In an exhibition of pure sprinting prowess, Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid al Maktoum's Battaash (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) brought all his power to bear on his rivals on Friday to register back-to-back successes in Goodwood's G2 King George Qatar S. Despite the contrasting ground conditions to the easy turf he encountered 12 months ago and the obvious questions posed by defeat in the June 19 G1 King's Stand S. at Royal Ascot, the bay attracted heavy support as the 8-11 favourite and was in front before he had raced two...
The 17th edition of the Claiming Crown, held Saturday at Gulfstream Park, generated total handle of $10,118,000--up 0.57% from 2014 despite rainy conditions which caused four races to be taken off the turf. Gulfstream was hosting the event for the fourth year. "We're extremely pleased with the success of Saturday's Claiming Crown," said P.J. Campo, General Manager of Gulfstream Park and Vice President of Racing for The Stronach Group. "We had big fields and tremendous participation from horsemen throughout North America. We're confident the numbers would have been even more...
Fulleffort (Liam's Map), a rallying second in both of the local preps, punched his ticket to the Kentucky Derby with a powerful win in Saturday's GIII Jeff Ruby Steaks at Turfway Park. Favored at 9-5, the Leonatus S. and John Battaglia Memorial S. runner-up raced in ninth through fractions of :23.18 and :47.16. The gray began to wind up beneath Irad Ortiz, Jr. on the far turn, came rolling up four wide approaching the quarter pole and kept on motoring down the stretch, finishing up in a field-best :12.99 to...
Last year's Rags to Riches Stakes winner, Life of Joy (Gun Runner) booked herself a return trip to Churchill Downs Saturday, taking down the GII Fasig-Tipton Fair Grounds Oaks and with it, 100 points on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks. Debuted late in her 2-year-old season by trainer Brad Cox, the $375,000 Keeneland September grad was a bit under the radar initially when making her first start at Horseshoe Indianapolis. But, after putting up a devastating 14 3/4-length win going one mile Oct. 2, was anonymous no more and...
With the $30.5-million Dubai World Cup meeting now less than a week away, a quartet of American-based gallopers took to the Meydan main track Saturday morning to post their final major preparations. Defending G1 Dubai World Cup champion Hit Show (Candy Ride {Arg}) is one of two in the main event for Wathan Racing (and one of an impressive six runners across the evening) and the 6-year-old tuned up for the 2000-meter feature Saturday, covering a half-mile in :48 2/5, per trainer Brad Cox. "Cooled out great, he's handled the...
Steve Landers knows a salesman when he sees one. And here comes a burly young man, into the paddock at Oaklawn, holding out a hand. "Mr. Landers," he said. "I'm Brad Cox." This was a good decade ago, when Cox was still trying to get established. So he made his pitch. If Landers could keep him in mind for a horse or two, he sure would appreciate it. "Well, I like to see somebody swim out to their ship, instead of waiting on it to come in," Landers says now....
NEW KENT, VA--From one CD to another. In his second start of the year, Pin Oak Stud's Incredibolt (Bolt d'Oro) stamped his ticket for a return trip to Churchill Downs with a visually-impressive finish in Saturday's Virginia Derby at Colonial Downs. Under the tutelage of Riley Mott, the 6-1 choice is already proven under the Twin Spires when he finished out his juvenile campaign with a win in the GIII Street Sense Stakes in late October. And while his return to the track earlier this season didn't go quite as...
Less than 48 hours after Colonial Downs was coated in three inches of fresh snow, Saturday's Virginia Derby, the last 50-point prep race on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, will have competitors and visitors alike dreaming of warmer things to come on the first Saturday in May. Now in its second year, the newly-repositioned Virginia Derby (moved up from the track's traditional summer meet) drew a field of 10 after running with just seven entries in its inaugural edition won by the late D. Wayne Lukas's American Promise (Justify)....
Injured in a spill Thursday at Gulfstream, Irad Ortiz Jr., will not ride through Sunday, reports his agent Steve Rushing. Mike Welsch of the Daily Racing Form was the first to report that Ortiz would be out through the remainder of the weekend. "He's just really body sore," Rushing told the TDN via text. "He's going to take a few days off and will, hopefully, return next week." Ortiz was scheduled to ride in seven races Saturday at Colonial Downs, including in four stakes races. Five of his seven mounts...
7th-GP, $84k, Msw, 3yo, 7f, 3:52 p.m. ET. Gary and Mary West homebred Final Story (Candy Ride {Arg}) has posted four bullet workouts, including a five-furlong breeze in 1:02 (1/28) Mar. 7, at Brad Cox's Payson Park base ahead of this debut run. Final Story's dam Book Review (Giant's Causeway) carried the couple's hot pink-and-black silks to a win in the 2012 GI La Brea S. and a close second in the 2013 GI Ballerina S. Leading sire and 2017 Horse of the Year Gun Runner was bred on this...
5th-FG, $54K, Msw, 3yo, f, 6f, 3:45 p.m. ET. SHE'S OUR TEN (Constitution) will carry the colors for Lee Searing and C R K when she is unveiled under trainer Peter Eurton at Fair Grounds on Friday. The dark bay initially went to Hidden Brook for $215,000 at the Fasig-Tipton October Yearling Sale before being purchased by C R K for $675,000 during OBS April last year. Out of MSP Quality Heat (Quality Road), the filly's lone siblings are an older half-brother by Nyquist and a younger half-sister by Not...
Turf mares sure know how to put on a show. It came down to a blanket finish in the GII Hillsborough Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs, but Destino d'Oro (Bolt d'Oro) showed her heart with an ultra-game performance to win the photo. Crowned the 2026 queen of the GII Pegasus World Cup Filly & Mare Turf Invitational Stakes in her most recent performance, via an equally exciting finish no less, the Brad Cox filly has now strung together three consecutive wins. The first of the group was a head decision...
Facing down a heavy favorite, Disruptor (Gun Runner) was extremely game down the lane in the GIII Michelob Ultra Challenger Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs on Saturday. Named a 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard', at second asking a little over a year ago when he graduated by 9 1/4 lengths at Gulfstream Park, Disruptor tried deeper waters in the GI Curlin Florida Derby and finished a well-beaten fifth. The chestnut took a break for the rest of the year and returned to training in early December at Todd Pletcher's...
Spendthrift Farm's 'TDN Rising Star presented by Hagyard' Further Ado (Gun Runner), a smashing 20-length maiden winner at Keeneland last fall and workmanlike winner of the GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. at Churchill Downs Nov. 29, launches his 3-year-old campaign in Saturday's GIII Esmark Tampa Bay Derby. The $275,000 Keeneland September yearling turned $550,000 OBS April breezer has posted six workouts at trainer Brad Cox's Payson Park base for his return, including a bullet five furlongs in 1:01 (1/28) Feb. 21. Jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. has the call from post...