Horse Racing

After a rousing Saturday lineup, the stakes weekend isn't complete yet, as Saratoga, Woodbine and Del Mar present graded offerings. The marquee match on Sunday is the GII Shuvee S. at Saratoga, which honors the 1970 and 1971 champion older female by Nashua who was the second filly to win the Triple Tiara. The Virginia bred is also the only filly to ever defeat colts in the Jockey Club Gold Cup. And she did that twice. Though only four are entered here, the race includes the defending champion from last...

2nd-Del Mar, $84,500, Msw, 7-21, 3yo/up, 6 1/2f, 1:15.18, ft, 5 1/4 lengths. DR. VENKMAN (g, 3, Ghostzapper--Theory of Change, by Archarcharch), one of two first-starters in the field, took a fair bit of action at 4-1 with apprentice Armando Aguilar claiming a five-pound weight allowance. Off to a bit of a hesitant beginning, the $105,000 KEESEP yearling quickly made up for lost time and was right in behind the leading trio approaching the turn. Traveling strongly on the bend, he was produced four wide into the lane and pulled...

It's a tall task to beat Chad Brown at Saratoga, especially when he has half the field. SURGE CAPACITY (f, 3, Flintshire {GB}--Strong Incentive, by Warrior's Reward)--one of four entrants from the Brown barn in the GIII Lake George S.--was the least experienced of the field but carried the day, taking Friday's featured race at the Spa after scraping the paint and finishing bravely for the win. A first-out Monmouth maiden winner June 10 at a sixteenth further with an 80 debut Beyer Speed Figure, Surge Capacity gave Brown a...

1st-SAR, $136k, Msw, 2yo, 1 1/16mT, post time: 1:10 p.m. ET His full-brother Mage is about three hours south at Monmouth Park to contest Saturday's GI TVG.com Haskell S., but DORNOCH (Good Magic) could still represent the family should the Saratoga opener be transferred to the main track. Whereas Mage cost $235,000 at Keeneland September in 2021 (before fetching $290,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Sale last year), Dornoch was a $325,000 acquisition in Lexington. The pair's dam SW & GSP Puca (Big Brown), a 'TDN Rising Star' and also responsible...

Todd Pletcher stablemates Charge It (Tapit) and Far Bridge (English Channel), each victorious in stakes company on the July 8 program at Belmont Park, returned to the worktab for the first time since those efforts. Whisper Hill Farm's 'TDN Rising Star' Charge It, who returned to winning ways with a dominating victory in the GII Suburban S. at a mile and quarter, went a half-mile in :49 flat over the Saratoga main track and is on track for a start in the GI Whitney S. Aug. 5. "He worked really...

Trainer Jim Chapman and Stuart Tsujimoto's Drew's Gold (Violence), who suffered the first defeat of his career when a game runner-up to Arabian Lion (Justify) in the GI Woody Stephens S. at Belmont Park June 10, breezed a half-mile in :47.88 over the Saratoga main track Thursday morning and is expected to make his next appearance in the GII Amsterdam S. July 29. "He worked really good. He's never really been a good workhorse alone but as he's gotten older, he's more into it," Chapman said. "I told [jockey] Jose...

In this continuing series, Alan Carasso takes 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 Chukyo and Fukushima Racecourses: Saturday, July 22, 2023 12th-CKO, ¥15,200,000 ($108k), Allowance, 3yo/up, 1800m AIR METEORA (c, 3, Goldencents--Nokaze, by Empire Maker) was just touched off by future Group 2 winner and G1 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) fourth Bellagio...

Jockey Flavien Prat will sit out next Wednesday through Friday at Saratoga Race Course after opting not to appeal a three-day "careless riding" suspension incurred there in race eight on July 14. Prat was aboard 9-year-old Happy Farm (Ghostzapper) in a $50,000 claiming sprint. He got forced out soon after the six-furlong start, but settled in the seven path. Prat guided the gelding closer to the rail entering the turn, then cut from the three path down to the fence in front of Thinkaboutit (Uncaptured), who took up sharply while...

Some of the most highly anticipated races during the summer racing season are the 'baby' races during the boutique meetings at both Saratoga and Del Mar and at Ellis Park, which attract its fair share of high-priced offspring from a variety of top national outfits.    Summer Breezes highlights debuting 2-year-olds at those meetings that have been sourced at the breeze-up sales earlier in the year, with links to their under-tack previews. To follow are the horses entered for Friday at Saratoga and Ellis: Friday, July 21, 2023 Saratoga 1,...

Prevagen is now the official brain health partner of the Breeders' Cup World Championships and title partner of the Prevagen GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, Breeders' Cup Limited said in a release Thursday. "We are delighted to welcome Prevagen, one of America's most dynamic brain health support providers, as an official partner of this year's World Championships," said Heather Higgins, Senior Vice President of Corporate Partnerships for Breeders' Cup Limited. "Prevagen's commitment to the name-in-title partnership of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, and their support of our historic 40th running...

Oaklawn Park is pumping nearly $1 million more into the purses for its 3-year-old races, the track said in a release Wednesday. Oaklawn increased the purses of the four races pointing toward the GI Kentucky Derby a total of $600,000, with the GI Arkansas Derby bumped to $1,500,000 from $1,250,000; the GII Rebel S. going to $1,250,000 from $1,000,000; and the GIII Southwest S. and Smarty Jones increasing to $800,000 and $300,000, respectively. The purses for the three races for 3-year-old fillies with GI Kentucky Oaks aspirations were also increased,...

Some of the most highly anticipated races during the summer racing season are the 'baby' races during the boutique meetings at both Saratoga and Del Mar and at Ellis Park, which attract its fair share of high-priced offspring from a variety of top national outfits. Summer Breezes highlights debuting 2-year-olds at those meetings that have been sourced at the breeze-up sales earlier in the year, with links to their under-tack previews. To follow are the horses entered for Saratoga Wednesday: Wednesday, July 19, 2023 Saratoga 6, $83k, 2yo, f, (R),...