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...
Champion Nitrogen (Medaglia d'Oro) returned to the work tab Sunday morning at Oaklawn with a bullet half-mile work over a fast track for dual Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse. Nitrogen, under two-time Oaklawn riding champion Cristian Torres, was clocked in :46.40, fastest of 56 published works at the distance. Nitrogen was breezing for the first time since finishing third in Mar. 7 GII Azeri Stakes. Last year's champion 3-year-old filly remains on target for the Apr. 11 Apple Blossom Handicap. "Nitrogen looked like the old Nitrogen," said assistant trainer...
Elite winners are always cause for celebration. With racing at the highest levels quickly ramping up for 2026, we continue to spotlight some of the special Grade I producers of the last several months. Up today, we get a glimpse into a quartet of mares who produced homebred stars. Stormy Welcome, dam of Raging Sea "Great families might sleep, but they don't die, and she's a great example of that," said Mill Ridge's Price Bell last summer when musing over the unraced Stormy Welcome (Storm Cat), a now-20-year-old mare whose ninth...
The splendid Splendora set the pace, took the GI B. Wayne Hughes Beholder Mile at Santa Anita Park and made headlines. Now, let's get to this week's rankings: 5. REGALED, OP, 3/7, GII Azeri Stakes, 1 1-16 miles (VIDEO) Beyer Speed Figure- 93 (2nd) (m, 5, by Mohaymen-Ascot Walk, by Daaher) O-Ribble Farms and Front Page Equine. B-Chris Baccari (Ky). T-Whit Beckman. J-J.D. Ramos. Her come-from-the-clouds style is probably more suited to 1 1/8 miles than the Azeri's 1 1/16 miles, but she made up four-plus lengths in the final...
All eyes may have been on Eclipse champion 3-year-old filly Nitrogen (Medaglia d'Oro) in Oaklawn's GII Azeri S. Saturday, but it was Majestic Oops (Majestic Harbor) who sprung the upset for a career high. Racing in the colors of Medallion Racing, Evan Trommer, Agave Racing Stable and Sheila Regan, Majestic Oops left the gate sharply before taking back on the inside behind La Cara (Street Sense). She waited in third with Nitrogen to her outside behind La Cara's :23.78 and :47.17 fractions, then tipped out coming off the turn as...
With Eclipse Award-winner Nitrogen (Medaglia d'Oro), who will be heavily favored in Saturday's GII Azeri Stakes at Oaklawn, having won her 2026 debut in the GIII Bayakoa Stakes, D.J. Stable could well be on its way to another successful year. But not everything has gone right in 2026 for the Green family and its stable. Two of its most prominent horses--Sandman (Tapit) and Ewing (Knicks Go)--have been surprisingly disappointing in recent races. In hopes of getting them back on track, the stable will be sending both to Mark Casse's farm...