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...
The two new names on the GI Kentucky Derby trail each exemplify one of the principal alternatives to what nowadays feels like the ideal route, namely to exploit the imbalances of the commercial market with a breed-to-race program. Nobody having ever operated one of those on a scale as lavish as the one that produced Sovereignty (Into Mischief), the choice between these other models is strictly practical. If you can run to $2.4 million for a Saratoga yearling, as did Speedway Stable for the Into Mischief colt we now know...
After missing the break and finishing sixth in Sunday's GIII Santa Ysabel Stakes at Santa Anita, GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies victress Super Corredora (Gun Runner) seems no worse for the wear, according to John Sadler's assistant trainer Juan Leyva. "It was a very disappointing performance," said Leyva. "The break just cost us big time. (Jockey) Hector (Barrios) said she stepped back just as they kicked it, so she obviously missed the break, and it was just too much to do from there." Super Corredora went off the 8-5 favorite,...
She rolled into the lane with all the momentum and Forced Entry (Charlatan) carried it right to her first black-type win in the GIII Santa Ysabel Stakes. Debuted Jan. 11 at this venue in a six-furlong turf maiden, she faded to last after having to fight every step of the way, but it was a much different result when she resurfaced Feb. 1 on this main track. Out to set the pace again, they were never able to reel her back in, and Forced Entry cantered home to win easily...
In this continuing series, TDN's Senior Racing Editor Steve Sherack catches up with the connections of promising maidens to keep on your radar. Gilded Bandit (c, 3, Charlatan--Diamond Ore, by Tapit) had plenty of steam behind him ahead of his debut on the stacked Coolmore Fountain of Youth program at Gulfstream Park Feb. 28. He fired back-to-back bullet drills at Bill Mott's Payson Park base, including a four-furlong move in :48 (1/53) Feb. 20, and was well-supported as the 3-1 second-choice off a 10-1 morning-line quote in a deep six-furlong...