Metropolitan Handicap

With Hong Kong sensation Ka Ying Rising (NZ) (Shamexpress {NZ}) continuing his dominance of the Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings, American Grade I winner Nysos (Nyquist) jumped to a co-rated fifth at 125 pounds following his win in the June 6 GI Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan Handicap. The 5-year-old, campaigned by Baoma Corp. and Coolmore partners and trained by Bob Baffert, also finished second behind Forever Young (Jpn) (Real Steel {Jpn}) (ranked at 123 pounds) in the G1 Saudi Cup in February. Nysos had previously been rated at 121 pounds....

CSLR Racing Partners' Crude Velocity (Beau Liam) will look to stretch out for his next start in the 1 1/8-mile GI Haskell Stakes July 18 at Monmouth Park following his runner-up effort behind the impressive Englishman (Maxfield) in the seven-furlong GI Woody Stephens Stakes Saturday at Saratoga. "I'm going to run him in the Haskell," trainer Bob Baffert confirmed. "We're going to stretch. I was going to run him in the Matt Winn today [Sunday at Churchill Downs], but I thought maybe, I was hoping that Englishman wouldn't show up...

Journalism (Curlin), last year's GI Preakness S., GI Santa Anita Derby and GI NYRA Bets Haskell S. winner, is back home at Santa Anita after receiving a winter break at Bridlewood Farm in Ocala, Florida. He jogged on the main track for the first time Saturday morning. "It seemed like the ship went fine--he's full of himself," trainer Michael McCarthy said. "Happy he's back." McCarthy added, "He'll start galloping here in a few days get back in his routine." Under consideration as a major goal for Journalism the first half...

Multiple Grade I winner Raging Torrent (Maximus Mischief--Violent Wave, by Violence) has been retired from racing and will begin his stud career at Lane's End Farm, the nursery announced Thursday. "We've had a history of success with Malibu winners standing at Lane's End with the likes of City of Light, Twirling Candy, and The Factor, which played a big role in bringing Raging Torrent here," said Lane's End's Bill Farish. "His ability to stretch his front-running speed to a mile and win a prestigious race like the Met, in addition...

Owner Mike Repole believes he might have the best 4-year-old in the country in his barn at the start of the new year, and that horse isn't necessarily Fierceness (City of Light). Mindframe (Constitution) has been out of sight, out of mind since finishing second in the July 20 GI Haskell S. at Monmouth. In his prior start, he was second in the GI Belmont S. While he didn't win either race, he overcame the fact that he had only two lifetime starts before the Belmont and was an inexperienced,...

After a disappointing showing in Saturday's GI Metropolitan H. at Saratoga, the owners of White Abarrio (Race Day) have decided to send last year's GI Breeders' Cup Classic winner back to trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. Dave Grening of the Daily Racing Form was first with the story. White Abarrio was with Joseph until last spring when the trainer was temporarily suspended by Churchill Downs after two of his horse died around the time of the Derby. Joseph's situation in New York was also in limbo and owners Clint and Mark...

Rodeo Creek Racing's Blazing Sevens (Good Magic), who returned from a nine-month layoff to capture a one-mile allowance and earn a 97 Beyer at Aqueduct Saturday, may make his next start in the June 8 GI Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan H. "He had a wide journey and was fit enough to gut it out in a fairly quick time. We'll see how he comes out of the race and go from there, but I'll consider a race like the Met Mile," said trainer Chad Brown. "I think he's good enough....

Years ago, a dear friend, Joe Spadaro, a veteran turf writer who coined the phrase "get with the program!", and I were at a bar one evening up on Jericho Turnpike after the races at beautiful Belmont Park. We were commiserating with the Eclipse Award-winning writer Paul Moran about racing. I was always a pretty opinionated guy (still am) and Joe could hear my tone of voice elevating to rebut something that Paul said. Joe turned to me and said "Tom, never get into it with somebody who buys ink...

A New York racing tradition began in 1971, the first time that Memorial Day was officially celebrated each year on the last Monday in May. A crowd of 61,147 showed up that Monday at Belmont Park to watch Tunex win the $121,600 Metropolitan Mile for trainer Allen Jerkens and owner Hobeau Farm. For the next 42 years, New York racing fans circled Memorial Day on their calendars, knowing that it would be one of the biggest days of the year, thanks to the GI Metropolitan H. In 1976 and 1977,...

If his most important legacy to our community was the example of his own conduct, it was nonetheless apt that a more tangible bequest made by Rick Porter to the breed itself was measured afresh even as he left us. For while the owner of Fox Hill Farms devoted more attention to the welfare of those horses that had failed to extend their usefulness, into a breeding program, he also measured out for our benefit some precious genetic ore--none deeper than that mined by the winner of the GI Hill...

Winchell Thoroughbreds and Willis Horton Racing's Silver State (Hard Spun) upped his win streak to six while providing trainer Steve Asmussen with a third GI Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan H. in the last four years. The historic Met Mile also gave Silver State an automatic spot in the starting gate for the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile should his connections choose that event over the GI Breeders' Cup Classic. By My Standards (Goldencents) rallied to cut the winning margin to a length after missing the break, while stretching-out GI Carter...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. -- Following the draw for the GI Whitney S. Wednesday morning, trainer Shug McGaughey answered more questions about his previous Whitney winners than this year's runner, Code of Honor (Noble Mission {GB}). McGaughey, a member of racing's Hall of Fame since 2004, will try for his fourth victory in Saratoga's premier dirt race for older horses Saturday with William Farish's 4-year-old homebred colt. The chestnut drew in the middle of the strong five-horse field, that features Tom's d'Etat (Smart Strike), who has won four straight stakes, and...