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...
New Jersey racing has not had it easy, and has not had it easy for a long time. Monmouth was in such dire straits that, after the end of the 2025 meet, there was so little money in its coffers that the track wasn't able to pay horsemen money that was owed to them for months. That problem arose despite the fact Monmouth was receiving an annual $10-million subsidy from the state to supplement purses. Worried that the subsidy, never a sure thing, might go away under the newly elected...
Civil Liberty (Independence Hall), third-place finisher in last summer's GI Del Mar Futurity and a maiden of four career starts, will look to graduate in the GII Wood Memorial S. at Aqueduct Apr. 4. The 1 1/8-mile Wood Memorial offers 100-50-25-15-10 Kentucky Derby qualifying points. "That's definitely our goal," trainer Doug O'Neill said of the Wood Memorial. "He acts like the distance won't be a problem for him at all. It wasn't a problem for his pops--his dad could run the distance. We're excited about him." Carrying the colors of...
Raging Torrent (by Maximus Mischief), new to the Lane's End roster for 2026, has his first mare confirmed in foal, according to a press release from the stallion operation on Wednesday. Owned by V. Gail Ray and Ramspring Farm, the covered mare is She'srunninghappy (Runhappy), who produced her second foal--a filly by Timberlake--Jan. 14. Out of an extended female family which includes GSW He Loves Me (Not For Love), the current 7-year-old is a half-sister to Canadian GSW Easy Time (Not This Time) and MSW Softly Lit (Latent Heat). As...
While the war raging in the Middle East has caused uncertainty and danger throughout the region, it appears that most among the group of U.S.-based horses that had been planning on running on the Mar. 28 GI Dubai World Cup card will make the trip to the United Arab Emirates and continue to prepare for one of the world's richest days of racing. "We're making plans and arrangements as if the world were normal," said David Fiske, the racing manager for Winchell Thoroughbreds, which owns Dubai World Cup hopeful Magnitude...