BloodHorse.com | Horse Racing News

Kauai Katie Wins Tightener for Acorn Stakes

Overwhelmingly favored Kauai Katie led from start to finish for a seemingly effortless 3 1/4-length victory in the $71,250 Road Princess overnight stakes, the closing day feature at Aqueduct Racetrack April 21.

Perseverance Pays Off for Head Heart Hoof

Benefiting from a patient ride, Head Heart Hoof took control leaving the turn and held off a tenacious rally by Johannesburg Smile to win the 120th renewal of the Toboggan Handicap (gr. III) at Aqueduct Racetrack Feb. 2.

Rice, Velasquez Each Win Four at Aqueduct

Trainer Linda Rice and jockey Cornelio Velasquez each had four winners on the April 21 card at Aqueduct Racetrack, with Velasquez aboard for three of Rice's victories.

Tom Fool: Calibrachoa Holds Off Caleb's Posse

Calibrachoa took over from the pacesetters in the stretch and held off a late run from Caleb's Posse to win the $200,000 Tom Fool Handicap (gr. III) by a neck March 3.

Panama: A Visit to the Pincay Jockey Academy

Hammer Time's Deirdre Biles continues her Panama trip with a visit to the Pincay Jockey Academy.

read blog

Cornelio Velasquez Records 3,000th Victory

Cornelio Velasquez, one of the leading riders on the New York circuit for many years, earned his 3,000th victory in North America aboard favored Up in Smoke in the fifth race Nov. 27 at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Lovely Lil Gets Right Trip in Go For Wand

Barry Schwartz' 4-year-old daughter of Tiznow gets her first graded stakes victory Nov. 25 at Aqueduct.

Afleet Again, 41-1, Steals BC Marathon

Sent off at 41-1, Afleet Again ran down Birdrun and Giant Oak in deep stretch to pull a shocker in the opening race on Day 2 of the Breeders' Cup World Championships Nov. 5 at Churchill Downs.

Giant Ryan, 12-1, Surprises in Vosburgh

Giant Ryan held off a challenge by Force Freeze and pulled a 12-1 surprise in the $350,000 Vosburgh Invitational (gr. I) Oct. 1 at muddy Belmont Park.

Unbridled Humor Wins Noble Damsel Laugher

Odds-on choice Unbridled Humor opened up a big lead in the stretch of the $100,000 Noble Damsel Stakes (gr. IIIT) and held on comfortably to register her fifth win in six lifetime starts Sept. 18 on the Belmont Park turf.

Inside Move Earns Hot Summer Victory Ride Win

Under a heads-up ride from Cornelio Velasquez, Hot Summer made a late charge along the inside and edged pacesetter Maple Forest in the final strides to win the $102,000 Victory Ride Stakes (gr. III) Aug. 27 at Saratoga.

Winchester Rallies, Triumphs in Sword Dancer

Winchester delivered the fourth grade I victory of his career Aug. 13 when he rallied from last to take the Sword Dancer Invitational (gr. IT) at Saratoga.

Giant Ryan Takes Smile Sprint With Big Finish

Giant Ryan ran his winning streak to five races when he collared pacesetting Irrefutable a couple of strides before the wire to win by a neck in the $350,000 Smile Sprint Handicap (gr. II) July 9 at Calder Race Course.

Flashpoint Crushes Jersey Shore Rivals in Mud

Flashpoint humbled three opponents en route to a seven-length romp in the $143,000 Jersey Shore Stakes (gr. III) on a muddy track at Monmouth Park July 3.

Castellano Rides 5 Winners at Belmont Park

Javier Castellano shot past Cornelio Velasquez in the Belmont Park spring/summer jockey standings by winning five races June 2.

Animal Kingdom Jogs at Fair Hill

Animal Kingdom visited the track at the Fair Hill Training Center in Elkton, Md. for the first time Wednesday, May 11 as he began preparations for the Preakness Stakes (gr. I) on May 21.

Claimer Caixa Eletronica Upsets Westchester

Making his first start for Mike Repole and Todd Pletcher after being claimed for $62,500, Caixa Eletronica pulled a 10-1 upset in the $100,000 Westchester (gr. III) April 30 at Belmont Park.

Jockey Velasquez Secures Aqueduct Meet Title

Jockey Cornelio Velasquez won the fifth race at Aqueduct on April 23 to earn his second career riding title at a New York Racing Association track.

Quantum Miss Rebounds in Cicada

Favored Quantum Miss took over at the top of the stretch and held off a late rally by Coax Liberty to win by a half-length in the $100,000 Cicada Stakes (gr. III) for 3-year-old fillies March 19 at Aqueduct.

Flashpoint Lights Up Hutcheson Stakes

Flashpoint, shipping in from New York for Rick Dutrow Jr., stole the show in the $150,000 Hutcheson (gr. II), as he ran away from odds-on favorite Travelin Man to romp by 7 1/4 lengths Feb. 26 at Gulfstream Park.

Winchester Finds Target in Hirsch Classic Win

Winchester swept past favored Paddy O'Prado in deep stretch to comfortably win the $500,000 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational Stakes (gr. IT) on a yielding Belmont Park Widener Turf Course Oct. 2.

Rightly So On Her Toes in Ballerina Romp

Rightly So found grade I success for the first time when she led all the way in the $250,000 Ballerina Stakes over a speed-favoring Saratoga main track Aug. 28.

Rightly So Wins Head Bob in Bed o' Roses

Rightly So ran a thrilling wire-to-wire race at Belmont Park, holding off the favorite Qualia.

Winchester Hits Target in Manhattan Upset

Winchester registered his first stakes win since taking the 2008 Secretariat Stakes (gr. IT) when he posted a 21-1 stunner in the $400,000 Woodford Reserve Manhattan Handicap (gr. IT) at Belmont Park June 5.

Alcomo Takes Brooklyn Handicap by a Whisker

Brazilian-bred Alcomo got up in the final jump to nip hard-luck pacesetter Gabriel's Hill by a nose in the $200,000 Brooklyn Handicap (gr. II) June 4 at Belmont Park.

Velasquez Rides Four Winners From Six Mounts

After the May 9 card, he was in a three-way tie atop the riding standings at Belmont Park.

Baletti, Dynaslew Win Turf Stakes at Belmont

Baletti took the Fort Marcy (gr. IIIT) and Dynaslew set all of the fractions to score in the Beaugay (gr. IIIT) for fillies and mares in front of a crowd of 9,405 on Kentucky Derby day at Belmont Park May 1.

Jerkens Gets 6th Westchester as Belmont Opens

Allen Jerkens got the 2010 Belmont Park spring meet off to a flying start when his 27-1 shot Le Grand Cru edged away in the final sixteenth of a mile to win the $100,000 Westchester Stakes (gr. III) on opening day April 30.

Dean's Kitten Pounces to Lane's End Victory

Dean's Kitten 2 1/2-length victory in the $500,000 Lane's End Stakes (gr. II) at Turfway Park March 27 pushes Ken and Sarah Ramsey's homebred right into the Kentucky Derby picture.

Aurora Lights Shines in Sabin

Making just her second start on dirt in her 4-year-old debut, Chiefswood Stable's Aurora Lights sprung a 10-1 upset in the $100,000 Sabin Stakes (gr. III) Feb. 27 at Gulfstream Park.

Courageous Cat, Wasted Tears Win Gulf Stakes

Courageous Cat, last seen finishing a close second to champion Goldikova in the Breeders' Cup Mile (gr. IT), stalked the early pace before taking the lead in midstretch and then held off a challenge to win the Canadian Turf.

Awesome Maria an Overpowering Matron Winner

Awesome Maria proved an authoritative winner of Belmont Park's Matron (gr. IIT) in her stakes debut Sept. 19 when odds-on choice Worstcasescenario was eased out of the race.

Miss World Stunning Winner of Garden City

Making her stakes debut, Miss World scored an upset in the $300,000 Garden City Handicap (gr. IT) when odds-on choice Gozzip Girl had all kinds of trouble on a soft Belmont Park inner turf course Sept. 12.

Distance No Problem for Kip Deville

Kip Deville set aside a question of his stamina capability for nine furlongs when he put away a quality field in the $300,000 Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap (gr. IT) at the Hallandale Beach track Feb. 1.

Whyte Claims Jockey Championship

Jockey Douglas Whyte claims his third victory in the Cathay Pacific International Jockey Championship at Happy Valley.

Tale of Ekati Splashes Home in Jerome

Tale of Ekati earned his first victory since taking the Wood Memorial (gr. I) on the Triple Crown trail this spring when he captured the $159,500 Jerome Handicap (gr. II) on a sloppy track at Belmont Park Oct. 5.

Lady Rizzi Eclipses Mellon Turf Mark

Lady Rizzi set the 5 1/2-furlong Mellon Turf Course record of 1:00.66 at Saratoga Race Course in winning the seventh race Aug. 24.

Honorable Miss: Any Limit Goes Distance

Joseph Shields Jr.'s homebred Any Limit fought off Miss Macy Sue in the early stages and opened up her lead around the turn, eventually romping to a 5 3/4-length victory in the $150,000 Honorable Miss Handicap (gr. II) Aug. 1 at Saratoga.

Kip Deville Flushes Foes in Poker 'Cap

Three-time grade I winner Kip Deville returned from a three-month layoff to handily defeat a small field in the $106,300 Poker Handicap (gr. IIIT) over a firm course at Belmont Park July 13.

Kip Deville Returns in Poker Handicap

Last year's NetJets Breeders' Cup Mile (gr. I) winner Kip Deville has a clear edge in class over his four contenders in the $100,000 Poker Handicap (gr. IIIT) July 13 at Belmont, but will have to carry 125 pounds, which is nine to 11 more than his rivals.

Any Limit Goes Distance in First Flight

Joseph V. Fields Jr.'s homebred mare Any Limit hit the winner's circle for the first time in nearly 17 months July 4 at Belmont, getting the early jump on six rivals, then holding off Wild Gams in a determined stretch drive to narrowly win the $150,000 First Flight Handicap (gr. II).

Dagnabit, Bold Union Win Juvenile Stakes

Dagnabit won the $107,300 Tremont and Bold Union captured the $109,500 Astoria in a pair of stakes for 2-year-olds at Belmont Stakes June 29.

Kip Deville Repeats in Maker's Mark

Kip Deville had not raced since winning the NetJets Breeders' Cup Mile (gr. IT) last October. The question coming into the $300,000 Maker's Mark Mile (gr. IT) April 11 was obvious: How would the 5-year-old respond to the long layoff?

Layoff Not a Problem For War Pass

Juvenile champion War Pass was impressive in his 3-year-old debut Feb. 24 at Gulfstream Park, looking sharp in a one-mile allowance race against four overmatched foes.

Silver Edition Primed for Swale

Silver Edition, a colt by Silver Deputy and the main Kentucky Derby hopeful for Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas, takes on six challengers in the Swale Stakes (gr. II) Feb. 2 at Gulfstream Park.

Chatain Shoots to Hal's Hope Repeat

Favored Chatain made it back-to-back wins in Gulfstream Park's $100,000 Hal's Hope Handicap (gr. III) with a devastating kick for home Jan. 6.

Dalvina Topweight in La Prevoyante

Andrew and Marina Stone's Dalvina, entering off of a successful American debut, is the one to beat in the $200,000 La Prevoyante Handicap (gr. IIT) Dec. 15 at Calder Race Course.

Jockey Cornelio Velasquez Wins Five at Aqueduct

Jockey Cornelio Velasquez won five races on the nine-race card at Aqueduct Nov. 1.

War Pass Marches to Juvenile Victory

Once more, War Pass has proven that no one can run with him. Robert LaPenta's undefeated colt set a fast pace on a sloppy Monmouth Park strip and took command early on the far turn, finishing up nicely to register a 4 3/4-length in the $2 million Bessemer Trust Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I) Oct. 27.

Soldier's Dancer Wins Calder Derby by Six Lengths

Last month Soldier's Dancer was beaten by three of the same challengers he was facing in the $200,000 Calder Derby (gr. IIIT) Oct. 13. This time, showing a powerful finishing kick, the 3-year-old Lost Soldier colt exacted his revenge, coming from well off the pace to take the 1 1/8-mile feature on the Calder Race Course turf by six lengths. It was his fifth lifetime win in 11 tries at the Florida racetrack.