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Friday's Kentucky Oaks card at Churchill Downs attracted a record 123,763 fans, besting the previous Oaks-day record crowd of 116,046 set in 2010.  Wagering from all-sources was the highest all-time on both the full 12-race Kentucky Oaks Day card and on the Oaks itself, according to figures released by Churchill Friday night. All-sources handle on the complete card totalled $46.1 million, an increase of 7% from the 2014 total of $43.2 million, and a 1% increase over the prior record set in 2013. All-sources wagering on the Kentucky Oaks rose...

The Wesley Ward owned and trained Judy the Beauty (Ghostzapper) makes her first start since securing champion female sprinter honors in the Nov. 1 GI Breeders' Cup F/M Sprint in Churchill's GI Humana Distaff S. Saturday. A winner of Santa Anita's GIII Las Flores S. and Keeneland's GI Madison S. to kick off 2014, the chestnut finished a disappointing fourth as the favorite in this event 12 months ago. She bounced back to annex Del Mar's GIII Rancho Bernardo H. Aug. 17, and out-headed MGISW Better Lucky (Ghostzapper) with Thank You Marylou (Birdstone) in...

Five races before the field goes to post for the Kentucky Derby, Churchill Downs will play host to a full field of 14 sophomore colts and geldings in the GII American Turf S. over 1 1/16 miles on the grass. Ramsey Farm homebred Luck of the Kitten (Kitten's Joy) has been installed as the lukewarm 7-2 favorite and makes his second start of 2015 after setting the pace, only to be tagged on the wire by Night Prowler (Giant's Causeway) in Keeneland's Apr. 15 GIII Transylvania S. Trained by Wesley Ward, the...

by T.D. Thornton A day after bipartisan legislation was filed on Thursday to repeal the Interstate Horse Racing Act of 1978 as a cudgel to "clean up the sport," industry leaders reacted with shock that the drastic bill was filed, and essentially decried the measure as an attention-getting threat akin to cutting off an arm to mend a broken hand.  "It was a surprise," said National Thoroughbred Racing Association president Alex Waldrop, when reached via phone at Churchill Downs on the eve of the GI Kentucky Derby. "We had no...

Magdalen O. Bryant's GI Travers S. winner V.E. Day (English Channel) gets back on the grass for this seasonal debut in Belmont's 1 1/8-mile GIII Fort Marcy S. After graduating in a sloppy off-the-turfer at Belmont last May, he won an allowance over this course and distance July 2 and returned three weeks later to upend the Curlin S. on the Saratoga main track. Overlooked at odds of 19-1 in the Aug. 23 Travers, the chestnut overtook stablemate Wicked Strong (Hard Spun) in the final strides to win by a nose in...

If there is an owner in the Thoroughbred business who is 'owed' a Classic victory, it just might be Ahmed Zayat. Since entering the game a decade ago, the successful businessman has amassed an impressive--and indeed--improbable record in the American Classics, with no fewer than three runner-up finishes in the GI Kentucky Derby, another in the GI Preakness S. and one more in the GI Belmont S. Team Zayat will have its best chance at success in Saturday's Run for the Roses in the form of homebred American Pharoah, a son...

Before leading GI Kentucky Derby candidates Todd Pletcher and Bob Baffert saddle their respective charges in the "Run for the Roses," they'll go head-to-head in the GIII Pat Day Mile, formerly the GIII Derby Trial S. when it was run a week earlier. Pletcher-trained 'TDN Rising Star' Competitive Edge (Super Saver)looks to keep his unbeaten record intact for Nancy Favreau, Kathy Psoinos and Michael Tabor. A jaw-dropping 10 1/4-length winner on debut at Saratoga last July, the $750,000 Fasig-Tipton Florida buy made similarly short work of the GI Hopeful S. Sept. 1....

With the absence of two-time Horse of the Year Wise Dan (Wiseman's Ferry), who won the GI Woodford Reserve Turf Classic in both 2013 and 2014, the morning-line nod in this year's renewal of the 1 1/8-mile test goes to last year's runner-up Seek Again (Speightstown). Missing by a just head in last year's Turf Classic, the Juddmonte homebred finished third in Belmont's GI Manhattan S. June 7, and benefited from the absence of Wise Dan when winning Saratoga's GII Fourstardave H. over Grand Arch (Arch) and Jack Milton (War Front) Aug. 9. Sixth to the...

Kaleem Shah's Bayern (Offlee Wild) adds to the GI Kentucky Derby day hype by making his highly anticipated 4-year-old debut in the seven-furlong GII Churchill Downs S. The Bob Baffert pupil ran the field off their feet with a dazzling 7 1/2-length romp in the GII Woody Stephens S. June 7, and put all distance questions to rest when capturing Monmouth Park's 1 1/8-mile GI Haskell Invitational S. by a similar margin July 27. Finishing a head-scratching 10th as the chalk in Saratoga's GI Travers S. Aug. 23, the 'TDN Rising Star' returned to...

There is no let-up in the European breeze-up season at the moment, with Tattersalls' Guineas Breeze-up following hard on the heels of the Tuesday's sale at Osarus and bringing a top price of 230,000gns for a colt by Exchange Rate (lot 284).  Jim McCartan's Gaybrook Lodge Stud has now offered the top lot at this sale for two years running, his $60,000 Keeneland pinhook out of minor stakes winner Valid Lilly (Valid Expectations) following last year's War Front filly, which made 270,000gns.  The solid dark brown colt entered the ring...

Amerman Racing Stables's Coffee Clique (Medaglia d'Oro) looks to successfully defend her title in the GII Churchill Distaff Turf Mile Saturday. A perfect three-for-three last season, the Brian Lynch trainee kicked off that term with a one-mile optional claimer victory on the Gulfstream lawn last March. Following suit with a win in last year's renewal of this race, the bay rallied five wide to capture a narrow victory in Belmont's GI Just a Game S. June 7, and was put away for the year. Favored to keep her streak alive in her...

With Palace Malice (Curlin) defecting with a foot bruise, Shel Evans's 'TDN Rising Star' Tonalist (Tapit) looms an imposing presence in Saturday's GIII Westchester S. The bay sports a three-for-three record at Big Sandy, having romped in the GII Peter Pan S. some 51 weeks ago before posting the mild upset in the GI Belmont S. Second in the GII Jim Dandy S. and GI Travers S. at Saratoga over the summer, he returned to Elmont and rallied impressively to take the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup over his elders. A late-on-the-scene fifth in...