Churchill Downs

A wide-open field of 11 juveniles, including one filly, will line up for Saturday's GIII Bashford Manor S. at Churchill Downs. The 3-1 morning-line favorite Glacial (Frosted) dueled free after a slow start to post a 2 1/2-length debut victory over the stakes-placed maiden Vodka N Water (Fed Biz) beneath the Twin Spires May 29. The $140,000 OBSMAR graduate, produced by an unraced half-sister to GISW Cupid (Tapit), is trained by Norm Casse. Lansdowne (Super Saver), a half-brother to MGISW Midnight Lucky (Midnight Lute), led by five lengths at the...

St. George Stable LLC's Letruska (Super Saver) has proven near invincible since turning five and will try to add her sixth graded victory in Saturday's GII Fleur De Lis S. at Churchill Downs, a 'Win and You're In' for the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff at Del Mar this fall. Winner of last summer's nine-furlong GIII Suvee S., the bay later kicked off a two-race win skein when taking Gulfstream's GIII Rampart S. Dec. 12 before adding the Jan. 31 GIII Houston Ladies Classic S. A desperate head behind GI...

Churchill Downs has released the official logo for Kentucky Derby 148. The logo was created by MogoSME, a strategic branding agency that has designed the Derby and Kentucky Oaks logos for the past 14 years. The 2022 GI Kentucky Derby is slated to be held Saturday, May 7.

Owner Brook Smith, who made headlines when he claimed three horses for $100,000 each out of Saturday's fourth race at Churchill Downs, will enroll all three of those horses in Churchill's Backside Learning Center (BLC)'s Purses for a Purpose program. A percentage of each horse's winnings will be donated to the program to support BLC's mission to build community and enrich the lives of backside workers and their families. All three horses are to be trained by Jeff Hiles. Smith has operated a small stable for more than 20 years,...

After four months of no public action by the Illinois Racing Board (IRB) since Churchill Downs, Inc. (CDI), announced its polarizing intention to sell Arlington International Racecourse for "non-horse racing" purposes, IRB chairman Daniel Beiser disclosed just before the end of Tuesday's meeting that the IRB will only now begin the process of reaching out to the gaming corporation to try and get a clearer understanding of what is likely to happen to suburban Chicago's landmark Thoroughbred track, which faces potential permanent closure at the end of this season. But...

3rd-Churchill Downs, $101,886, Msw, 6-20, 2yo, 5f, :58.17, ft, 1 length. OTTOMAN EMPIRE (c, 2, Classic Empire--Seven Stars, by Indygo Shiner) belied 13-1 odds to become the third winner--all under the Twin Spires--for champion juvenile and freshman sire Classic Empire (Pioneerof the Nile), who himself was a first-up graduate here in 2016. Away in midpack between rivals, the bay started to get going heading for home but still had his work cut out for him as James Graham tried to guide him out in the clear. Ottoman Empire leveled off...

As the field loaded for Saturday's fourth race at Churchill Downs, Brook Smith could feel the butterflies churning in his stomach. He had just made one of the biggest bets of the meet, a $300,000 flyer. He hadn't bet to win, place or show but that three costly but unproven 2-year-olds were headed to bigger and better things. In less than a minute, he might be proven right but he also could have been proven very wrong. "This wasn't some rich dude or someone who has some money in his...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 3rd-CD, $100K, Msw, 2yo, 5f, post time: 1:43 p.m. ET A Winchell Thoroughbreds/Steve Asmussen coupled entry receive a tepid 3-1 morning line nod in this salty looking special weight. Totalizer (Candy Ride {Arg}) is out of GSP Taxable (Tapit) from the family of GI Kentucky Oaks heroine Summerly (Summer Squall). Chileno (Gun Runner), co-owned with co-breeder Three Chimneys, was a $375,000 Keeneland September yearling. His MG1SW dam Wapi (Chi) (Scat Daddy) was Chile's champion 3-year-old filly of 2016. Wapi's now 3-year-old Curlin colt, who remains...

It is as true to say that Americans and Europeans are united by an ocean as divided by one. And while horsemen are often considered insular, their transatlantic engagement--fluctuating but perennial--means that they always have things to learn from one another. In recent times, contrary to European prejudice, it is the Americans who have been more willing to leave their comfort zone. Whereas not even Coolmore have lately been rolling the dice on the dirt at the Breeders' Cup, American raiders have increasingly enriched the pageant of Royal Ascot. And...

Marylou Whitney Stables' homebred Pretty Birdie (Bird Song) became the first winner for her expatriated sire (by Unbridled's Song) with a good-looking box-to-wire tally on Churchill debut Friday afternoon. Taking good pari-mutuel action as a 43-10 chance, the gray filly hit the ground running and clicked off an opening couple of furlongs in :22.16. Traveling well within the grasp of Joe Talamo for the run around the turn, Pretty Birdie was ridden hands and heels into the final eighth of a mile and was kept to her task to score...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 2nd-SA, $61K, Msw, 2yo, f, 5f, post time: 4:35 p.m. ET A pair of stablemates acquired about three hours apart at this year's OBS March Sale face off Saturday at Santa Anita. EDA (Munnings), bred by one of the sire's most fervent supporters Nate McCauley, was knocked down for $240K as a Keeneland September yearling last fall and was snapped up by Susan and Charles Chu's Baoma Corp. for $550K in Ocala after breezing an eighth of a mile in :10 flat. The Apr. 5...

The future of Arlington Park remains very much up in the air, but Roy Arnold is convinced that racing can prosper there and is hopeful that he can spearhead an effort to insure that one of America's most beautiful racetracks remains a racetrack for years to come. Arnold should know. He was the track's president during better times, from 2006-2010, and is currently the president and CEO of Endeavor Hotel Group. Arnold was instrumental in bringing together a consortium interested in purchasing Arlington Park from Churchill Downs. Churchill announced in...