Del Mar

DEL MAR, CA -- Sierra Leone (Gun Runner), a painful second in the GI Kentucky Derby and a frustrating, beaten favorite in three subsequent efforts at Saratoga this summer, emulated his leading young sire with a victory on the biggest stage of them all in Saturday's GI Longines Breeders' Cup Classic at Del Mar. The GI Toyota Blue Grass S. winner and 'TDN Rising Star' took advantage of a lightning-fast pace up front, picked off his rivals with an eye-catching, sweeping move on the final turn and outbattled favored 'Rising...

From Qatar to Dubai to Hong Kong, back to Britain and then across to Germany. By any metric, it had already been a massive season for Godolphin's hearty globetrotter Rebel's Romance (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), and it got that little bit better Saturday afternoon, as his best battling qualities were on full display in just staving off a gallant effort from Rousham Park (Jpn) (Harbinger {GB})--the lesser-preferred of the two Sunday Racing-owned horses--to win the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Turf for the second time in three seasons. Shahryar (Jpn) (Deep Impact...

Is Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna) the 2024 Horse of the Year? That will undoubtedly be the most-asked question in racing from now until the Eclipse Awards in late January. In a year where Thorpedo Anna's name has seemingly never been far from any racing conversation, the brilliant 3-year-old filly showed why she absolutely should be under heavy consideration for Horse of the Year honors with a sublime victory in Saturday's $2-million GI Breeders' Cup Distaff at Del Mar. The race was hers to lose and the task made considerably less...

DEL MAR, CA - Mrs. Fitri Hay's Starlust (GB) (Zoustar {Aus}), a longshot third in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Santa Anita last year, added to a dream run for trainer Ralph Beckett and jockey Rossa Ryan with a 33-1 upset in an eventful renewal of the GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint at Del Mar. With the rail-drawn, 4-year-old filly Believing (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) a late scratch after flipping in the gate and delaying the start by a good 10 minutes, 4-5 favorite and world-record setter Cogburn...

Most recently promoted to the victory in the G3 Oak Tree Stakes at Goodwood on July 31, Shadwell homebred Raqiya (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}) was beautifully rated from the front by Frankie Dettori and had plenty left for the dash to the wire, registering a 5-1 success in Saturday's GIII Goldikova Stakes at Del Mar. The well-backed East Coast raider Sacred Wish was first away from her low draw, but the typically aggressive Paco Lopez took a tug to get her off the speed, and Dettori took full advantage, sending...

All-sources handle for the 10-race program on the first day of the 41st Breeders' Cup World Championships Nov. 1 at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club was $63,679,944, the second-highest handle for a Breeders' Cup Friday and the fourth consecutive year the Friday handle has topped $60 million. The Future Stars Friday card featured five Breeders' Cup races for 2-year-old horses, the seventh straight year the Breeders' Cup has carded all its juvenile races on the same day since the event expanded to its two-day format in 2007. Friday's on-track attendance...

DEL MAR, USA -- "If we get the horses we can deliver," said Ger Lyons after proving his point emphatically in the opening Breeders' Cup race on Future Stars Friday. "We have to up our game every day to take on Aidan. It's just fantastically competitive at home." That second point was also proved, again and again, in the hours to follow as Lake Victoria (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) remained unbeaten in her taking of the Juvenile Fillies Turf and Henri Matisse (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) gave Aidan O'Brien a record-equalling...

DEL MAR, CA - Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert had three chances at a record-extending sixth winner of the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Del Mar Friday. And none of them were favored. Let go at odds of 15-1, Citizen Bull (Into Mischief) made every pole a winning one while leading home a one-two-four finish for Baffert's powerhouse stable. It was 1 1/2 lengths back to Gaming (Game Winner) in second. Irish raider Hill Road (Quality Road) rallied from last of 10 to tag 'TDN Rising Star' Getaway Car...

It was a frustrating few days in the lead-up to the Breeders' Cup meeting for Team Ballydoyle, with the likes of Ylang Ylang (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and Diego Velazquez (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) forced to miss the event, not to mention Jan Brueghel (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) having to forego an appearance even farther afield in the G1 Melbourne Cup next Tuesday. Their biggest moment comes Saturday with City of Troy (Justify) in the $7-million Classic, but 'TDN Rising Star' Lake Victoria (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) was first to strike for the Irish-based...

Europe drew first blood Friday, albeit with an upset choice, as Magnum Force (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) came from off the pace to win the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint and kick off the Future Stars Friday action at Del Mar. The Irish-bred son of Tally Ho Stud's Mehmas came through at second asking going five furlongs at Cork in Ireland before having two near misses to rivals he lined up against again Friday (second in the Julia Graves Roses Stakes and third in the G2 Flying Childers Stakes behind...

Who do you like? TDN's Senior Racing Editor Steve Sherack makes his picks for Breeders' Cup Saturday at Del Mar. Race 4: GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint--#10 Scylla (10-1) Scylla ran a very good second going two turns in Del Mar's GI Clement L. Hirsch, then returned to Bill Mott's Saratoga base and cut back to this distance with another solid second-place finish in the GI Ballerina just three weeks later. She's been freshened since, is drawn nicely on the outside and is more than capable of running...

Twin Creeks Racing Stable's Chasing Liberty (Constitution) was among the pre-entries to the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, but was three deep on the list of horses that were not selected by the Breeders' Cup seeding panel. The homebred was instead re-routed for Friday's Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Stakes, heretofore a race for dirt marathoners, but switched to something of a consolation event for the Juvenile Turf. Sent off at odds of 34-5 and trying two turns for the first time off a troubled fourth in the 5 1/2-furlong Indian Summer...