Horse Racing

Beginning Thursday morning, Apr. 24 and through Wednesday, Apr. 30, Churchill Downs will be open to the public from 6:45 to 10 a.m. at no cost to take in the morning exercise sessions of horses pointing to the GI Kentucky Derby and GI Kentucky Oaks. Training hours at Churchill Downs take place daily between 5:15 and 10 a.m., but there is an exclusive window reserved for Derby and Oaks participants from 7:15 to 7:30 a.m. following the renovation break that begins around 6:45 a.m. and lasts for approximately 30 minutes....

Three stakes races worth a combined $400,000 will be staged during the Los Angeles County Fair meeting at Los Alamitos Racecourse. Nine days of live racing are scheduled from Friday, June 20 through Sunday, July 6 on a Friday-Sunday schedule. The most valuable of the three stakes is the GII Great Lady M. Stakes, which carries purse money of $200,000. The 6 1/2-furlong test for fillies and mares is set to be run Saturday, July 5. The $100,000 Los Alamitos Derby is scheduled for Saturday, June 28. Trainer Bob Baffert...

Journalism (Curlin), widely regarded as the favorite for the GI Kentucky Derby on May 3, has been made the 8-1 choice for the single-pool Preakness Stakes Future Win Wager according to a release from the new Maryland Jockey Club. Trained by Michael McCarthy, the $825,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling was third over an insufficient six furlongs on career debut last October, but has since rattled off four straight victories at a mile and beyond, most recently overcoming trouble to take the GI Santa Anita Derby Apr. 5. 'TDN Rising Star' Cornucopian...

8th-Keeneland, $130,000, Alw (NW2$X), Opt. Clm ($80,000), 4-19, 4yo/up, 1 1/8m, 1:50.34, ft, 7 lengths. JUST A TOUCH (c, 4, Justify--Touching Beauty {GSW, $183,166}, by Tapit) was runner-up in last year's GIII Gotham Stakes and this track's GI Toyota Blue Grass Stakes and was as short as 11-1 for the GI Kentucky Derby. Very little went right on that occasion, but he bounced back to just miss in the July 6 Iowa Derby before going missing. The bay could not have been more impressive in bossing a first-level Fair Grounds...

Rodeo Creek Racing's GIII Gazelle-winner Ballerina d'Oro worked a half-mile on Saturday over the Belmont Park training track in preparation for the GI Kentucky Oaks, NYRA said in Saturday press release. Trained by Chad Brown, the daughter of Medaglia d'Oro breezed under jockey Dylan Davis and was caught by NYRA clockers covering the distance in 48 seconds flat outside of 'TDN Rising Star' & GISP Hill Road (Quality Road), who the conditioner said is pointing to the GIII Peter Pan Stakes during the Belmont at the Big A meet May...

1/ST TV has curated the workouts by contenders for the 151st Kentucky Derby in one location on their website under the heading "Triple Crown Trail," the platform said via a release on Saturday. With the Kentucky Derby just 14 days out, fans, horsemen and horseplayers alike will have free access to not just the penultimate workouts of those looking for a spot in the starting gate, but previous drills for the contenders as well. The "Triple Crown Trail" portal is part of the thousands of workouts that the 1/ST TV...

Part of a favored Klaravich Stable entry favored at 70 cents on the dollar, Strategic Focus (c, 3, Gun Runner--Curlin's Mistress, by Curlin) turned in a highly polished debut effort, outfinishing a pair of older rivals to become the newest 'TDN Rising Star' for his boom sire. Drawn widest in a field of eight, the $500,000 Keeneland September purchase broke fractionally to his right and was taken in hand by Dylan Davis to race in the second half of the field behind fractions of :23.38 for the opening quarter and...

Under what was described as "perfect conditions" by analyst Kaitlin Free, a busy Saturday morning at Churchill Downs ensued as seven GI Kentucky Derby contenders logged published workouts for the "Run for the Roses" and a pair of GI Kentucky Oaks contenders also drilled for their connections, according to a press release from the track on Saturday morning. The tab included top Derby point getter Burnham Square (Liam's Map), who went a half-mile in :49.40 under pilot Brian Hernandez Jr. Trained by Ian Wilkes, the GI Toyota Blue Grass Stakes...

2nd-Keeneland, $110,000, Msw, 4-19, 3yo, 7f, 1:28.47, ft, 7 1/4 lengths. CRUDO (c, 3, Justify--Blossomed, by Deputy Minister) was looking to atone for a debut fourth at odds-on at Gulfstream Feb. 8 in which he had some trouble at the break but was nevertheless there to win the race in upper stretch before weakening late. Favored this time at 44-100, the $350,000 Keeneland November weanling purchase was fastest of the sextet into stride and quickly opened up on his rivals, requiring just :24.02 to negotiate the first couple of furlongs...

The sun is shining and the birds are singing, which means that spring has sprung and hopefully cold blasts are fixed over yonder. This kind of weather propagates the condition known to many as Derby fever, which technically has no definable cure. So, while you're tinkering with mint julep recipes or heading to the dry cleaners with your seersucker to keep the vapors in check, maybe what you need is to take a look at the weekend's graded stakes slate. The races are chock full of options, so let's not...

10th-GP, $57K, Alw/Opt. Clm., 3yo/up, 7f, 5:54 p.m. ET Last seen finishing a midpack fifth behind Dornoch (Good Magic) in last year's GI Belmont Stakes at Saratoga, Centennial Farms' ANTIQUARIAN (Preservationist) resumes over a sprint trip Saturday at Gulfstream. The $250,000 KEESEP yearling, a maiden winner at second asking at the Fair Grounds, was an even sixth in the GII Louisiana Derby before striking in the GIII Peter Pan Stakes at Aqueduct. Edgard Zayas has the call for this seasonal jumping-off point. TJCIS PPs 4th-AQU, $80K, Msw, 3yo/up, 1m, 2:46...

The New York Racing Association (NYRA) is rolling out a participation incentive program for owner and trainers during the five-day 2025 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga Race Course in early June, the track said in a release on Friday. Owners will be eligible for a starter bonus for horses finishing fourth through last with $1,500 awarded for stakes starters and $1,000 awarded to owners of starters in overnight races. Trainers whose horses start in stakes races that week will receive a $750 bonus, while a $500 bonus will be...