In an exhibition of pure sprinting prowess, Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid al Maktoum's Battaash (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) brought all his power to bear on his rivals on Friday to register back-to-back successes in Goodwood's G2 King George Qatar S. Despite the contrasting ground conditions to the easy turf he encountered 12 months ago and the obvious questions posed by defeat in the June 19 G1 King's Stand S. at Royal Ascot, the bay attracted heavy support as the 8-11 favourite and was in front before he had raced two...
The 17th edition of the Claiming Crown, held Saturday at Gulfstream Park, generated total handle of $10,118,000--up 0.57% from 2014 despite rainy conditions which caused four races to be taken off the turf. Gulfstream was hosting the event for the fourth year. "We're extremely pleased with the success of Saturday's Claiming Crown," said P.J. Campo, General Manager of Gulfstream Park and Vice President of Racing for The Stronach Group. "We had big fields and tremendous participation from horsemen throughout North America. We're confident the numbers would have been even more...
Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman's Weekend Princess (Vekoma), a $235,000 Keeneland November weanling turned $625,000 Keeneland September yearling, argued a good pace inside of firming favorite Confidentiality (Complexity) and found more in the final furlong and a half to graduate by a space en route to being named a 'TDN Rising Star' presented by Hagyard. The even-money choice, drawn widest of a field reduced to six by a couple of scratches, pinged the stalls and led them through the opening exchanges, but Florent Geroux was urging Weekend Princess...
Repole Stable and Spendthrift Farm's Make My Day (Gun Runner), a distant third to 'TDN Rising Star' presented by Hagyard and GII Louisiana Derby hopeful Emerging Market (Candy Ride {Arg}) trying a distance of ground on Tampa debut Feb. 7, took control of a Friday afternoon maiden at Gulfstream Park right from the start and proved not for catching. Off as the 5-2 third betting choice, the $1.1-million Keeneland September acquisition broke a bit inward from the rail draw, but nevertheless made an easy lead entering the first turn. Laying...
The only Triple Crown nominee in a scratched-down field of four, Klaravich Stables' Growth Equity (Nyquist) was second by a length when well-backed on Saratoga debut July 19 and most recently returned to round out the exacta in a local seven-furlong heat that also featured next-out maiden winners Unsearchable (Not This Time) and the highly impressive Ezum (Essential Quality). Pounded at the tills to the tune of a dime on the dollar, the $425,000 Keeneland September purchase was content to track the pace outside of longshot Swiss Army Knife (Practical...
Code Review (Uncle Mo) was the subject of much pre-race chatter and lived up to the hype on Gulfstream debut Jan. 25, making all the running en route to a 1 1/2-length victory and 'TDN Rising Star' presented by Hagyard plaudits. The bay was given an entry for Saturday's Virginia Derby, but connections opted to ship in for this considerably softer spot, for which he was made the 1-5 mortal. Code Review hopped slightly as the gates flew back, but he quickly stepped away to a clear lead before Tyler...
Frank Fletcher went to $1.85-million to secure an Into Mischief colt (hip 416) from the consignment of S B M Training and Sales. "He's by one of the leading sires in our generation," said Donato Lanni, who signed the ticket on Fletcher's behalf. "Fast horse. Bill Mott is going to get him and Bill really liked him. And so we got a pretty good endorsement. And Frank loves to run at Oaklawn and [he] looks like a dirt horse." Out of the graded stakes-placed Will Take Charge mare Sweet Diane,...
A colt from the first crop of champion juvenile Corniche (hip 95) quickly established a new high-water mark, selling to Legion Bloodstock for $1.35-million at OBS March Tuesday. Out of Canadian champion 3-year-old filly Leigh Court, the colt worked a quarter mile in :21. Bred in Kentucky by Speedway Stables, LLC, he was consigned by Pick View LLC who purchased him as a yearling at Keeneland September last year for $250,000. Represented by his first crop of juveniles, 2021 champion 2-year-old colt Corniche stands at Ashford Stud. "We bought a...
A colt by Nyquist (hip 88) out of Argentinian champion older mare La Extrana Dama (Arg) was the first horse to cross the seven-figure threshold at the OBS March Sale's opening session Tuesday, bringing a final bid of $1.2-million from a partnership that includes Marquee Bloodstock And Morplay Racing. Consigned by Ciaran Dunne's Wavertree Stables, the Kentucky-bred colt worked his furlong in a sharp :9 4/5. Bred by De La Pomme Kentucky Inc, he was initially purchased as a yearling out of the Keeneland September Sale last year for $170,000...
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 Nakayama Racecourses: Saturday, March 7, 2026 5th-HSN, ¥11,280,000 ($72k), Maiden, 3yo, 1600mT AMERICAN SAKURA (c, 3, Liam's Map--Schon, by Harlan's Holiday) was effectively distanced when debuting over 1800 meters on dirt at Nakayma Dec. 7, but switches to...
Four yearlings by champion Frankel (GB) (Galileo {Ire}--Kind {Ire}, by Danehill) will highlight Book 1 of the Keeneland September sale, marking the first foals from the Juddmonte freshman sire to enter a North American sales ring. The Frankels will surely be some of the most intriguing offerings during the first four sessions of the sale, but the question remains: how much appeal does the unbeaten racehorses’s offerings hold for an American audience? Frankel, a champion at two, three and four years old, was undefeated in 14 career starts with earnings...