Breeders' Cup
The topic of Belmont Park hosting the Breeders' Cup resurfaced again Monday with the public release of a letter from Breeders' Cup executives to the New York Racing Association (NYRA) to "reaffirm the strong desire" to return the event to Belmont "as soon as the potential infrastructure projects we discussed are complete." That undated letter, which was attached as part of a Nov. 7 pro-Breeders' Cup press release issued by the "We Are NY Horse Racing" coalition of small businesses, labor unions, non-profits, and trade associations, did not include any...
New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program's early estimate of funds raised during its Breeders' Cup Pledge will be more than $140,000, it was announced Monday. This year's total was driven by a record nine horses with pledging connections--Wonder Wheel, Meditate (Ire), Forte, Victoria Road (Ire), Goodnight Olive, Caravel, Tuesday (Ire), Malathaat and Flightline--winning their races on Future Stars Friday and Championship Saturday. Additional pledges are still coming in and final donations are still being tallied. Now in its 13th year, the Pledge has raised more than $1 million, with 100% of...
Courtesy Thoroughbred Idea Foundation Horseplayers at the 2022 Breeders' Cup enjoyed more than $545,000 in additional winnings from just the win, place and show pools thanks to the revised Kentucky law that pays pari-mutuel winnings down the penny. "The two days of racing at Keeneland were sensational, but it was made that extra bit better thanks to penny breakage increasing payouts to players," said Patrick Cummings, Executive Director of the Thoroughbred Idea Foundation (TIF). In no race was the impact greater than the Breeders' Cup Classic won by Flightline. Under...
After Bell's the One (Majesticperfection) did not meet her reserve of $2.6 million at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale, owner Bob Lothenbach has decided to retain the 6-year-old mare and will breed her, reports her trainer, Neil Pessin. "More than likely, the plan is to send her to the breeding shed," Pessin said. "We don't know who we'll breed her to yet. It's yet to be determined, but we should decide that within the next two or three weeks. Bob is a breeder and has about 40 mares. He breeds a...
Cody's Wish (Curlin), a sentimental winner of Saturday's GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, his second straight Grade I win, will remain in training in 2023 according to Godolphin USA's Director of Bloodstock, Michael Banahan. "He came out of the Breeders' Cup very well", said Banahan. "He's sound, healthy and we're extremely excited about seeing him race next year." A future Darley stallion, Cody's Wish has won or placed all eleven of his starts, including victories in seven of his last eight leading up to the Dirt Mile, with his namesake...
The Week in Review, by Bill Finley Winning Breeders' Cup races is supposed to be hard. Doesn't Charlie Appleby know that? The Breeders' Cup annually brings together the best trainers in the U.S. and many of the best in Europe. Wayne Lukas has won the most races, 20. Bob Baffert is next with 18. Chad Brown and Todd Pletcher are always forces. Aidan O'Brien brings a small army to the Breeders' Cup every year and has 16 winners to show for it, including three this year. But Appleby stands alone....
LEXINGTON, KY--The industry action moves back to Keeneland Monday, just two days after the Lexington oval hosted the Breeders' Cup, for the 10-day Keeneland November Sale, which runs through Nov. 16. The auction opens at 1 p.m. Monday with a single session Book 1, containing 240 head. Thirty minutes prior to that however, Keeneland offers the chance of a lifetime, a 2.5% fractional interest in the undefeated and sensational GI Breeders' Cup Classic winner Flightline (Tapit). It will be part of their first metaverse experience. (Click here for full story)....
Flightline (Tapit--Feathered, by Indian Charlie), who capped a brilliant unbeaten career with an 8 1/4-length victory in Saturday's GI Longines Breeders' Cup Classic, has been retired to Lane's End Farm, his connections announced Sunday morning. He will stand as the property of a syndicate with a stud fee still to be announced. It was previously announced that a 2.5% ownership share in Flightline as he prepares to embark on his stallion career will be offered Monday on Day 1 of the Keeneland November Sale. From a prolific Phipps family, Flightline...
Secret Oath (Arrogate), winner of this year's GI Kentucky Oaks and fifth in Saturday's GI Breeders' Cup Distaff, has been withdrawn from an expected engagement in Sunday's Fasig-Tipton November sale with owners Robert and Stacy Mitchell deciding to campaign the filly in 2023, according to a release from the sales company. "We watched her run in the Breeders' Cup and following the race, we decided that we would like to see her back in the winner's circle again before she enters the sales ring," said Stacy Mitchell.
Total all-sources global common-pool handle for the two-day Breeders' Cup World Championships at Keeneland was $189,060,373, establishing a new record. That represents a 3.4% increase over the previous mark of $182,908,409 set last year at Del Mar and an 18% increase from the $160,472,893 at Keeneland during the COVID-impacted 2020 championships. The total common-pool handle on Saturday's live 12-race program was a record $122,918,607, while the corresponding figure from Friday's 12-race card was $66,141,766, also a record for a Breeders' Cup Friday. For the fifth consecutive year, Breeders' Cup staged...
LEXINGTON, KY--This was a day that seemed to hang suspended, if not quite on a single hair of his tail, then certainly on the fate of a single horse. Even the gale that blew through the afternoon had a portentous quality, as though the very elements were anticipating some complementary melodrama of wind and fire from Flightline (Tapit). Yet history is often made not to a blaring fanfare but in quiet increments--and the 39 steps taken by the Breeders' Cup since its inauguration in 1984 here brought the Europeans to...
American Boy Modern Games To Stand Stateside? Wouldn't it be cool if Modern Games (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) stood at Darley's Jonabell Farm in America when his racing days come to an end? Now a dual Breeders' Cup winner and a Classic hero, he has emerged as one of the leading stallion prospects this season but, given Dalham Hall Stud is already jam-packed with sons of Dubawi, standing him in Newmarket could be akin to bringing an apple to an orchard. It's not like there are an abundance of turf stallions...