Horse Racing

Some six weeks have passed since Liberty Island (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}) came storming down the centre of the Hanshin turf course from near last to take the G1 Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas) and the daughter of rags-to-riches Australian standout Yankee Rose (Aus) (All American {Aus}) figures a long odds-on selection to add Sunday's G1 Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) to her increasingly imposing resume. The Oaks has proved a favourites' race over the last decade or so. Were she to prove successful in her first go over the metric mile...

18.45, Sandown, Listed, £50,000, 3yo, 8fT SLIPOFTHEPEN (GB) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) takes in the Listed Heron S. which the John and Thady Gosden stable have employed for their G1 St James's Palace S. contenders in recent times. Successful in the former Easter S. at Kempton last month, The King and Queen's relative of the Oaks runner-up Flight Of Fancy (GB) (Sadler's Wells) looks likely to extend his unbeaten record and book his Royal Ascot ticket with just three relatively exposed rivals in opposition.

10th-Tokyo, Seiryu S. (Allowance), ¥34,530,000 ($253,726), 5-14, 3yo, 1600m, 1:35.8, gd. YUTTITHAM (JPN) (c, 3, Justify--Zipessa {GISW, $783,550}, by City Zip), dropped his career debut to future SW Perriere (Jpn) (Henny Hughes) last August and was a warm item in his 3-year-old debut off victories in his final two starts of 2022 last December. The 9-10 favorite was forwardly placed after an uneventful beginning and sat a handy fourth into the turn. Traveling very nicely in the hands of Yuga Kawada, the athletic chestnut was pulled out into the long...

The late Daylami (Ire) (Doyoun {Ire}) carried the Godolphin blue to victory in the GI Man o' War S. at Belmont Park fully 25 years ago and it didn't take long for the Dubai-based operation to strike again, as the outstanding Fantastic Light (Rahy) followed suit just two years later.Both stars would go on to prove victorious in the GI Breeders' Cup Turf in 1999 and 2001, respectively. No one will confuse Warren Point (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) with either of those luminaries, but the homebred bay should jump favored to...

Cynane (Omaha Beach), who became the first winner for her freshman sire (by War Front) with a front-running, 2 3/4-length debut victory in a five-furlong turf sprint at Belmont Park May 11, will likely make her next appearance in the G2 Queen Mary S. for 2-year-old fillies during the prestigious Royal Ascot meeting, trainer Tom Morley said Friday. "That's the plan at the moment," said Morley. "She came out of the race really well and she's got a great mind and really good appetite--she was screaming for her feed tub...

Lisa Lazarus, the CEO of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA), has written an open letter to industry participants, addressing the measures HISA plans to implement in the wake of a spate of fatalities during the first week of the Churchill Downs meet leading up to and including Kentucky Derby day. The statement, in its entirety, reads: Fellow racing participants, I wanted to take a minute of your time to share an update on HISA's role related to the events of last week along with a perspective on what's...

Lucky Seven Stable's 'TDN Rising Star' Smile Happy (Runhappy), impressive winner of the GII Alysheba S. on the GI Kentucky Oaks undercard at Churchill Downs May 5, will make his next start in the $1-million GI Stephen Foster S. July 1, trainer Ken McPeek told the track's media office Friday. Eighth in last year's GI Kentucky Derby, the $185,000 Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearling Showcase graduate returned from a 10-month absence with an impressive allowance victory at Oaklawn Park Mar. 16 and was a good third in the GIII Oaklawn Mile Apr....

Sodashi (Jpn) (Kurofune), the world's most recognisable not to mention most talented registered white horse, has drawn the widest barrier in a field of 18 while making her 5-year-old reappearance in defence of her title in Sunday's G1 Victoria Mile at Tokyo, a 'Win and You're In' qualifier for this year's GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf at Santa Anita Park in California. A two-length winner of this event last season, Sodashi was only fifth as the favourite in last August's G2 Sapporo Kinen (2000m) behind Jack d'Or (Jpn)...

Wide-margin winners trended on a rain-softened opening to Chester's May Festival and, with testing conditions set for day two at the Roodeye, it will be as you were turning to Thursday's Listed Boodles Dee S., another G1 Derby trial, and the Tote-sponsored G3 Ormonde S. for the older stayers. Godolphin's 'TDN Rising Star' Local Dynasty (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) will relish the muddy track, according to Charlie Appleby, and returns off a soft-ground breakthrough score in October's Listed Silver Tankard at Pontefract when last seen. "He has done well over the...

Officials at Churchill Downs reported that all-sources wagering on Saturday's Kentucky Derby program was $288.7 million, easily surpassing the previous record of $273.8 million set just last year. All-sources wagering on the Kentucky Derby alone was $188.7 million, bettering the previous mark of $179 million, also achieved last year. All-sources handle for the entire week leading up to Saturday's Run for the Roses was $412 million, beating last year's record $391.8 million. This year's Derby featured a field of 18 and was attended by an announced crowd of 150,335. It...

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 Kyoto Racecourse: 6th-KYO, ¥14,880,000 ($110k), Allowance, 3yo, 1400m ANGE FIELD (JPN) (f, 3, Justify--Not Now Carolyn, by Tapit), purchased for ¥80 million ($745,639) as a foal at the 2020 JHRA Select Sale, got her career off on a positive note...

7th-Churchill Downs, $115,095, Msw, 5-2, 3yo/up, f/m, 6f, 1:09.85, ft, 2 1/4 lengths. SWEET AZTECA (f, 3, Sharp Azteca--So Sweetitiz {MSW, $180,480}, by Grand Slam) trained forwardly ahead of this debut, both at the Trackside training center and over the local strip, and was bet down from 8-1 to be off at just over 9-2 on debut. Hustled along to dispute the early pace through a quarter-mile in :20.82, the homebred grey maintained a narrow advantage as they raced around the turn. Bracing for an outside challenge from fellow firster...