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...
Santa Anita Park will host friends of late trainer John Shirreffs for a Celebration of Life to be held Sunday, March 15 in the Chandelier Room from 1-3 p.m. The public gathering is open to all who knew the trainer during his tenure as a fixture on the Southern California racing circuit, including his many years at Santa Anita Park. Shirreffs passed away unexpectedly at age 80 on Feb. 12 in his Arcadia, CA home after a brief illness.
A service to celebrate the life of Classic-winning trainer Ian Balding will be held on Sunday, April 19, at Park House Stables, Kingsclere. Balding, who died on January 2 at the age of 87, made an indelible impression on the turf, both as the trainer of a swathe of top-class horses including Mill Reef, and as a mentor to many young people who subsequently graduated to success in the sport. His son Andrew, now one of Britain's leading trainers, succeeded him at the helm of Kingsclere in 2002 and has...