Horse Racing

Trainer Michelle Lovell, who sent out 'TDN Rising Star' Damon's Mound (Girvin) to win Saturday's GII Saratoga Special S., said Sunday that she was not ruling out either the seven-furlong GI Hopeful S. Sept. 5 or the Oct. 5 GI Champagne S. at the Belmont at the Big A meet going a one-turn mile, but is more inclined to get the colt some two-turn route experience for his next appearance. "Everything's on our radar," said Lovell. "We'll see how he is. He's never had a bad day, so I don't...

The Week In Review, by T.D. Thornton Does Kentucky need to do something to stop the outflux of horses leaving the state after being claimed? And will any attempt at corrective action by rewriting regulations result in unintended consequences that could create their own problems? Those questions were up for debate last week when the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC)'s rule committee met to kick around ideas that could surface in a near-future proposal. Commissioner Frank Jones, Jr., the rules committee chair, said that last year 779 Thoroughbreds were claimed...

Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman and trainer Bob Baffert unveiled a potentially important juvenile in Saturday's seventh race from Del Mar, as Cave Rock (c, 2, Arrogate--Georgie's Angel, by Bellamy Road) took the race by the scruff of the neck not long after the start and scampered clear to become the afternoon's second 'TDN Rising Star'. Heavily backed as the 6-5 chalk in a strong-looking group on paper, the dark bay shot through to take up the running as the field linked up with the track proper and...

There was no Million Lane 5, no foreign contingent--Aidan O'Brien accounted for the only two overseas nominations--and only a fraction of the fans that would have passed through the turnstiles at the now-shuttered Arlington Park a handful of hours to the north. That Saturday's GI Arlington Million took place at all is something of a 'miracle', as Churchill Downs had not hosted a race on the turf since early June. The GII Secretariat S. and GIII Pucker Up S. for 3-year-old males and females, respectively, were canceled so as not...

No secret on the board as the betting public poured into him to the tune of $1.65-1 favoritism, I'm Very Busy (c, 2, Cloud Computing--Two Kisses, by Kissin Kris) was given the most confident of confident steers by Flavien Prat and finished like a freight train to garner the 'TDN Rising Star' badge on career debut in the Saturday opener from Saratoga. Taken hold of soon after the start, the $50,000 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Yearling turned $135,000 OBS March breezer (:10 2/5) lagged back with just two rivals behind him for...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 7th-DMR, $80K, Msw, 2yo, 6 1/2f, post time: 8:04 p.m ET ULTIMATE GAMBLE (Medaglia d'Oro) cost reseller Nick de Meric $325K at last year's KEESEP sale and the colt hit it out of the park for the consignor at this year's OBS April Sale, hammering for $1.75 million after breezing an eighth of a mile in a very smooth :10 1/5. The March foal is the latest produce to the races from his dam Eltimaas (Ghostzapper), whose son Drefong (Gio Ponti) was this country's Eclipse...

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 Sunday running at Niigata and Sapporo Racecourses: Sunday, August 14, 2022 5th-NII, ¥13,400,000 ($100k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1800mT TRIPLE LOOP (f, 2, Justify--Morena {Per}, by Privately Held) is the latest to make the races from her dam, three times a champion in her native...

6.15 Newmarket, Mdn, £8,000, 2yo, 8fT CASTLE WAY (GB) (Almanzor {Fr}) makes his debut for Godolphin and Charlie Appleby and is a 425,000gns Book 1 graduate and half-brother to the high-class multiple group 1-winning Palace Pier (GB) (Kingman {GB}). The stable's Lenormand (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) is the mount of William Buick, but the 600,000gns Tattersalls December Foals graduate has to progress from his initial outing when sixth at Newbury last month.

Shadwell's Baaeed (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) remains the world's top-rated racehorse according to the most recent edition of the Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings which were published Thursday. The homebred colt, trained by William Haggas, has built on a perfect six-race 3-year-old campaign with a trio of additional victories on the trot this term, including the G1 Lockinge S. at Newbury in May, the G1 Queen Anne S. at Royal Ascot in June and a facile defeat of Modern Games (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the G1 Qatar Sussex S....

e Five Racing Thoroughbreds' Pink Hue (f, 2, Mendelssohn--Involved, by Speightstown) was a bit short of running room when push was about to come to shove in Sunday's sixth race going two turns over the Saratoga turf course, but once the daylight came, the $310,000 Keeneland September graduate went through her gears and ran up the score to defeat the well-meant Xigera (Nyquist) by 2 3/4 resounding lengths. Guided down onto the fence after brushing with a rival at the break, Pink Hue got a foothold at the fence from...

5th-Saratoga, $105,000, Msw, 8-7, 2yo, f, 7f, 1:25.36, ft, neck. RAGING SEA (f, 2, Curlin--Stormy Welcome, by Storm Cat), allowed to drift from a 5-1 morning line to jump at a dime short of 7-1, locked horns with favored Peace Cruiser (Violence) entering the final furlong of a seven-furlong maiden and fought on to prevail by a neck at first asking Sunday afternoon. The field was away in good order and the well-bred chestnut raced between rivals in the second flight of horses as Tribal Queen (Bolt d'Oro) cut out...

1st-Saratoga, $105,000, Msw, 8-7, 2yo, 5 1/2fT, 1:02.50, fm, 2 lengths. GILCREASE (c, 2, More Than Ready--Indian Brava {SP}, by Bernardini) was let go at longshot odds, owing in large part to an overbet favorite in the form of 3-4 Talkin Pharoah (American Pharoah), and got the Sunday program at Saratoga off to a $54 upset for a barn that can strike with this kind. Showing good speed for this career debut, the dark bay chased from third as Talkin Pharoah argued the pace inside of his stable companion, the...