Horse Racing
In a battle of raw speed, Dr. Schivel (Violence) proved to be too much to beat as he outlasted a returning Speed Boat Beach (Bayern) to take the GII Santa Anita Sprint Championship S. Last seen running a close-up third in the GI Bing Crosby S. at Del Mar over the summer, Dr. Schivel had plenty of back class to call on here: third last year at Meydan in the G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen for his only start of the season, second to Aloha West (Hard Spun) in the 2021...
Mattingly (Bucchero) gave his young sire a second juvenile stakes winner in 2023 and his third black-type winner overall with a good-looking victory in Saturday's Hollywood Beach S. over the Gulfstream synthetic surface. Purchased for $70,000 out of this year's OBS March Sale with the objective of sending him over to Royal Ascot--where his sire was a strong fifth to Blue Point (Ire) (Shamardal) in the 2018 G1 King's Stand S.--Mattingly debuted in the May 13 Royal Palm Juvenile S., finishing runner-up to No Nay Mets (Ire) (No Nay Never),...
Barry and Joni Butzow's homebred and 'TDN Rising Star' Zozos (Munnings) took them all the way for an overdue first graded stakes success in Saturday's GIII Ack Ack S., a 'Win and You're In' for the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile. The 3-5 favorite set a pressured pace, albeit through very manageable early fractions of :23.69 and :47.10 going a one-turn mile beneath the Twin Spires. He let it out a notch as they straightened for home and held Justify (Scat Daddy)'s half-brother and 'Rising Star' Stage Raider (Pioneerof the...
After a break of just over 100 days, elite-level racing returns to the Japanese racing scene, as a full field of 18 is set to face the starter in Sunday's Sprinters' S. at Nakayama Racecourse. Five of the entrants are making a repeat appearance in the 1200-metre test, including Namura Clair (Jpn) (Mikki Isle {Jpn}), who was a sound fifth in last year's running in what was her final appearance as a 3-year-old. After besting First Force (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) in the G3 Silk Road S. in January, the...
Hall of Fame rider Pat Day was one of four new members named to the board of the Kentucky Derby Museum Sept. 15, the organization said in a release late Thursday. Joining Day, the other new Derby Museum board members include: Mark Bacon, SVP Managing Director - Super Premium American Whiskey Ashley Davis Sigman, Vice President of Davis Jewelers Eamon O'Brien, General Manager of Omni Louisville Outgoing board members Brandy Harmon, Michael Judah, and Loren Hebel-Osborne were honored during the meeting for completing their terms of service. The late Clinton...
In celebration of Secretariat's Triple Crown sweep a half century ago, the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame's traveling exhibition will visit Woodbine Racetrack and Keeneland Race Course in October, the museum said in a release Thursday afternoon. A Tremendous Machine: Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Secretariat's Triple Crown will be at Woodbine in Toronto from Oct. 5-8 and at Keeneland in Lexington, Kentucky, from Oct. 25-29.
They call it "nominative determinism." Your name suggests your path in life: like the world's fastest man being a Bolt. On that basis, you would say that being born a Goodman raises expectation enough--without then going ahead and buying yourself a farm named Mt. Brilliant. The last year or so, however, suggests that things are playing out much as they should. Last September, TOBA presented Greg Goodman with the Robert N. Clay Award for his work in preserving horse country around Lexington from development. In April, the KTA/KTOB honored him...
In early August, during the second session of this year's Fasig-Tipton New York Bred Yearlings Sale, a member of the Hidden Lake Farm consignment's team led a uniquely colored grey Ghostzapper filly into the sale ring and handed her off to the ringman on duty, Eddie Ortiz. As the auctioneer introduced the filly and bidding ensued, each nervous flick of her ear was met with a reassuring stroke down her neck, along her back and across the underside of her belly. Quiet words were spoken, only heard by Ortiz and...
I read with much interest the recent article involving the interview with John Sikura from Hill 'n' Dale farm. I happen to agree with some of his points, especially that fixing many of the issues currently present in racing will require the combined sacrifice and agreement of many facets of the racing industry. However, what struck me the most in this article was that, once again, a member of the breeding community in racing does not seem to think anything with their own business needs to change. From a business...
The Arizona Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association has extended Turf Paradise's contract to simulcast races for wagering until Nov. 12, the Phoenix track said in a tweet Thursday morning. The extension avoids a shutdown of the track's 37 Off Track Betting sites. A new live horse racing meet is scheduled to start in early January. The news comes after Turf Paradise reported Sept. 19 that the owner of the track, Jerry Sims, would be retiring and that no more live racing or simulcasting would take place after Oct. 1. Additional...
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 Hanshin and Nakayama Racecourses. The latter venue plays host to the first Group 1 event of the fall season, Sunday's Sprinters' S., which features the lightning-quick US-bred Jasper Krone (Frosted): Saturday, September 30, 2023 4th-HSN, ¥13,720,000 ($92k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1400mT...
Old Friends Farm will hold its Fall Fundraiser on Monday, Oct. 16, the Thoroughbred retirement home said in a release Thursday morning. Before the fundraiser, at 11:30 a.m. (ET) the farm will pay tribute to MGSW Timely Writer, who lost his life in a breakdown at Belmont Park in 1982. Due to construction of a new synthetic track in Elmont, his grave has been exhumed and his remains will now be reinterred at the Nikki Bacharach Memorial Cemetery at Old Friends. There is no cost to attend the service. Gates...