Breeders' Cup

By all accounts, the undefeated GI Breeders' Cup Classic winner Flightline was truly a once-in-a-generation horse. Like the legendary A.P. Indy, his great-grandsire who also stood at Lane's End, Flightline was a seven-figure yearling fashioned into a Horse of the Year, but it was the way he made very good horses look like ordinary mortals that cemented his acclaim. Flightline completed his first season at stud this year; will he also follow in A.P. Indy's footsteps and become a breed-shaping sire? "Flightline had an excellent start at stud, covering 152...

Next (Not This Time) isn't just winning races. He is destroying the competition. A marathon-race specialist, he did it again last week at Parx, when he won the GIII Greenwood Cup S. by an astounding 25 lengths. It's been quite a ride for his trainer, Doug Cowans, who claimed the now 5-year-old last year for $62,500. To talk about Next and to discuss his future plans, Cowans joined this week's TDN Writers' Room podcast presented by Keeneland. He was this week's Green Group Guest of the Week. Despite his horse's...

When Life Is Good was good, he was really, really good. A sight to behold in full flight, the 2021 Dirt Mile winner inspired breeders to send him a first book containing 25 Grade I winners and/or producers, as well as 70 graded winners and/or producers. Life Is Good's first foals will arrive in 2024. "We are extremely excited for Life Is Good's foals coming next year," said Elliott Walden, WinStar Farm's president/CEO and racing manager. "We have never had a stallion that was so well received." Life Is Good...

Stormy Liberal is one of a select number of Breeders' Cup winners to repeat the feat. Always dead game, the former claimer's final half-dozen career victories had connections and fans regularly holding their collective breaths as his biggest margin was just a neck. The tough and classy veteran raced on three continents, earned an Eclipse as champion turf male in 2018, and retired to Old Friends after his 2019 season. "When owner David Bernsen retired Stormy to us, I was thrilled," said Michael Blowen, president of Old Friends. "The two-time...

Lady Eli had a sensational career that got rolling with a Breeders' Cup win at two and culminated with an Eclipse for champion turf female at five. In between, she fought a life-threatening battle with laminitis and captured the hearts of racing fans. She delivered her third foal, an Into Mischief colt, Mar. 6 at Coolmore America and was bred back to Justify. "The Breeders' Cup is the ultimate race test of champions to define and prove yourself against the ultimate competition," said Hill 'n' Dale's John Sikura, who now...

Breeders' Cup Limited on Tuesday unveiled the official artwork of the 2023 Breeders' Cup World Championships, set to be held Nov. 3-4 at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, CA. The two pieces of art, created by world-renowned artist Quang Ho, will be on the cover of both the Friday and Saturday official track programs and on tickets. "I went out for some racing last spring and got to walk about the racetrack, with the facility's beautiful turquoise color and the mountain range behind it," Ho said. "I spent a couple...

Celebrating 40 Years of the Breeders' Cup with Living Legends Some moments last a lifetime. Breeders' Cup wins are like that. They affect everyone associated with the horse, from owners whose silks the horse sports in the race to breeders to consignors to grooms to farriers and so many others. They even touch those many years down the road, such as those who care for the winner more than a quarter century removed from that magical winner's circle and those signature purple and gold flowers. It is, without a doubt,...

There will no doubt be a tendency to dismiss Next (Not This Time) as a novelty act, even after his 25-length romp in Saturday's GIII Greenwood Cup on a sloppy, dreary day at Parx. That comes with the territory when your speciality is marathon-distance races of 12 furlongs or more. But to do so would be a mistake. While it's true that he does not face the best of competition in these races, Next is obviously a seriously talented race horse. You have to be to win a graded stakes...

Breeders' Cup has launched its 40 Days of Giving, a fundraising program that puts key Thoroughbred industry charities in the spotlight as the countdown continues to the 40th running of the Breeders' Cup World Championships Nov. 3-4 at Santa Anita Park, the organization said in a release Thursday. Designed to raise funds for a variety of important causes within the Thoroughbred industry, Breeders' Cup Charities' 40 Days of Giving campaign highlights the vital work of nonprofits in the following areas: aftercare, jockey health and wellness, backstretch and industry workers, equine...

Group 1 winner Bucanero Fuerte (GB) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) will not race again this season and be trained with an eye to either the G1 2000 Guineas or the Irish equivalent, according to trainer Adrian Murray. A winner of the G1 Phoenix S. in fine style earlier in the year, the colt was unplaced in the G1 National S. during the Irish Champions Festival. He also claimed the G2 Railway S. at the Curragh in the colours of AMO Racing and Giselle De Aguiar. "Nothing came to light, it just...

Grade I winners and 'TDN Rising Stars' Taiba (Gun Runner) and Arabian Lion (Justify) will join Zandon (Upstart) and stand at Spendthrift Farm for the 2024 breeding season. Spendthrift announced the news Saturday. "We are really excited to be bringing in three new stallion prospects of the caliber of Taiba, Arabian Lion and Zandon for the 2024 breeding season," said Spendthrift general manager Ned Toffey. "All three are superior physicals, and all three displayed immense talent in winning some of America's biggest 3-year-old races on dirt. Obviously, the Breeders' Cup...

Andre Fabre has outlined plans for star fillies Place Du Carrousel (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) and Mqse De Sevigne (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}) that could see the former line out in the Arc and the latter run at the Breeders' Cup.  Last year's G1 Prix de l'Opera winner Place Du Carrousel beat the boys in the G2 Prix Foy last weekend and is now bound for the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. She could also be on the plane to America, according to Fabre, who revealed an audacious tilt...