Kentucky Derby
The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) named Authentic (Into Mischief)'s victory in the Sep. 5 GI Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve as the 2020 FanDuel Racing/NTRA Moment of the Year. The result was based on 3,403 votes cast via Twitter and an online poll. The winning moment was held under unusual circumstances, with the race delayed from its traditional first Saturday in May spot and held without fans due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Authentic gave Hall of Famer John Velazquez his 200th career Grade I win and trainer...
Undefeated 'TDN Rising Star' Life Is Good (Into Mischief) was made the 6-1 individual morning line favorite in Pool 2 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager ("KDFW") but the pari-mutuel field of "All Other 3-Year-Olds" is expected to be the overall choice in the three-day wager that begins Friday. While Life Is Good was made the individual favorite in Pool 2 of the KDFW, veteran oddsmaker Mike Battaglia tabbed "All Other 3-Year-Olds as the overall 9-5 morning line favorite in the field of 24 betting interests. The pool will open...
Midnight Bourbon (Tiznow) came out of his wire-to-wire victory in Saturday's GIII Lecomte S. in fine shape, Scott Blasi, assistant to trainer Steve Asmussen, said Sunday. The Winchell Thoroughbreds runner is expected to start next in the Feb. 13 GII Risen Star S. Mandaloun (Into Mischief), the beaten favorite when third in the Lecomte, may get a change of equipment for his next start, according to trainer Brad Cox. "We still think he is a very good horse," Cox said of the Juddmonte Farm homebred. "He raced wide around both...
After Saturday's GIII Lecomte S., one thing's for certain: the offspring of broodmare Catch the Moon have a strong affinity for that main track in New Orleans. Three of the four graded stakes winners the Malibu Moon mare has produced are now a collective 5-for-6 over the Fair Grounds dirt after the one-length wire job by Midnight Bourbon (Tiznow) in the first leg of the track's Road to the GI Kentucky Derby series. Trainer Steve Asmussen's job will now involve trying to build upon that home-track advantage as Midnight Bourbon...
The same week that Juddmonte Farms' owner and founder Khalid Abdullah passed away, the legendary outfit has a chance to take a step toward its long-sought first GI Kentucky Derby win when undefeated 'TDN Rising Star' Mandaloun (Into Mischief) goes postward as a likely favorite in the GIII Lecomte S. Saturday at Fair Grounds. The race kicks off the Louisiana oval's three-race Derby prep schedule, to be followed by the GII Risen Star S. and GII Louisiana Derby. Hammered down to 11-10 favoritism debuting Oct. 24 at Keeneland, the homebred...
Already a winner of the GI Kentucky Derby with 2016 hero Nyquist (Uncle Mo) and I'll Have Another (Flower Alley) in 2012, trainer Doug O'Neill is looking forward to the New Year with Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow), Wipe the Slate (Nyquist) and Team Merchants (Nyquist) among his well-regarded sophomores. Hot Rod Charlie worked five furlongs at Santa Anita Saturday in a bullet :59.40, fastest of 64 drills at the distance. A narrow winner in his fourth career start at Santa Anita on October, Hot Rod Charlie closed to finish second-at...
Life is Good (Into Mischief) exited his 3/4-length victory over late-closing stablemate Medina Spirit (Protonico) in Saturday's GIII Sham S. in fine shape and could make his next start in the Mar. 6 GII San Felipe S., trainer Bob Baffert reported Sunday. "They both came back well, so we're pretty happy about both of them," Baffert said. "The San Felipe is a race we're considering, but I might keep them separated. I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet. It's a long way off, but they both ran really...
Most of the racing world was likely asleep or otherwise occupied late Friday night, but the small fraction that was awake and watching the action at Remington Park may have witnessed the breakout of a star 2021 3-year-old as well as the birth of a feel-good story of the year candidate. Senor Buscador (Mineshaft), a homebred with just one 5 1/2-furlong start under his belt, was slow out of the stalls in the $200,000 Springboard Mile S. before rocketing past every rival in the 10-horse field to score a dazzling...
Leave it to one of the darkest days of the year to deliver two glimmering equine efforts that could combust into shining stars for the 2021 racing season. On the cusp of the winter solstice, breakout races book-ended the Saturday Fair Grounds card. One was a smart, step-wise progression by a juvenile colt in a NW2L allowance who now has credible GI Kentucky Derby aspirations. The other was an admirably impressive comeback by a still-undefeated 3-year-old whose own chance at the 2020 Derby got derailed by injuries and untimely setbacks....
The Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's 2-year-old sales attract all the heavyweights in the business, people who are ready to spend millions and have proven records of picking out future stars. Then there is Mark Schwartz. Schwartz arrived at this year's OBS Spring sale with a modest budget and ready to buy a horse at a sale for the first time. A Brooklyn-born retiree living in Florida, he knew the odds were not in his favor. "I did my research, but this was kind of like playing the lottery," he said....
Presumptive Horse of the Year Authentic (Into Mischief) has been voted the Secretariat Vox Populi Award winner by horse racing fans. Created by Secretariat's owner Penny Chenery, the award annually recognizes the horse whose popularity and racing excellence best resounded with the general public and gained recognition for Thoroughbred racing. Winner of the GI Kentucky Derby and GI Breeders' Cup Classic, Authentic bested nominees Monomoy Girl, Swiss Skydiver, Tiz the Law and Whitmore. All five nominees were selected by the Vox Populi committee and presented to thousands of voters in...
Two-year-old sensation and 'TDN Rising Star' Life Is Good (Into Mischief) will likely make his next start in the GIII Sham S. on Jan. 2 at Santa Anita, reports trainer Bob Baffert. The one-mile event carries a purse of $100,000. "If all is going well, it looks like the Sham will be his next race," Baffert said. "It will give me a chance to stretch him out. Then I will decide on what's next and look at races like the Rebel at Oaklawn." Owned by WinStar Farm and the China...