Horse Racing
New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc. (NYTB) named their nominees for the Empire State's divisional champions of 2023, the organization said in a Friday morning release. A panel of New York turf writers, broadcasters, handicappers, racing analysts and photographers will vote on each division and for the New York-bred Horse of the Year. The winners will be announced at the NYTB Awards Dinner sponsored by the New York Thoroughbred Breeding & Development Fund on Monday, May 13 from 6-9 p.m. ET. at Sacred Saratoga on the property of GMP Farm in...
In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for this weekend running at Tokyo Racecourse. An otherwise-typical Sunday afternoon of racing at headquarters is spiced up considerably by the seasonal debut of the US-conceived reigning Japanese champion 2-year-old male Jantar Mantar (Jpn) (Palace Malice) in the G3 Kyodo News Hai over 1800 meters:...
Fourteen world-class jockeys from eight jurisdictions around the world will participate in the International Jockeys' Challenge to be held on the eve of the Saudi Cup meeting at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh Friday, Feb. 23. A team of seven male riders will compete against seven of their female counterparts in the four-race series. Ryan Moore will feature in the Jockeys' Challenge for the first time in its brief history. The veteran reinsman, who was recognized as the Longines World's Best Jockey in Hong Kong last December, is one of...
The island is still there, nearly 50 years later, which would have surprised Nick de Meric at the time. He'd have assumed that there could be nothing left by now. "Because they were basically mining it off the map," he recalls. "It was made of iron ore. So they had these massive Euclid trucks, wheels high as a building. And all these men on shift work, living in long huts. Not quite a prison environment, but it was all-male, tropical heat, nothing to do but drink beer and play cards....
8th-Gulfstream, $86,940, Alw (NW1X), Opt. Clm ($75,000), 2-7, 3yo, 5fT, :54.64, fm, 3/4 length. REEF RUNNER (c, 3, The Big Beast--Paradise Bay, by Blame) was making his first start on the turf as the 15.90-1 longest shot in a field of seven and outsprinted a luckless 3-5 Valiant Force (Malibu Moon) to upset that one's seasonal debut. Ridden along from fourth by Paco Lopez, with the hot favorite underneath him, the Lieblong homebred was sent along three wide on the turn and had dead aim on pacesetting Esperon (Chitu) as...
8th-GP, $91K, Alw/Opt. Clm., 3yo, f, 5f (AWT), 3:39 p.m. ET St. Elias homebred PRETTY LIAM (Liam's Map) opened her account in outstanding fashion at first asking, firing home to take a course-and-distance maiden by a widening 3 3/4 lengths Jan. 11, good for a lofty 85 Beyer Speed Figure. Irad Ortiz, Jr. has a return call aboard the bay, whose year-older half-sister Danse Macabre (Army Mule) was a leading turf female of her generation in 2023, winning this track's GIII Herecomesthebride S. and three other stakes around one turn,...
11th-Kyoto, ¥42,190,000 ($284,065), Allowance, 4yo/up, 1900m, 1:57.4, ft. AWESOME RESULT (f, 4, Justify--Blossomed, by Deputy Minister), a maiden winner in a single juvenile appearance in 2022, was perfect in her three trips to the races last season, including a victory over 2100 metres at Tokyo Nov. 18. A touch unprepared at the break of this 4-year-old return, the bay was accordingly off a half-step slowly and was consigned to the latter third of the field for the run around the first turn. Yutaka Take slipped her some rein and asked...
Helios Express (Aus) (Toronado {Ire}) was crunched into $1.30 (3-10) favourtism for Sunday's HK$13-million Hong Kong Classic Mile, sat a perfect trip beneath Hugh Bowman and raced away late to take the first leg of the 4-year-old series in convincing fashion Sunday afternoon at Sha Tin. Alertly away from barrier six and carrying the number one saddlecloth signifying the highest-rated runner in the event, the John Size trainee allowed Chancheng Glory (Mor Spirit) and Helene Feeling (Ire) (Sioux Nation) do the heavy lifting and settled in the ideal spot while...
R Harper Rose (Khozan) represented her fellow Florida-breds well in Saturday's GIII Forward Gal S. over the Hallandale strip as she dropped the hammer down the lane to win. The OBS March grad made her debut a winning one as she streaked to a gate-to-wire finish by 6 1/4 lengths at Gulfstream Park in early August. Stepping into optional claiming company over the same surface Sept. 22, the filly was equally as potent when she won by 5 3/4 lengths. On her home floor last fall, the bay took on...
All eyes were on Eclipse Award and runaway GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile hero Fierceness (City of Light) making his seasonal debut in Saturday's GIII Holy Bull S. at Gulfstream Park. The tote read 1-5 on the champ, but the Repole homebred and 'TDN Rising Star' was out of gas when push came to shove, and, in a bit of an oddly run race, D J Stable and Robert Cotran's unbeaten Hades (Awesome Slew) controlled a moderate tempo, slipped away from Fierceness in the final furlong and held off Domestic Product...
Things may not have gone strictly according to script for undefeated 'TDN Rising Star' Nysos (Nyquist) in Saturday's GIII Robert B. Lewis S., as he was perhaps a half-step slowly away, and with a trio of rivals hellbent on being part of the pace battle, was forced to sit farther off the speed than he'd done in either of his previous towering victories. At the end of the day, it mattered very little, as the Bob Baffert trainee came with a bold run three wide into the lane and went...
The 24-1 longest shot in a field of nine for Saturday's Martha Washington S. at a soggy Oaklawn Park, Dixiana Farms LLC's Band of Gold (Preservationist) became the first black-type winner for her young Airdrie Stud-based sire (by Arch) with an irresistible late run to best heavily favored Denim and Pearls (Into Mischief). Content to drop down onto the fence from her low draw, the $70,000 Keeneland November weanling switched off nicely behind midfield for Brian Hernandez, Jr. and remained within striking distance for the run around the turn. In...