Today's Edition:  Record-Setting $1.4M Justify Filly Leads The Way at OBS · Baeza Set for Summer Showdown · Royal Ascot Coverage 2

Horse Racing

Golden Pal Acquired By Coolmore, To Target Nunthorpe

Golden Pal (Uncle Mo), front-running winner of the 2020 GII Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint for his breeder Randall Lowe, has been purchased by Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith and Westerberg, a Coolmore official confirmed Wednesday. The first foal out of Lowe's outstanding 11-time stakes winner Lady Shipman (Midshipman), Golden Pal was bought back on a bid of $325,000 at the 2019 Keeneland September sale and was runner-up on debut over the Gulfstream main track last April before missing by a neck to The Lir Jet (Ire) (Prince...

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Gun Runner Gets First Japanese, Turf Winner

5th-Sapporo, ¥13,400,000 ($121,612), Newcomers, 2yo, 1200mT, 1:09.5, gd. GRAN APLAUSO (c, 2, Gun Runner--Fiducia {SW & GSP-Jpn, $1,425,976}, by Medaglia d'Oro) became the fourth winner for his freshman sire (by Candy Ride {Arg}) and his first on the turf with a smooth success on career debut. Drawn widest in a field of 16, the homebred raced deep on the course, but tugged his way up into second entering the turn. Poised to strike at the quarter pole, he was roused to the front outside the 200-meter mark and kept on...

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Noble Bird Off The Mark at Gulfstream

Ocala Stud's first-year sire Noble Bird (Birdstone) was represented by his initial winner when Noble Dreamer validated 4-5 favoritism in Friday's third race at Gulfstream Park. A beaten chalk when runner-up facing open company on career debut May 28, the bay was dropping into Florida-bred competition Friday and was sent straight into the lead by Edgard Zayas. Galloping along easily as they neared the stretch, Noble Dreamer was shaken up leaving the three-sixteenths and was kept busy late, graduating by 7 1/4 lengths. Noble Bird carried the colors of John...

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Dr. Schivel Returns a Winner at Santa Anita

4th-Santa Anita, $65,000, Alw (NW2$X), Opt. Clm ($62,500), 6-18, 3yo/up, 6f, 1:09.46, ft, neck. DR. SCHIVEL (c, 3, Violence--Lil Nugget, by Mining for Money), winner of the GI Runhappy Del Mar Futurity when last seen at the races last September, made a promising return to action Friday afternoon, taking a six-furlong Santa Anita allowance in good style. Off at odds of 6-5 after touching 4-5 in the latter stages of the wagering, the bay colt was away from the one hole without incident and was settled in third position by...

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Bird Song Represented By First Winner at Churchill

Marylou Whitney Stables' homebred Pretty Birdie (Bird Song) became the first winner for her expatriated sire (by Unbridled's Song) with a good-looking box-to-wire tally on Churchill debut Friday afternoon. Taking good pari-mutuel action as a 43-10 chance, the gray filly hit the ground running and clicked off an opening couple of furlongs in :22.16. Traveling well within the grasp of Joe Talamo for the run around the turn, Pretty Birdie was ridden hands and heels into the final eighth of a mile and was kept to her task to score...

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Saturday Insights: Expensive OBS March Grads Square Off

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 2nd-SA, $61K, Msw, 2yo, f, 5f, post time: 4:35 p.m. ET A pair of stablemates acquired about three hours apart at this year's OBS March Sale face off Saturday at Santa Anita. EDA (Munnings), bred by one of the sire's most fervent supporters Nate McCauley, was knocked down for $240K as a Keeneland September yearling last fall and was snapped up by Susan and Charles Chu's Baoma Corp. for $550K in Ocala after breezing an eighth of a mile in :10 flat. The Apr. 5...

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Notable US-Bred Runners in Japan: June 19 & 20, 2021

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 Sapporo Racecourses, including the first Japanese runner for Horse of the Year Gun Runner: Saturday, June 19, 2021 11th-HSN, Yonago S.-Listed, ¥47.6m ($432k), 3yo/up, 1600mT The progressive LOTUS LAND (f, 4, Point of Entry--Little Miss Muffet, by Scat...

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10 Things to Know About The World Pool at Royal Ascot

Edited Press Release In advance of the five-day Royal Ascot meeting kicking off on Tuesday, below are 10 things to know about the World Pool, which will be utilised for the third year at the historic event. World Pool was created by Hong Kong Jockey Club and brings together racing fans from over 20 nations so everyone is effectively betting into one pool creating huge liquidity. It's like the EuroMillions version of the lottery. World Pool in the UK is operated by the Tote. You can bet with the Tote...

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Curlin Colt Turns In 'Jazzy' Effort at Belmont

2nd-Belmont, $90,000, Msw, 6-12, 3yo/up, 1m, 1:36.94, ft, 2 1/4 lengths. MILES D (c, 3, Curlin--Sound the Trumpets, by Bernardini) made a single visit to the races last season, a well-bet and close-up fourth at Aqueduct Oct. 11, in an event that has turned out to be no ordinary maiden. Next-out 'TDN Rising Star' and Smarty Jones S. winner Caddo River (Hard Spun) was runner-up to Godophin's Speaker's Corner (Street Sense) and a half-length better than Greatest Honour (Tapit), who would go on to annex the GIII Holy Bull S....

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Lone Star Overnight Purses Increasing
Lone Star Overnight Purses Increasing

Officials at Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie have announced that all overnight purses will be raised across the board by 20%, beginning with Friday's live racing program. Purses that ranged from $12,000 for bottom-level claimers to $39,000 for open allowance races will now carry prize money between $14,400 and $46,800. The Thoroughbred meeting at Lone Star Park continues through Sunday, July 11.

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Notable US-Bred & -Sired Runners in Japan: June 12 & 13, 2021

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 Chukyo and Tokyo Racecourses, including the first career start for an immaculately bred son of Tapit who goes out for one of that sire's biggest Japanese-based supporters: Saturday, June 12, 2021 1st-CKO, ¥9,680,000 ($88k), Maiden, 3yo, 1800m DANON PULSE (JPN)...

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Japan's Loves Only You Programmed For Breeders' Cup Run

Loves Only You (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) will pass the upcoming G1 Takarazuka Kinen and will instead be trained towards an appearance at the Breeders' Cup meeting at Del Mar in November, according to a report in the Sankei Sports (SANSPO) daily sports newspaper. A ¥160 million ($1,404,800) purchase as a yearling at the 2017 JRHA Select Sales, the 2019 G1 Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) winner has been ambitiously campaigned this season, with a popular victory at home in the G2 Kyoto Kinen (2200mT) in February ahead of a game...

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