Breeders' Cup
John and Jennie Williams' J & J Stables sold Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music) for just $95,000 at Keeneland September. While that price proved to be the bargain of a lifetime for buyer Kirk Robison, the speedy colt has been the gift that keeps on giving for his breeders. The Williamses hope that continues as Jackie's Warrior enters the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint Saturday as the morning-line favorite and his 2-year-old half-sister Lenni Girl (Candy Ride {Arg}) sells during Book 1 of Keeneland November Wednesday. The Williamses acquired Jackie's Warrior's dam...
More than 60--or over one-third--of the 2021 Breeders' Cup entrants and their connections have pledged support for Thoroughbred aftercare by committing to the New Vocations Breeders' Cup Pledge. In the Pledge, owners and trainers donate a percentage of their Breeders' Cup earnings to support New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program's mission to rehabilitate, retrain, and rehome retired racehorses. Now in its 12th year, the Pledge has raised over $800,000 with 100% of the funds supporting the program. "Breeders' Cup is a very exciting time of year for our industry," said Anna...
DEL MAR, CA - Sunny skies, ideal conditions and two days of world-class Thoroughbred racing with a spectacular backdrop in Southern California. Welcome to the 38th Breeders' Cup World Championships at Del Mar! The stunning seaside track plays Breeders' Cup host for the second time and first since 2017. 'Future Stars Friday' includes a highly anticipated clash of unbeaten 'TDN Rising Stars' Jack Christopher (Munnings) and $1.5-million OBS April topper Corniche (Quality Road) in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile. Fellow 'Rising Star' Echo Zulu (Gun Runner) will also put her...
Del Mar, CA--While the bridge between the European turf and the American dirt is one that is rarely crossed nowadays, it has historically been the path to some of the greatest payoffs-at both the parimutuels and in the realms of international ratings and stud value-at the Breeders' Cup World Championships. In 1991, Sheikh Albadou forged the path when backing up a win in the G1 Nunthorpe S. and runner-up efforts in the G1 Sprint Cup and G1 Prix de l'Abbaye into a first victory for a European-trained runners in a...
MGISW Domestic Spending (GB) (Kingman {GB}) and MGSW United (Giant's Causeway) have both been scratched from the Saturday's GI Breeders' Cup Turf at Del Mar, according to tweets from the Breeders' Cup. This moves GISW Bolshoi Ballet (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and champion Channel Maker (English Channel) into the field off the also eligible list. The 4-1 second choice on the morning line, Domestic Spending was withdrawn by trainer Chad Brown after developing swelling in his left, front leg. "When I came in this morning, he unfortunately had some new and...
Trainer Wesley Ward joined this week's TDN Writers' Room podcast as the writers preview the 2021 Breeders' Cup World Championship.
The TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland produced its third annual comprehensive Breeders' Cup preview show Wednesday, analyzing and handicapping all 14 World Championships races in depth, and welcomed trainer Wesley Ward later as the Green Group Guest of the Week to discuss his five combined Breeders' Cup starters in the GI Turf Sprint and GII Juvenile Turf Sprint and future goals for his barn. Asked whether he's happy with the niche he's carved out for himself as mainly an elite 2-year-old and turf sprint trainer or if he has...
A year ago, the Hidden Brook team was shopping for breeder John Gardiner when it acquired the then-16-year-old mare Soaring Emotions (Kingmambo), in foal to Hard Spun, for $57,000 at last year's Keeneland November sale. The mare's Hard Spun weanling (hip 251) will go through the ring during the second session of this year's Keeneland November sale next Thursday and between now and then the foal's 2-year-old half-sister Haughty (Empire Maker) could provide the colt with a timely update. The filly goes postward in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies...
DEL MAR, CA - With trainer Peter Miller looking on--and sporting a hoodie from his two-win performance at the 2018 Championships at Churchill Downs--streaking GI Breeders' Cup Mile contender Mo Forza (Uncle Mo) took a stroll through the Del Mar paddock on a brisk and cloudy Wednesday morning just before 7 a.m. Del Mar President and General Manager Joe Harper made his way to the well-attended WinStar and Fasig-Tipton Trackside Breakfast Marquee as GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies co-second choice Juju's Map (Liam's Map) galloped strongly with her neck arched....
Del Mar, CA--This spring, Irish trainer Michael O'Callaghan decided to roll the dice. Betting on his own past successes at the breeze-up sales, O'Callaghan and his investors doubled down on prospects they predicted could get them to the winner's circle and land lucrative overseas sales. That gamble has taken them all the way from The Curragh to Southern California for the Breeders' Cup, with Twilight Jet (GB) (Twilight Son {GB}) lining up in Friday's GII Juvenile Turf Sprint for O'Callaghan and new part-owner Michael Iavarone. At £210,000, Twilight Jet was...
The Breeders' Cup outlines health and safety protocols for the 2021 World Championships, which take place Nov. 5-6 at Del Mar. EQUINE SAFETY, TESTING AND SECURITY All Breeders' Cup runners are subject to: Randomized out-of-competition (OOC) testing (beginning internationally in June and concluded Nov. 1, resulting in the collection of over 300 blood and hair samples Expanded veterinary scrutiny in-stall and during training at Del Mar, Santa Anita and San Luis Rey Training Center Mandatory trot up observations of every horse prior to being permitted to enter a racing surface...
DEL MAR, CA - The best thing about Steve Asmussen's record-breaking 2021 season? The Hall of Famer may want to wait until the weekend is up to answer that. In a year that has included passing Dale Baird to become the winningest North American trainer of all time, an emotional GI Arkansas Derby victory for his parents with Super Stock (Dialed In) and five top-level wins at the prestigious Saratoga meeting, including three from the first crop of a former barn superstar, Asmussen heads into the Breeders' Cup World Championships...