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...
Back in 1988, attendance for the GI Preakness Stakes at Laurel Race Course was 7,372. By 2002, the Preakness crowd at the renamed Laurel Park had more than doubled, to 15,917. Of course, those figures from decades ago weren't for the in-person, live running of the second jewel of the Triple Crown. Those head counts represent only people who turned out for Laurel's simulcast of the Preakness. The race itself was conducted 28 miles north at the Preakness's traditional Baltimore home, Pimlico Race Course. In that era, the Preakness throng...