Oaklawn Park

All Brad Altschuld wanted for his horse Nepal Up (Will Take Charge) was for him to go somewhere where he could enjoy his retirement, the type of situation where the owner would never have to worry about his horse's future. Nepal Up was about to turn 10 and had been put on the vet's list after a Sept. 1 starter handicap race at Monmouth. So Altschuld found someone who agreed to take the horse, a small-time breeder in Nebraska named Christina Nelson who said she was willing to give Nepal...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Trainer Michael McCarthy would like nothing more than to have the wildly popular Journalism (Curlin) return to Saratoga Race Course this summer. "It would be awfully nice if he could," McCarthy said just outside Journalism's stall at the Oklahoma Training Track Thursday morning. "Saratoga, as I keep on saying, is a magical place for horses and people alike. We would be more than happy to bring him back here if the opportunity presented itself." First things first. Journalism, owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Bridlewood Farm, Don...

GI Apple Blossom heroine Claret Beret (Not This Time) died Friday from a possible cardiac event after returning from a morning work at Palm Meadows, according to her trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.. The Not This Time mare completed the four-furlong breeze (:49.55) normally and returned to the barn, where she apparently suffered a medical incident and passed away. It was her third work since collecting her first elite-level win in the Oaklawn Park marquee for older fillies and mares. "Claret Beret unfortunately passed away at the barn," trainer Saffie Joseph...

Jockey Johan Rosado has moved his tack from Oaklawn Park to Kentucky, and has started picking up mounts at Churchill Downs, the track announced Friday afternoon. The son of Roberto Rasado, the 1997 Eclipse Award Outstanding Apprentice Jockey, Johan Rosado is represented by Ruben Munoz. He reportedly plans to ride in Kentucky throughout the spring and continue in the summer at Ellis Park. "My father was a jockey for 25 years," Johan Rosado said. "I always looked up to him. I grew up at the racetrack and have a lot...

The 2025-2026 Oaklawn Park racing season concluded Saturday with across-the-board gains, the track announced Tuesday. Across 62 race days, Oaklawn conducted 627 races, an increase from 621 races last season, while distributing $54,477,160 in purses with a daily average purse of $878,663. With an average of just over 10 races per day, Oaklawn put an average of 8.81 starters in the gate per race. The average daily handle rose to $6,938,183, an increase over last year's $6,737,332, generating a total meet handle of $430,167,353--surpassing last season's total of $417,714,571. On-track...

Two of our top five were in action at Churchill Downs on the Kentucky Derby day card. 5) COUNTER MOVE, BAQ, 5/2-11th, 6fT VIDEO Beyer Speed Figure-87 (g, 4, Spun to Run--Gypsy Angel, by Silver Train) O/B-Sequel Racing/Sequel Thoroughbreds (NY). T-George Weaver. J-Dalila Rivera. After eight starts with two seconds and four third, but no wins, Weaver and owner Becky Thomas decided to try grass. Counter Move had little turf heritage. Spun to Run's progeny stats are solidly better on dirt, but you wouldn't know by the result. Counter Move...

After running second to another 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' in Munnings Challenge (Munnings) his debut Apr. 11, second-time starter Doublecents (Goldencents) stepped up to earn the moniker himself Saturday on closing day at Oaklawn Park, absolutely steam-rolling a field of maidens to become his sire's third 'Rising Star'. Unveiled going six furlongs where he had to sit off the pace and try to pull back that leader, Saturday's 3-5 favorite chose a different tactic, opting instead to hit the front himself and play 'catch me if you can'...

Journalism (Curlin), who finished third in the GII Oaklawn Handicap in his 4-year-old debut April 18 in Hot Springs, returned to the work tab Saturday at Santa Anita for trainer Michael McCarthy. Also working for McCarthy was MGISW Formidable Man (City of Light), who has been off since finishing second in the Breeders' Cup Mile on Nov. 1. Journalism worked four furlongs in :48.40. In the 1 1/8-mile Oaklawn Handicap, Journalism finished two lengths back of winner Sovereignty (Into Mischief), his rival from last year's Triple Crown run. McCarthy has...

Edited Press Release from Oaklawn Park Trainer William H. 'Jinks' Fires will saddle his final runner in a career that has spanned 50 years when House Trick contests the second race at Oaklawn Park on Friday afternoon. According to Equibase statistics, Fires, the older brother of Hall of Fame jockey Earlie Fires, has sent out 1,502 winners from 11,400 runners. Arguably the best horse Fires trained was Archarcharch (Arch), who won the GIII Southwest Stakes and GI Arkansas Derby en route to an appearance in the 2011 GI Kentucky Derby....

8th-OP, 110K, Msw, 3yo, f, 1 1/16m, 5:32 p.m. Windancer Farm went to $1.05 million to acquire SKYFORGE (Gun Runner), the full-sister to MGISW and young sire Cyberknife, at the 2024 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Dam Awesome Flower, herself an earner of over $556k on track, sold for $1.6 million at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale in 2022 with Skyforge in utero. She's also responsible for another stakes horse in Bath House Row runner up Tapit Shoes (Tapit). Steve Asmussen will leg up son Erik for the debut. TJCIS PPS

The winner of the GIII Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park, Silent Tactic (Tacitus) has scratched from the GI Kentucky Derby after battling a bruised foot according to his trainer Mark Casse on Wednesday morning. The defection allowed Great White (Volatile) into the big race where he will carry the number 21. DRF was the first to report the story. Silent Tactic, a colt owned by John Oxley, was dealing with a sore foot before the GI Arkansas Derby. He came to Churchill Downs after serving as the runner-up to Renegade...

10th-GP, $68k, Msw, 3yo, 1mT, 5:38p.m. ET Repole Stable and Stonestreet will unveil Gallant King (Ire) (Night of Thunder {Ire}) in this nightcap at Gulfstream Park for trainer Todd Pletcher. Purchased for 340,000gns as a yearling in 2024 from the Tattersalls October Yearling sale in England, the chestnut gelding is out of a half-sister to a French Listed winner who went on to become the dam and granddam of six black-type runners. Gallant King's mother, Aeronautical (Medaglia d'Oro), also claims Group 1-placed Holocene (Lemon Drop Kid) as a half-brother as...