Shared Content Archive

by J.M. Severni  The undertack show for the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's June 2-Year-Olds and Horses of Racing Age Sale began Monday. The first session of the six-day breeze show saw two horses share the co-fastest time for an eighth at :9 4/5 in hip 33, a colt by High Cotton consigned by Harris Training Center, and hip 139, a filly by Maimonides consigned by King's Equine. Five lots posted the co-fastest quarter time of :20 4/5 in hip 34, a colt by Street Boss consigned by SGV Thoroughbreds; hip 58, a filly by...

Evergreen gelding Cirrus des Aigles (Fr) (Even Top {Ire}) will miss the June 28 G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud--and a second clash with dual G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe heroine Treve (Fr) (Motivator {GB})--after suffering a small setback, according to trainer Corine Barande-Barbe.  "It's nothing serious, just a little bump and a bruise, but it will prevent him from running in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud,” the conditioner said. "It's just a little problem with his leg; it's very, very small, but it just means that we cannot work him at...

By Emma Berry  Each year Nick Smith of Ascot Racecourse treks far and wide across the globe to lure international runners to the prestigious Royal Ascot meeting, with previous visitors including the much-loved rags-to-riches gelding Takeover Target (Aus), the queen of Australian racing Black Caviar (Aus) and Kentucky Derby hero Animal Kingdom. This year's ensemble certainly has strength in depth with runners from ten different countries set to do battle over five days next week. California Chrome (Lucky Pulpit) may have been usurped in the eyes of the American public by the...

by T.D. Thornton The two Lasix-free races for 2-year-olds that are to be included in the next Gulfstream Park condition book are being viewed as an experiment by the track's owner, The Stronach Group (TSG), to see if the concept could be expanded to other TSG tracks.  "We want to kind of test the waters, and then obviously we would look at other jurisdictions," said Tim Ritvo, the president of Gulfstream and chief operating officer of TSG. "There's the possibility [expanding Lasix-free races] would happen. We're excited about trying them....

by Lucas Marquardt Let's be honest. The announcement that Keeneland would host the 2015 Breeders' Cup World Championships was met with skepticism in some quarters. The issue wasn't the track itself. Keeneland, after all, is widely regarded as one of the best, prettiest tracks in the country. But one of its greatest attributes was, in this case, a perceived hindrance: its size. The largest crowd in its history came in 2012, when 40,617 packed in to see the GI Toyota Blue Grass. That's almost half the Breeders' Cup single-day attendance record...

by  Jessica Martini    Materiality, sent off the 8-5 second choice in his debut at Gulfstream Sunday, obviously had his supporters at the track, but perhaps one of his most confident backers was watching from afar.  “Actually, I bet him pretty good,” laughed the colt's breeder John Gunther. “I had been watching his works and I just loved the way he was working. I was pretty confident that he would win his first start.”  Still, the colt's 4 1/4-length victory surpassed Gunther's expectations.  “It was impressive to run on that kind...

Fred W. Hertrich has established himself as one of the more savvy commercial breeders in the business, and the Delaware-based auto dealership owner had a big Monday at January. In partnership with the Canadian businessman John Fielding, Hertrich bred four short yearlings who made six figures, including the session's second-priciest yearling, a $250,000 colt by The Factor--Seeking Luck (Seeking the Gold). Taylor Made, which offered all of Hertrich's horses, consigned the gray colt as Hip 85. Springhouse Farm signed the winning slip.  The colt was the second foal from Seeking Luck,...

GII San Antonio Invitational S. winner Shared Belief (Candy Ride {Arg}) and runner-up California Chrome (Lucky Pulpit) both looked well the morning after their historic showdown. "Shared Belief was excellent this morning," Dan Ward, assistant to trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, said Sunday morning. "He ate all his feed. What happened in the past is not important. The only thing is the future, and that would include the [GI] Santa Anita H. [Mar. 7]. He'll go back to Golden Gate tomorrow, train up there, probably come back the Wednesday before the race, keeping the same schedule...

by Amanda Duckworth  WinStar Farm sprang into action late to secure graded-stakes winner Rose to Gold (Friends Lake) for a sale-topping $450,000 during Monday's second and final session of the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Winter Mixed Sale in Lexington.  “We were stretched to right where we wanted to be,” said WinStar President Elliott Walden. “We were hoping to get her for $350,000-$400,000.”  Rose to Gold (hip 614) was a supplemental entry into the catalogue and sold as a broodmare prospect. Racing for Kathleen Amaya and Raffaele Centofanti and trained by Salvatore Santoro, she won...

Saturday's G2 Light Fingers S. over 1200 meters at Randwick marks the returns of a quartet of Group 1-winning 3-year-old fillies. Last year's G1 Golden Slipper winner Mossfun (Aus) (Mossman {Aus}) makes her first start since taking that feature, having missed the spring, but the bay has prepared for this with two trials, a second and Warwick Farm Jan. 27 and a fifth at Rosehill Feb. 3. Peggy Jean (Aus) (Myboycharlie {Ire}) took last year's G1 Sires' Produce S. but finished off the board--a fifth in the G2 Furious S. and a seventh in...

Steve Sherack & Brian DiDonato will make $100 win/place bets on 20 Kentucky Derby preps. The handicapper with the highest total at the end wins. (To sign up for the BetAmerica sign-up bonus, click here). SS: Last Week: Always nice to kick things off with a win (how impressive was Far From Over (+$930) after that trouble at the start in the Withers?)... Rock Shandy sat a great trip at 6-1, but was no match for the Lewis top two, who put on an absolute show in a thrilling stretch battle for the second straight race. Current...

Aushorse, through the generosity of owner Gerry Harvey, is holding a contest for racing fans to own 10% of Classic-winning mare Royal Descent (Aus) (Redoute's Choice {Aus}) when she contests the A$3 million G1 Doncaster Mile at The Championships Apr. 4. By submitting a suggestion for a name for the 5-year-old mare's first foal, racing fans will have a chance to win 10% of prize money earned by Royal Descent in the Doncaster. The package also includes return flights for two people from any Australian capital city; two nights' accommodation in a...