BloodHorse.com | Horse Racing News

Joyful Victory Stamps Oaks Ticket in Fantasy

Joyful Victory tuned up for next month's Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) with her second dominating performance of the Oaklawn Park season in the $285,000 Fantasy Stakes (gr. II) April 10.

Joyful Victory, Arienza Battle in Fantasy

Joyful Victory and Arienza headline a field of five for the $300,000 Fantasy Stakes (gr. II) April 10 at Oaklawn Park.

Summer Soiree Bought by Team Valor

Summer Soiree, who romped by 10 3/4 lengths in the March 26 Bourbonette Oaks (gr. III) at Turfway Park, has been bought by Team Valor International and will be pointed to the May 6 Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) at Churchill Downs.

Summer Soiree Romps in Bourbonette Oaks

Summer Soiree had no trouble in her synthetic surface debut, as she dismantled the field in the $100,000 Bourbonette Oaks (gr. III) March 26 at Turfway Park and stamped herself a serious threat for the May 6 Kentucky Oaks.

Summer Soiree Comes Storming Into Bourbonette

Summer Soiree takes on 10 rivals in the $100,000 Bourbonette Oaks (gr. III) March 26 at Turfway Park. The one-mile Polytrack contest is one of five stakes on Turfway's 12-race program.

Havre de Grace Downs Blind Luck in Azeri

Havre de Grace had no problem downing her bitter rival Blind Luck, as she took over approaching the quarter-pole and streaked home a 3 1/4-length winner in the $150,000 Azeri Stakes (gr. III) March 19 at Oaklawn Park

Azeri: Blind Luck, Havre de Grace Clash Again

Blind Luck and Havre de Grace clashed four times last year as they became finalists for the Eclipse Award as the nation's top 3-year-old filly. They renew their rivalry in the $150,000 Azeri Stakes (gr. III) at Oaklawn Park.

Joyful Victory Buzzes Home in Honeybee

Favored Joyful Victory went to the front of the Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) class when she dominated the $125,000 Honeybee Stakes (gr. III) by 8 3/4 lengths in her first start of the year at Oaklawn March 12.

Havre de Grace Gets Serious for Azeri Return

Havre de Grace is getting her mind on business for trainer Larry Jones, prompting him to solidify plans to launch her 2011 campaign in the $100,000 Azeri Stakes (gr. III) March 19.

And They're Off: Eclipse Awards Edition

Lenny and Steve discuss the Eclipse Awards, Kentucky Derby prep races, Gulfstream Park, Life At Ten and Larry Jones.

Watch Video

No Such Word Punctuates Her Year in Gazelle

Favored No Such Word became a grade I winner for trainer Cindy Jones with her fifth stakes victory of the year in Aqueduct's $250,000 Gazelle Nov. 27.

Larry Jones Un-Retires; Heading to Oaklawn

Larry Jones, who had been among America's leading trainers the past decade, announced Nov. 11 that he will officially come out of self-imposed retirement.

In Final Start, Just Jenda Tops Malibu Prayer

Just Jenda went out a winner when she overtook odds-on favorite Malibu Prayer in upper stretch and rolled to an easy 3 1/2-length victory in the $294,000 Molly Pitcher Stakes (gr. II) Aug. 29.

Friesan Fire, Gen. Quarters Make 4YO Debuts

Friesan Fire and General Quarters, both starters in the 2009 Kentucky Derby (gr. I) and Preakness (gr. I), will make their 4-year-old debuts Jan. 23 at Fair Grounds.

Champion Male Sprinter: Kodiak Kowboy

Son of Posse won the Carter, Vosburgh, and Hill 'n' Dale Cigar Mile (all gr. I) for Vinery Stables and Fox Hill Farm

Inside Track: Belles' Biographer

16-year old Maria Rose Michalak's book, Eight Belles: Triumph Beyond the Wire cronicles Eight Belles' days as a foal, as well as her lineage, training, and racing career, and also recounts the positive changes that have occurred in Thoroughbred racing as a result of Eight Belles' death.

Kodiak Kowboy Retired to Vinery

Kodiak Kowboy, whose victory in the Nov. 28 Hill 'n' Dale Cigar Mile Handicap (gr. I) at Aqueduct was one of three grade I triumphs this year, has been retired from racing and will enter stud in 2010.

Friesan Fire Returns to Races at Fair Grounds

Vinery Stables and Fox Hill Farm's Friesan Fire, who finished 18th of 19 as the 7-2 favorite for this year's Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), is one of six horses entered in the Dec. 3 feature at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots.

Friesan Fire on the Comeback Trail

Vinery Stables' and Fox Hill Farm's Friesan Fire, who was diagnosed with a pair of leg injuries after the Preakness (gr. I), is back in training and targeting a comeback later this fall. Who his trainer will be, however, is unclear at this time.

Jones, Robbins, and Farley to be Honored

Larry Jones, Dr. Jack Robbins, and Dan Farley will each be honored with one of three awards presented annually by the National Turf Writers Association.

Forego: Kodiak Kowboy Fond of the Spa

Rachel Alexandra's attempt against older males has given the Woodward (gr. I) all the headlines, but Saratoga's other grade I race on Sept. 5--the $300,000 Forego Stakes--is no slouch. The seven-furlong sprint drew a solid field of a 12, including the morning-line favorite, Kodiak Kowboy.

Laureate Conductor Heads Kent Field

Castleton Lyons' Laureate Conductor is the 3-2 morning line favorite for the 1 1/8-mile Kent Stakes (gr. IIIT) Sept. 5 at Delaware Park.

Old Fashioned to Stand at Taylor Made

Multiple graded stakes winner Old Fashioned, who was unbeaten at 2 and won four of six starts, will stand in 2010 at the Taylor family's Taylor Made Farm near Nicholasville, Ky.

Just Jenda Impressive Winner in Monmouth Oaks

Just Jenda served noticed that she is a force to be reckoned with in the 3-year-old filly division, as she followed up last month's dominating stakes win at Monmouth Park with another convincing score, this one in the $200,000 Monmouth Oaks (gr. III) Aug. 15.

Just Jenda Looms Large in Monmouth Oaks

Just Jenda will face nine in the $200,000 Monmouth Breeders' Cup Oaks (gr. III) Aug. 15 in Oceanport, N.J. The chestnut filly looms a tough customer in the 1 1/16-mile main track event.

Jones Has Pair of Live Ones in Barbaro Stakes

It Happened Again and Doc's Friend, a pair of colts from the barn of Larry Jones who defeated older horses last time out, lead a full field of a dozen 3-year-olds in the $150,000 Barbaro Stakes (gr. III) July 19 at Delaware Park.

Kodiak Kowboy Corrals Donald LeVine Memorial

Angled to the middle of the track for the stretch run by jockey Gabriel Saez, heavy choice Kodiak Kowboy overpowered his rivals in the $200,000 Donald LeVine Memorial Handicap to win by four lengths at Philadelphia Park June 27.

Delaware Park to Honor Larry Jones

Delaware Park will honor trainer J. Larry Jones for his accomplishments and dedication to racing with a special tribute at the Wilmington racetrack Saturday June 20.

Friesan Fire Sidelined

Vinery Stables' and Fox Hill Farm's Friesan Fire, who was made the favorite for this year's Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) after three consecutive graded stakes wins this spring, has been sidelined for a couple of months due to an injury.

Friesan Fire Pointed Toward Haskell

Trainer Larry Jones, who has been winning Monmouth stakes on a regular basis the past two years, said May 24 that the $1 million Haskell Invitational (gr. I) Aug. 2 is the main objective this summer for Vinery Stables and Fox Hill Farm's Friesan Fire.

Payton d'Oro Wires Black-Eyed Susan Field

Jockey Terry Thompson had one mount at Pimlico May 16 and he made the most of it, controlling the pace aboard Payton d'Oro to win the biggest race of the day, the grade II Black-Eyed Susan Stakes.

Ludt on Top of the World with Friesan Fire

Tom Ludt was sitting on top of the world. It was the morning of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), and after I Want Revenge was scratched, Friesan Fire became the new favorite in the classic. Ludt is the general manager of Tom Simon's Vinery, which owns Friesan Fire in partnership with Rick Porter's Fox Hill Stable.

Plop Go the Birds: Alibi or Omen?

The week leading up to the May 2 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), Ahmed Zayat, owner of Pioneerof the Nile, was hit in the head by bird droppings. The owner saw it as a positive and believed his colt had a good chance in the Derby; little did he know what was to come.

Friesan Fire Given Green Light for Preakness

Following a workout at Pimlico Racecourse on Tuesday, May 12, trainer Larry Jones reported that Friesan Fire is fit and ready for the May 16 Preakness Stakes (gr. I).

Tuesday Work to Determine Friesan Fire Status

Friesan Fire, who grabbed his quarter and suffered a several cuts while finishing 18th in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), will ship down to Pimlico next Monday from Delaware Park and will work on Tuesday under jockey Gabriel Saez to determine whether the colt will run in the Preakness Stakes (gr. I).

Four Gifts Rolls to Victory in Eight Belles

Four Gifts scored the second graded victory of her career with a late charge from the outside in the $113,300 Eight Belles Stakes (gr. III) at Churchill Downs.

Derby Never Really an Option for 'Rachel'

In the opinion of her breeder and co-owner, Dolphus Morrison, Kentucky Oaks morning-line favorite Rachel Alexandra "could have been competitive" in the Run for the Roses, but he said he "didn't have a fleeting thought" of running her against the boys.

Human Stories Dominate Derby

The Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) isn't just about the horse. This edition boasts an unusually fertile crop of human-interest stories in the connections behind the horses.

I Want Revenge: Post 13, Derby Favorite

I Want Revenge, runaway winner of the Gotham Stakes (gr. I) and a determined victor in the April 4 Wood Memorial (gr. I), has been made the 3-1 morning line favorite for the May 2 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I). The son of Stephen Got Even will break from post 13 in a full field of 20.

Friesan Fire No Longer Lost in Sale Crowd

A.P. Indy was the leading sire at the 2007 Keeneland September yearling sale based on the average price of $858,043 brought by 23 of his offspring. But Friesan Fire, who is by the 1992 Horse of the Year, got lost in the crowd and was bought back for $725,000 by the Vinery's Dr. Tom Simon, who bred the colt in the name of Grapestock.

Human Stories Dominate Derby

The Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) isn't just about the horse. This edition boasts an unusually fertile crop of human-interest stories in the connections behind the horses.

Friesan Fire Sizzles in Final Pre-Derby Work

Friesan Fire burned up the track April 27 at Churchill Downs, working five furlongs in a blazing :57 4/5 during his final serious move before the May 2 Kentucky Derby Presented By Yum! Brands (gr. I). Wearing red and white blinkers and carrying jockey Gabriel Saez, the 3-year-old son of A.P. Indy turned in splits of :11 1/5, :22 1/5, :33 3/5, and 45:1/5. Friesan Fire galloped out six furlongs in 1:14.

Friesan Fire Works at Keeneland

On April 19, as light rain fell, Friesan Fire posted his final work at Keeneland before he heads to Churchill Downs for the May 2 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I).

Champion Proud Spell Retired

Brereton C. Jones' homebred champion Proud Spell has been retired from racing and bred to Indian Charlie.

Kodiak Kowboy Rallies for Carter Victory

Kodiak Kowboy scored the first grade I victory of his career and became a millionaire in dramatic fashion, rallying late to edge the front-running Fabulous Strike by a head in the $300,000 Carter Handicap April 4 at Aqueduct in New York. It was the eighth win in 17 career races for Kodiak Kowboy, who was Canada's champion 2-year-old male in 2007.

Friesan Fire Training Up to the Derby

Friesan Fire, whose Louisiana Derby (gr. II) romp cemented his status as one of the leading Triple Crown contenders, will most likely not have another race before the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), trainer Larry Jones said April 1.

Proud Spell Will Miss Apple Blossom

Proud Spell will miss the April 4 Apple Blossom Handicap (gr. I) at Oaklawn Park in Arkansas, according to trainer Larry Jones.

Talkin' Horses Podcast with Larry Jones

Join Trainer Larry Jones as he answers questions like: Tell about how your two leading Kentucky Derby contenders Old Fashioned and Friesan Fire are doing and what the plans are for them between now and the first Saturday in May.

Thompson to Ride Old Fashioned

Trainer Larry Jones says that Oaklawn Park leading jockey Terry Thompson will ride Fox Hill Farms' Old Fashioned in the $1 million Arkansas Derby (gr. II) April 11.

Favorable Report from Jones' FG Barn

Cindy Jones, wife and assistant to trainer Larry Jones, said all three of the stable's horses who who ran at Fair Grounds March 14, including Louisiana Derby (gr. II) winner Friesan Fire, came out of their races well.