Breeders' Cup

It's about to be uber-busy season at Keeneland. The fall meet begins Oct. 4. But first there is the annual extravaganza that is the Keeneland September sale. That begins Sept. 9 and more than 4,000 horses are in the catalogue. The sale and the upcoming racing meet were among the topics of discussion when Keeneland CEO and President Shannon Arvin joined the TDN Writers' Room Podcast presented by Keeneland. Arvin is expecting that this will be a strong sale. "The economic indicators so far are really good," she said. "We,...

Del Mar's Bing Crosby Season, which opens Oct. 31 and will run an extra week through Dec. 1 this year, will play host to the Breeders' Cup championship Nov. 1 and 2. In addition to the championship races, Del Mar will offer 20 stakes worth $3,150,000 during the meet. The schedule is highlighted by a pair of Grade I events: the $300,000 GI Hollywood Derby is scheduled for Nov. 30 and the $300,000 GI Matriarch Stakes will be run Dec. 1. Six stakes races tied to the Breeders' Cup have...

James A. Philpott, Jr., one of the original founding directors of Breeders' Cup Limited, died Monday. He was 77. Philpott served as the volunteer corporate secretary of the Breeders' Cup for 30 years. In a statement, the organization said, "It is with great sadness that we learned about the passing of Jim Philpott. Mr. Philpott served the Breeders' Cup with great honor, distinction and with extraordinary business acumen for the first 25 years of the company's existence. He was one of 20 original 'members' who contributed initial funding to form...

In what could prove to be a useful trial run, Motorious (GB) (Muhaarar {GB}) came flying over the Del Mar turf late to win the 'Win And You're In' GII Green Flash Handicap Saturday. Last year's winner, who parlayed this race into a fifth in the GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint at Santa Anita, broke as the 2-1 favorite despite not having found the winner's circle since taking this same race one year ago. Brought back as a 6-year-old to be seventh in the GII Twin Spires Turf Sprint Stakes...

GI Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes contender Arthur's Ride (Tapit) is all business when he goes out to train in the morning. Coming back to the barn afterwards? Well, that's a different story. Damian Hinds has been assigned to Arthur's Ride as the 4-year-old colt's exercise rider throughout this year's Saratoga meet. He has grown accustomed to the GI Whitney winner's daily antics over the Oklahoma track when they start heading back to the Bill Mott barn after training. "He's a good horse to gallop, quiet and nice, but to...

City Of Troy (Justify) will head to Southwell for a racecourse gallop on September 20 as part of his build-up to the Breeders' Cup Classic. Winner of the Derby and Eclipse, City Of Troy stamped his authority at York last week when making all for victory in the Juddmonte International, smashing Sea The Stars's course-record time in the process. Aidan O'Brien and the Coolmore partners have made no secret of their Classic ambitions, with City Of Troy appearing a perfect candidate for the headline event at Del Mar. The Ballydoyle...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.-Just the mere fact that a $3,500 yearling has won two races of any kind at Saratoga this summer, puts The Queens M G (Thousand Words) in a "that's impressive" category. In the GI Spinaway Stakes Saturday, she will try to add to her reputation by completing the rare sweep of the track's three stakes for 2-year-old fillies. The Queens M G scored in the 5 1/2-furlong Schuylerville Stakes, long the opening day feature, by 2 3/4 lengths at 44-1 July 11. She crushed the six-furlong GIII Adirondack...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.-When it became perfectly clear that the finish of Saturday's $1.25-million, GI DraftKings Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course was going to be desperately close, trainer Todd Pletcher went to work. Sitting up in his clubhouse box, the normally composed Pletcher rose to his feet and screamed and yelled for his 3-year-old colt Fierceness (City of Light) to get the job done in the Midsummer Derby. "I knew it was getting close," the Hall of Fame trainer said outside his office at his barn at the Oklahoma Training...

Breeders' Cup Limited and John Deere have renewed their multi-year partnership, further cementing John Deere as the official supplier of agricultural, turf and construction equipment for the Breeders' Cup World Championships, the organizations said in a joint release. As part of the arrangement, John Deere becomes the title sponsor of the GI John Deere Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies' Turf to be held on Future Stars Friday at Del Mar Nov. 1. "John Deere is immensely proud to be the official supplier of agricultural, turf and construction equipment for the Breeders'...

Byron López was 18 years old when he moved from Guatemala and began working for a talented new trainer named Todd Pletcher. He started out as a hot walker and soon moved up to becoming a groom. Twenty-four years later, he now cares for some of the best of the best among Pletcher's elite stable. López shared his story in Spanish, but the deep devotion he has for his equine charges surpassed any language barriers. "I am motivated by the horses," he said. "They are so affectionate and I get...

By winning last Sunday's GI Saratoga Derby Invitational, Carson's Run (Cupid) secured a spot in the AUS$5-million Ladbrokes G1 W. S. Cox Plate on October 26 in Australia. In U.S. dollars, the race is worth about $3.3 million. It's an invitation his connections  are seriously considering. "We're interested," said Terry Finley, the managing partner of West Point Thoroughbreds, which owns the horse with Steven Bouchy. "It is a very lucrative package. I haven't talked to (trainer) Christophe Clement about it yet but we are definitely game. That's an awful lot...

Colonial Downs Racetrack in New Kent, VA has rescheduled their Thursday and Friday racing cards to dates next week due to impending weather in the area from Tropical Storm Debby. The Thursday, Aug. 8 card will move to Monday, Aug. 12 while the Friday, Aug. 9 card will be held as drawn Tuesday, Aug. 13. Officials are still monitoring the weather as it relates to the Colonial Downs Festival of Racing card Saturday which includes the GI Arlington Million and the Breeders' Cup WAYI GII Beverly D. Stakes. A decision...