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Saginaw goes for 11th win in Alex M. Robb

Saginaw, the winningest horse on the New York Racing Association circuit this year, looks to notch win no. 11 become the winningest horse in North America on December 26.

Daisy Devine star of stakes-filled Fair Grounds card

The four-year-old filly Daisy Devine has proven hard to beat at Fair Grounds, compiling a five-for-six mark at the New Orleans course including two scores in a pair of grass stakes at last year's meet.

Aqueduct Notebook

AQUEDUCT NOTEBOOK

Brown excited about Normandy Invasion's potential

Normandy Invasion established himself as a promising Kentucky Derby contender with a nose second in the Grade 2 Remsen Stakes at Aqueduct on November 24.

Jones trainees gearing up for the New Year

Mark Valeski, absent from active competition since winning the Grade 2 Peter Pan Stakes at Belmont Park, accomplished a bullet three-furlong move in :36 1/5 Thursday morning at Fair Grounds in his first official work since that May 12 contest, and was a perfect picture of health Friday morning when trainer Larry Jones proudly showed him off in his stall.

NTRA forms Eclipse Awards Host Committee

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) announced Friday the formation of an Eclipse Awards Host Committee that will actively promote participation in Eclipse Awards week events and highlight Gulfstream Park and its surrounding community.

Damon Runyon, East View on tap at Aqueduct

Notacatbutallama, a winner of two turf stakes, will make his first start on dirt in the Damon Runyon, one of two $80,000 stakes for New York-bred juveniles on Sunday at Aqueduct.

Battle of New Orleans, Van Berg join Fair Grounds' stakes line up

Two races new to the Fair Grounds stakes schedule this season now have names -- the Battle of New Orleans and the Van Berg Stakes -- thanks to a contest that garnered more than 300 entries from fans and employees.

Lucky Nine not so lucky in drawing post 12 in Hong Kong Sprint

Connections, guests and media gathered at the Sha Tin Racecourse parade ring for Thursday morning's Hong Kong International Races (HKIR) barrier draw ceremony and the event, never short of drama, produced the usual delight, resignation and stoic disappointment.

Pulpit dead at 18

Top sire Pulpit died in his paddock at Claiborne Farm earlier Thursday, according to an announcement made by farm manager Bradley Purcell. The 18-year-old stallion had shown no signs of ill health in the weeks and days prior to his death.

Hong Kong hopefuls put in final moves

After the soaking rain of the past week, Sha Tin stood radiant beneath sun drenched blue skies Thursday morning as the candidates for Sunday's Hong Kong International Races (HKIR) stepped out for exercise.

Populist Politics heads Louisiana Champions Day Classic

Populist Politics and Get in Da House are set to match strides in the 22nd running of Fair Grounds' $150,000 Louisiana Champions Day Classic, the main event of eight Thoroughbred stakes races restricted to accredited Louisiana-breds Saturday in the Crescent City.

Frankel's three-quarter brother Bullet Train to stand at Wintergreen

Bullet Train, a Group 3-winning, three-quarter brother to the sensational and undefeated Frankel, will enter stud in 2013 at Wintergreen Stallion Station near Midway, Kentucky for a fee of $7,500 it was announced Thursday.

Pletcher plots course for top juveniles

Todd Pletcher finds himself in familiar territory as the 2013 season fast approaches, juggling training and racing schedules to optimize the Triple Crown prospects of his most promising two-year-olds. Gulfstream Park's defending nine-time training champion has a deep arsenal at his disposal, saddling the winners of a staggering 57 races for juveniles (33 percent win) so far this year.

Castleton Lyons now accepting entries for Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award

Castleton Lyons will again be sponsoring the Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award, a competition recognizing excellence in writing in the Thoroughbred industry, and entries are now being taken for the seventh annual award. The award, which comes with a $10,000 winner's prize and a Tipperary Crystal trophy, is named for the late Castleton Lyons owner Dr. Tony Ryan, whose twin passions for great writing and quality horse racing led to his launch of the competition in 2006.

Commentary

Aqueduct Notebook

Dust and Diamonds the one to beat in Sugar Swirl

Dust and Diamonds, who emerged as one of the leading female sprinters in the country in her past two starts, will make her debut for new owner Stud TNT and trainer Todd Pletcher in Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 Sugar Swirl at Gulfstream Park. The six-furlong dash, the first graded event of the 2012-13 Gulfstream season, has attracted a field of seven fillies and mares.

Executiveprivilege tops Starlet; Inglorious faces Cal-based runners in Bayakoa

Executiveprivilege will try for her third Grade 1 win of 2012 when she takes on seven other two-year-old fillies in the $500,000 Hollywood Starlet on Saturday at Hollywood Park.

Minger takes helm of Turf Publicists

The Turf Publicists of America (TPA) has elected Mandy Minger of Daily Racing Form to serve as the organization's president for 2013-14, outgoing TPA President Bill Knauf announced Tuesday at the TPA's Mark Kaufman Workshop at the University of Arizona Symposium on Racing and Gaming.

New York Times wins Bergstein Award for story on veterinarians

Team Valor International on Tuesday honored a New York Times story on the role of veterinarians in the use of drugs in horse racing as the first winner of the Stan Bergstein Writing Award.

Eclipse week features special events for charities

A series of special events leading up to the 42nd annual Eclipse Awards will benefit the Gulfstream Thoroughbred Aftercare Program, the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund (PDJF), The Race for Education and the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) announced Tuesday. The Eclipse Awards will be held January 19 at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida.

Hollywood Notebook

HOLLYWOOD NOTEBOOK

Online poll open for Vox Populi Award

Online voting is now open for the third annual Secretariat Vox Populi Award. Created by Secretariat's owner Penny Chenery, the Vox Populi, or "Voice of the People," Award recognizes the racehorse whose popularity and racing excellence best resounded with the public and gained recognition for the sport during the past year.

Purton hopes to complete Japan/Hong Kong double

The jockeys' allocation for Wednesday night's International Jockeys' Championship took place at Sha Tin Racecourse Monday morning. Top jockey Zac Purton, fresh from winning the World Super Jockeys Series in Japan at the end of November, is hoping his luck can hold for the annual Happy Valley event, which has again drawn 12 of the world's finest riders.

International contingent braves the Hong Kong rain

Leaden skies and rain greeted the international contenders as they headed out on to Sha Tin Racecourse shortly after 8:30 a.m. local time on Monday, seven days ahead of their Group 1 engagements in Sunday's Hong Kong International Races.

In Lingerie retired, booked to Frankel

Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Gary Barber's In Lingerie, the winner of the Grade 1 Spinster at Keeneland in October, has been retired from racing and will be bred to two-time Cartier Horse of the Year Frankel.

Smiling Tiger returns to winner's circle in Underwood

Alan Klein and Philip Lebherz's Smiling Tiger put in a game rally down the center of the track in Sunday's Grade 3, $100,000 Vernon O. Underwood Stakes at Hollywood Park and gutted out a one-length victory over Private Zone for trainer Jeff Bonde. The chestnut sprinter's most recent score came seven starts ago when taking the Grade 1 Triple Bend Handicap in 2011, but he got back to his winning ways when completing this six-furlong contest in 1:11 1/5 over the Cushion Track.

Competitive fields shaping up for Starlet, Bayakoa

The Grade 1, $500,000 Hollywood Starlet, which will be run Saturday at 1 1/16 miles over Hollywood Park's Cushion Track, could have as many as seven participants.

Game On Dude, Nonios in good order after Native Diver

"I thought he was impressive," said Marlow, who is a longtime assistant to Bob Baffert. "He was tested all the way. Mike Smith's move on the first turn was a key factor in the race."

Dust and Diamonds gears up for Pletcher debut; Romacaca ready for South Beach

Dust and Diamonds was timed in an easy :52 in advance of her debut for new connections, while Turbulent Descent drilled in a bullet :47, tying for the fastest of 23 moves at the distance on the fast main track. Both four-year-olds are kept on edge for their first start since the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint at Santa Anita on November 3.

Nihonpiro Ours conquers Japan Cup Dirt in record time

Hyakutaro Kobayashi's homebred Nihonpiro Ours swept from just off the pace to dominate Sunday's Grade 1 Japan Cup Dirt in stakes-record time. By finishing nine furlongs at Hanshin in 1:48 4/5, the five-year-old son of White Muzzle handed jockey Manabu Sakai and trainer Yuki Ohashi their first career Grade 1 victory.

Charles Town Racing Hall of Fame inductees announced

On Saturday, Charles Town announced the eight new members of the Charles Town Racing Hall of Fame to be inducted at the track on December 15.

Ramsey-Maker team cap off four Claiming Crown wins in Jewel

Ken and Sarah Ramsey teamed up with trainer Mike Maker to take four of the seven Claiming Crown events on Gulfstream Park's opening-day card Saturday, including the richest race of the day, the $194,000 Claiming Crown Jewel.

Game On Dude digs deep, takes Native Diver

Game On Dude was outhustled by Nonios leaving the starting gate in Saturday's Grade 3, $242,500 Native Diver, but would not allow that younger rival to outfinish him in the 1 1/8-mile Cushion Track test at Hollywood Park.

Commentary

Calabrese, Dwoskin and Saez top the standings at Calder's Tropical meet

The centerpiece event of the Tropical Meet was once again the prestigious Festival of the Sun program on October 13 that featured the final legs of the lucrative Florida Stallion Stakes Series. Jockey Angel Serpa used the day to show off his riding prowess, taking top prize in the $300,000 My Dear Girl division with Verso a Verso before returning two races later to claim glory in the $300,000 In Reality division with the promising colt Speak Logistics.

Philly 'aces' Tropical Turf

Brushwood Stable's homebred Philly Ace bided his time down on the rail during Friday's Calder's closing-day co-feature -- the Grade 3, $100,000 Tropical Turf Handicap -- before running down pacesetting 9-5 favorite Hollinger to post a half-length victory.

Closing Range steals La Prevoyante at 19-1

Closing Range had engineered a similar theft two starts back in the August 26 Twin Lights over 1 1/8 miles at Monmouth, where she just lasted in a photo-finish. The daughter of After Market was coming off her worst career effort, a non-threatening eighth in a division of the Grade 3 Valley View at Keeneland October 19. That was thoroughly uncharacteristic for the lightly-raced filly, who had previously won three of four starts and placed second in the other.

Acclamation to enter stud at Old English Rancho in 2013

Acclamation has encountered setbacks that have limited his 2012 campaign to just two starts. The six-year-old son of Unusual Heat has won them both, however, extending his winning streak to seven. After scoring an unprecedented three-peat in the Grade 1 Charles Whittingham Memorial Handicap in his belated reappearance on June 9, Acclamation successfully defended his title in the Grade 1 Eddie Read on July 21.

Taking a shot at the NHC

I have played in maybe a half dozen handicapping contests in my life, but this weekend I am going to take a shot in the Keeneland NHC qualifier.

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American Graded Stakes Committee releases 2013 U.S. graded, listed stakes list

The American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA) on Friday presented its listing of U.S. Graded and listed stakes for 2013, the results of its annual grading session conducted November 28 in Lexington, Kentucky.

Fink honored with second annual John Deere Award

Bolstered by his homebred Wise Dan, dominating winner of the Breeders' Cup Mile on November 3, Morton Fink has won the second annual John Deere Award as outstanding breeder of the 2012 Breeders' Cup Challenge Series and the Breeders' Cup World Championships.

Grade 1 winners Comma to the Top, Smiling Tiger highlight Underwood

Sunday's Grade 3, $100,000 Vernon O. Underwood drew a short but salty field of seven at Hollywood Park. Grade 1 winners Comma to the Top and Smiling Tiger are logical win challengers given their recent form, but Capital Account, Fast Bullet and Private Zone also merit respect in the six-furlong event.

Gulfstream Park kicks off 90-day meet with Claiming Crown

The racing world is forever on the lookout for the emergence of Thoroughbred stars that possess the talent and charisma to attract the public's attention to the "Sport of Kings."

Gulfstream offers fans the chance to give and receive

The Gulfstream VIP Fan Experience will once again be made available to racing fans during the 2012-2013 Gulfstream Park meeting. The unique and exclusive experience will provide fans with an all-access and behind-the-scenes look at Thoroughbred racing from the training of Thoroughbreds in the morning to presenting a trophy in the winner's circle in the afternoon.

Ramsey-Maker team represented in all seven Claiming Crown races

Prolific owners-breeders Ken and Sarah Ramsey have emerged as a major players in Thoroughbred racing with their red and white colors prominent at all levels of the sport from the Breeders' Cup down to the claiming ranks.

Populist Politics aims to be Star Guitar's heir

Klaravich Stables' Populist Politics, probably best known as the hard-knocking runner-up to Brittlyn Stable's Star Guitar on numerous occasions, is the early favorite to headline next weekend's $150,000 Louisiana Champions Day Classic when Fair Grounds hosts the 21st renewal of its series of 11 races restricted to accredited Louisiana-breds on December 8.
 
The now-retired Star Guitar, of course, became the top Louisiana-bred money winner of all time last April 1 with a win in the $90,000 Costa Rising Stakes on Louisiana Derby Day. Populist Politics finished second behind him once again that day, beaten a head for the victory.
 
"Hopefully, next weekend, Populist Politics will get the opportunity to show he's the heir apparent," trainer Tom Amoss said Thursday morning during training hours.

Handicapping Insights

HANDICAPPING INSIGHTS

Krypton Factor preparing for title defense in Golden Shaheen

When Krypton Factor took to the track at Meydan Racecourse at the start of last season, he was a handicapper rated 100. This season he will embark on the defense of his 2012 Dubai Golden Shaheen Crown a Group 1 winner rated 123.