul can broadcast to horseracing fans Saturday in the Listed Dixie Belle Stakes. That secret? Yes, Ward usually holds court at Keeneland or Royal […]
How does Knicks Go vs. Life Is Good for the Pegasus World Cup sound? Like the Breeders’ Cup Classic winner isn’t quite ready for his stud career yet? Trainer Brad Cox told the Breeders’ Cup notes team that the Classic winner and all-but-anointed Horse of the Year has one more […]
The long-anticipated 2021 Saratoga Meet opens Thursday, headlined by a familiar name — Golden Pal — making his seasonal debut. The standout sophomore sprinter anchors a deep field of 3-year-olds in the Grade 3 Quick Call. That 5 ½-furlong sprint on the Mellon Turf Course is one of two stakes […]
Having stewards elevate Campanelle to victory was a novel way for trainer Wesley Ward to win his 12th Royal Ascot race. But after the American trainer endured a less-than-regal slog at Royal Ascot this week, Ward was not throwing this Group 1 Commonwealth Cup victory back. Off as the 5/1 […]
To give you an idea of how good Campanelle is only four races into her career, she captured the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot last year in only her second start. Plenty of horses win graded stakes their second time out — even graded stakes at a […]
Can Stradivarius, a horse named after a musical instrument, equal Yeats, a horse named after a poet? That next landmark awaits the 7-year-old horse as Thursday’s Day 3 storyline at Royal Ascot. That landmark would be a fourth consecutive Gold Cup title, which would tie Stradivarius with Yeats. He won […]
The Prince of Wales’s Stakes gives you defending champion Lord North with leading jockey Frankie Dettori and standout trainer John Gosden getting an assist from his son, Thady. What could possibly go wrong for the 5-year-old gelding in Royal Ascot’s Day 2 marquee race? Well, that’s what Love’s got to […]
For the fourth consecutive year, Royal Ascot’s 2021 meet not only features the usual pomp and pageantry, but four tickets to the 2021 Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar. The prestigious meet, which begins Tuesday and runs through Saturday, will play host to the season’s first four Breeders’ Cup “Win and […]
Royal Ascot’s 11-horse American invasion hit the Newmarket stables on Wednesday, six days before the five-day meet opens next Tuesday. Nine of those horses come from Wesley Ward’s barn, which shouldn’t be surprising since Ward is the usual American invader to Ascot’s premier meet. Dating to his first victory in […]
The Royal Ascot Meet carries a well-earned reputation as one of the biggest parties in world horse racing. And the English racetrack will resume its party host duties this year when it admits 12,000 fans daily to the five-day meet. The British government selected the track as one of its […]
Welcome to the 2021 Kentucky Derby. And welcome back to what a normal Kentucky Derby looks like. Almost. The crowds? Well, they’re back – about 40,000. That’s a quarter of what normally turns Churchill Downs into a sporting bacchanalia. But there’s people in the stands. We’ll take it. The horses? […]
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