Horse Racing
ELMONT, NY - Five years ago, Justify became the 13th winner of the Triple Crown with a gate-to-wire victory in the GI Belmont S. The Ashford Stud-based stallion, quite fittingly, celebrated his first Grade I winner as a sire on the Belmont undercard courtesy of 'TDN Rising Star' Arabian Lion (Justify)'s good-looking 1 3/4-length victory as the 2-1 favorite over Drew's Gold (Violence) in Saturday's GI Woody Stephens S. Gilmore (Twirling Candy) was third. The win marked a triumphant return to the Big Apple for Hall of Famer Bob Baffert,...
ELMONT, NY - Stonestreet homebred Clairiere (Curlin) successfully defended her title with a late surge to nail Search Results (Flatter) in dramatic fashion by a half-length in Saturday's GI Ogden Phipps S. at Belmont Park. Played Hard (Into Mischief) finished third. Clairiere joins Take D' Tour (2006-07), Sightseek (2003-04) and Heatherten (1984-85) as back-to-back winners of the prestigious 'Win and You're In' event for the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff. "I'm unbelievably proud of her," said winning trainer Steve Asmussen after registering his fourth Phipps victory in five years. "What a...
ELMONT, NY - Juddmonte's streaking champion sprinter Elite Power (Curlin) kicked off the graded stakes portion of Saturday's absolutely stacked GI Belmont S. program with a sensational performance in the GII True North S. Off as the 3-4 favorite, last year's GI Breeders' Cup Sprint hero looked to be at a major disadvantage from the go in the 6 1/2-furlong affair, chasing in an outside fourth as the field of six crawled through fractions of :23.25 and :46.12. The blaze-faced chestnut, nonetheless, ranged up while three wide approaching the quarter...
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 Hakodate Racecourses: Saturday, June 10, 2023 12th-HSN, ¥15,200,000 ($109k), Allowance, 3yo/up, 1800m AWESOME RESULT (f, 3, Justify--Blossomed, by Deputy Minister) opened her account with a 2 1/2-length victory over this course and distance last November (see below, SC...
The Jockey Club's Online Fact Book includes two new pages to its breeding section with the addition of the Number of Unique Sires by Position in the Pedigree Top Line and Percent of Mares Bred Categorized by Stallion Book Size, the organization said in a release Thursday. The first table reflects the number of unique sires by position within the top line of the pedigree and enables users to drill down by year and generation. Those links provide stallion names and the number of registered Thoroughbreds for that generation's sires...
While the likes of Derma Sotogake (Jpn) (Mind Your Biscuits), Continuar (Jpn) (Drefong) and Mandarin Hero (Jpn) (Shanghai Bobby) were off representing Japan in age-restricted races from Saudi Arabia to Dubai to the U.S. this winter and spring, Mick Fire (Jpn) (Sinister Minister) remained at home, where the bay colt was being patiently brought along towards his 3-year-old debut. Mick Fire, acquired for ¥5.5 million at the 2021 Hokkaido Summer Yearling Sale, had earned back his purchase price in easily running the table in three appearances as a juvenile and...
17.30 Leopardstown, Mdn, €16,000, 2yo, f, 7f 27yT BUTTONS (IRE) (Kingman {GB}) is the pick of Ryan Moore of the Ballydoyle trio in this always-intriguing maiden, won by the stable's September (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) and Bracelet (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) in recent times and in which Love (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) was fourth behind Cayenne Pepper (Ire) (Australia {GB}) in an above-average race in 2019. Out of the Listed Cheshire Oaks winner and Oaks runner-up Wonder Of Wonders (Kingmambo) and descended from Urban Sea (Miswaki), the half-sister to the G1...
Jockey Tom Marquand has renewed his sponsorship contract with the Bahrain Turf Club for a further year, the organisation announced Wednesday. Ed Veale, Director of Racing and International Relations at the Bahrain Turf Club, said: "Tom's profile makes him a perfect fit for the Bahrain Turf Club, particularly on account of his growing international reputation. He is an excellent role model for the sport and someone that young people look up to and admire. Marquand added: "I am delighted and grateful to extend my sponsorship with Bahrain. After finishing joint...
New Energy (Ire) (New Bay {GB}), the 40-1 runner-up behind Native Trail (Ire) (Oasis Dream {GB}) in the 2022 G1 Irish 2000 Guineas, will be gelded and will ultimately continue his career under the care of Ciaron Maher and David Eustace in Australia after being acquired by Jamie Lovett's Australian Bloodstock following a lengthy courtship. Trained in England by Sheila Lavery for her brother John, the £65,000 Tattersalls Goresbridge breezer won his maiden at first asking in June 2021, his lone victory to date, but he has run with credit...
A deluge of some 270 ml of rain--that's better than 10 inches for those of us less acquainted with the metric system--fell over the Tokyo Racecourse Friday and into early Saturday, leaving the turf course officially soft for the first of the two days of weekend racing. Sunday dawned with perfect weather and by the time the field entered the gates for the G1 Yasuda Kinen, the course had been upgraded to good-to-firm, and that played right into the hands of Sunday Racing's Songline (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}), who came storming...
Dr. Schivel (Violence) breezed three-quarters of a mile in 1:13 flat at Santa Anita Saturday morning after which connections confirmed that the 5-year-old will make his next start in the GI Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan H. at Belmont Park next Saturday. The multiple Grade I winner, third in the 2022 G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen, returned from a near 14-month absence with a sharp allowance victory in Arcadia May 13. He was also under consideration for next Saturday's GII True North S. in New York. "We think both races are very...
C R K Stable's Skinner (Curlin) will be scratched from Sunday's $100,000 Affirmed S. at Santa Anita, trainer John Shirreffs told the Santa Anita notes team Saturday. The decision was made following a Saturday morning gallop over the Santa Anita main track. "I just wasn't happy with the way he jogged," the conditioner said. Skinner, a $40,000 Keeneland September yearling turned $510,000 OBS April juvenile, broke his maiden in his 3-year-old debut in February and finished third to Practical Move (Practical Joke) in both the GII San Felipe S. and...