Win and You're In Challenge Series

The purse for Churchill Downs's marquee race for older horses, the Grade I Stephen Foster on Saturday, June 27, has been doubled from $1 million to $2 million, according to a press release from the track on Wednesday. Billed as the "Summer Showdown," the 45th running of the 1 1/8-mile dirt race for 4-year-olds--which is part of the Breeders' Cup 'Win and You're In' Challenge Series--will be broadcast on NBCSN and Peacock from 4:30-6:30 p.m. (all times Eastern). Five of the world's elite dirt horses have already expressed interest in...

Saturday's 14-race Travers Day card at Saratoga generated a wagering handle of $54,309,929 while paid attendance was 48,255, the New York Racing Association (NYRA) announced. On-track handle accounted for $10,369,950 of the overall total. The centerpiece of the event was the 156th running of the GI Travers Stakes, which was dominated by Sovereignty (Into Mischief), but also featured four other Grade I events--the Personal Ensign won by reigning Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna); the H. Allen Jerkens Memorial, claimed by Patch Adams (Into Mischief); the Ballerina Stakes,...

It was a dramatic finish, but reigning Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna) gamely gave it her all and nosed out her competition to win the GI Personal Ensign Stakes at Saratoga. No stranger to being the media's darling as well as the fan's favorite, the 'TDN Rising Star' was most recently the headliner when Hill 'n' Dale announced that they'd acquired a half-interest in a deal which included former NFL player Marshawn Lynch. In the lead up to the race, trainer Kenny McPeek was particularly bullish on...