Horse Racing
The Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby, which awards the horse that accumulates the most points an automatic berth in the gate for the 'Run for the Roses' Sept. 5, has been extended to include two additional races, officials at Churchill Downs announced Friday. The G3 Unicorn S. (1600m) at Tokyo Racecourse Sunday, June 21, has been added to the series, as has the July 8 Japan Dirt Derby, a 10-furlong listed test at Ohi Racecourse. Both races will offer points on a scale of 40-16-8-4 for the top four...
Sunday's Standard Chartered Champions and Chater Cup (2400m) at Sha Tin Racecourse is the last of 12 Group 1 events on the annual racing calendar in Hong Kong, one that has been significantly impacted first by social unrest in the region and more recently--and currently--by the COVID-19 pandemic. In many ways, Exultant (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) is emblematic of racing in the Special Administrative Region--a racehorse possessed of an iron constitution, showing up with his 'A' game time and again. One that can deliver his best even when the deck is...
A few weeks ago, the GIII Matt Winn S. was added as a points race on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, reconstituted when Churchill Downs relocated the 2020 'Run for the Roses' to Sept. 5. The race took on added importance earlier this week, when officials at Belmont Park announced that its marquee race, the GI Belmont S., would be the first of this year's Triple Crown races and take place June 20. Saturday's first graded stakes of the season beneath the Twin Spires therefore takes on added importance...
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, Niigata and Tokyo Racecourses. The latter venue hosts the G1 Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) Sunday, and while there are no US-bred runners, among the field of 18 are daughters of GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies heroine Ria Antonia (Rockport...
Assiniboia Downs will be the first track in Canada to resume live racing with no spectators Monday night. They will run Monday through Wednesday with first post at 7:30 p.m. The track is offering $20 in free wagers when players launch their accounts. Players can sign up for an account at HPIbet.com or by phoning 204-885-3330 ext. 225. The track, in fact, is guaranteeing a $10,000 pick-4 pool.
Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association President Tim Keefe said it may be "unrealistic" for the local purse account to pay for the $1.5-million Preakness and the several stakes that are held in support of the Preakness. In a statement issued Tuesday, Keefe said he has become increasingly concerned about the amount of purse money that is available for racing at Pimlico and Laurel. There has been no racing in Maryland since Mar. 15, but the bigger problem is that the state's casinos also shut down on that date. According to Keefe,...
Both branches of the Minnesota Legislature have now passed a bill that aims to help Canterbury Park and Running Aces open spectator-free Thoroughbred and harness meets. The chief change in the statute, if signed by the governor, will allow the two tracks to operate card clubs even if they race fewer than the required 50 dates per year in 2020 and 2021 if the racing commission deems there are "circumstances beyond the licensee's control," like the current COVID-19 pandemic. The legislation, which passed the House of Representatives 97-34 on Friday...
Bloom Racing Stable LLC, Madaket Stables and Allen Racing LLC's Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute), last seen finishing a bang-up second in the inaugural $20-million Saudi Cup in Riyadh Feb. 29, is tentatively scheduled to resume the American portion of her career in the GII Fleur de Lis S. at Churchill Downs June 27. The 5-year-old mare worked five furlongs in a leisurely 1:02.80 at Keeneland Friday, May 15, before vanning to Churchill Downs over the weekend. "All of her breezes up until the other day were designed to get some...
Canada's version of the Eclipse Awards, the Sovereign Awards is set to be held during a virtual ceremony Tuesday evening at 8 p.m. Eastern time. The ceremony will be streamed live at www.woodbine.com and HPItv Canada. A digital program will be available for download at the Jockey Club of Canada website. The Sovereign Awards, which recognize the nation's best across 12 equine and five human categories, was originally slated for Apr. 16, but officials were forced to postpone the program due to the coronavirus pandemic. Media Sovereign Awards in the...
The Runhappy bonus program, which will reward owners of 2-year-olds by Claiborne Farm freshman sire Runhappy (Super Saver) $100,000 for winning an unrestricted maiden race at Saratoga first time out, has been extended to the corresponding races at the Belmont meeting, set to kick off the week of June 1. The bonus will be paid by owner Jim McIngvale, who campaigned Runhappy to victories in the GI King's Bishop S. and GI Breeders' Cup Sprint en route to being named champion sprinter of 2015. "We're really excited about the New...
Trainer John Mazza, a regular at Monmouth Park since the track opened in 1956 and one of the most beloved members of the New Jersey racing fraternity, passed away Friday. He was 82. According to his companion, Rosemary Shockley, Mazza died from complications related to congestive heart failure. He passed away at Aventura Hospital in Aventura, Florida. Mazza was a throwback, a product of a time when racing was more a sport than a business and trainers like Mazza considered everyone on the backstretch family. He didn't have a bad...
Despite a proclamation issued Thursday by Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds allowing the state's horse and dog tracks to re-open to spectator-free racing, officials at Prairie Meadows in Altoona have elected to remain closed, declaring that it is still unsafe to conduct live racing. "At Prairie Meadows, we care deeply about the health and well-being of our family of employees, our guests, the horsemen, and our community," said Prairie Meadows President & CEO Gary Palmer. "This is a position in which we have been steadfast since deciding to close our full...