They're all in the books now. All the prep races for the Breeders' Cup Sprint have been sprinted, and the field for the six-furlong contest is coming into focus.
Wednesday, October 09, 2002The last round of preliminaries for the Breeders' Cup Sprint (gr. I) takes place coast-to-coast this weekend, but we may not learn as much as we'd like about the top contenders.
Wednesday, October 02, 2002Trainer Bobby Frankel will be well represented on opening weekend at Keeneland when he ships in the likes of Surya, Lord Flasheart, and Beat Hollow to contest Fall Stars weekend at the Central Kentucky oval.
Tuesday, October 01, 2002Day Trader strengthened the hand of trainer D. Wayne Lukas for the Breeders' Cup Sprint (gr. I) with his impressive victory in the $150,000 Kentucky Cup Sprint (gr. III) at Turfway Park Sept. 14.
Wednesday, September 18, 2002The queen of the sprint division, Xtra Heat, did nothing to hurt her chances for a return crack at the Breeders' Cup Sprint (gr. I) with a devastating five-length score in the $150,000 Endine Stakes (gr. III) at Delaware Park Sept. 7.
Thursday, September 12, 2002Street Cry, whose retirement from racing was announced Tuesday, Sept. 3, was the moderate betting favorite for the Breeders' Cup Classic when wagering on NTRA's Breeders' Cup Future Bet closed Monday.
Monday, September 02, 2002Orientate's romp in the Forego (gr. I) at Saratoga Sunday had an immediate impact on the Breeders' Cup Future Bet for the $1 million Sprint, where bettors made the D. Wayne Lukas trainee the 4-1 favorite.
Sunday, September 01, 2002Eight horses were entered Friday for the 23rd running of Sunday's Forego Handicap at Saratoga, including Squirtle Squirt, last year's Sprint champion, and Orientate, the East's leading male sprinter.
Friday, August 30, 2002Two-year-old fillies will be in the spotlight this Friday when the grade 1, $200,000 Spinaway at seven furlongs is run.
Monday, August 26, 2002On Sunday at Saratoga, Orientate seeks his third graded stakes victory on the year as a prohibitive favorite in the 18th running of the $200,000 A.G. Vanderbilt Handicap (gr. II).
Friday, August 09, 2002Bob and Beverly Lewis' Orientate jumped out to the early lead and never looked back as the 4-year-old son of Mt. Livermore posted a decisive five-length triumph in the $400,000 Smile Sprint Stakes that was part of Calder Race Course's "Summit of Speed" card on Saturday.
Saturday, July 13, 2002Saturday's ninth race at Calder, the $400,000 Smile Sprint Handicap, sets off a four-race $1.3 million windfall for some of the nation's top sprinters.
Wednesday, July 10, 2002Orientate took an early lead and pulled away down the stretch to win the Aristides by 4 1/2 lengths Saturday at Churchill Downs. Orientate's victory foiled Bet On Sunshine's attempt to win the stakes race for the third straight year, as the 10-year-old checked home a non-threatening fourth.
Saturday, June 29, 2002Bet on Sunshine, the 10-year-old Paul McGee trainee, is the highweight for Saturday's $100,000-added Aristides Handicap (gr. III) at Churchill Downs.
Friday, June 28, 2002The familiar colors of Bob and Beverly Lewis visited the Keeneland winner's circle following consecutive races Sunday, with trainer D. Wayne Lukas there to greet the winning horse on both occasions, most notably following Orientate's victory in the $272,000 Commonwealth Breeders' Cup Stakes (gr. II).
Sunday, April 14, 2002Bobby Frankel, who took the Jenny Wiley (gr. III) Thursday with Tates Creek, sends out Aldebaran in Sunday's $250,000 added Commonwealth Breeders' Cup (gr. II) at Keeneland.
Friday, April 12, 2002"You're killing me!" Bob Baffert called out to fellow trainer Bobby Frankel, who was posing for pictures in the winner's circle following Juddmonte Farms homebred Mizzen Mast's romping victory in the Feb. 2 Strub Stakes (gr. II). "I may have to go back to Los Alamitos."
Saturday, February 02, 2002The respective winners of the first two legs of the three-race Strub Series will face each other for the first time in the series finale, Saturday's $400,000 Strub Stakes (gr. II) at Santa Anita.
Thursday, January 31, 2002D. Wayne Lukas-trained Scorpion blew out three furlongs in :35 over a Santa Anita track rated "good" Wednesday morning in preparation for Saturday's $400,000 Strub Stakes (gr. II).
Thursday, January 31, 2002No, he didn't mix it up with Monarchos and Point Given last spring. Some might say he took the easier road. But it's pretty hard to fault a horse who can lay claim to three Derbys and nearly three-quarters of a million dollars in earnings. Nevertheless, if Western Pride had any lingering naysayers, they got stopped in their tracks on Jan. 12 after the muscle-bound colt ran off with the $214,200 San Fernando Breeders' Cup Stakes (gr. II) at Santa Anita.
Wednesday, January 16, 2002A field of 12 has signed on for the $200,000 San Fernando Breeders' Cup Stakes (gr. II), the second leg of the Strub Series for foals of 1998. Western Pride is the 122-pound highweight for the 1 1/16-mile main track event. Western Pride also garnered the highest weight allocation of the 12 entered here by Globeform's ranking of last year's 3-year-olds.
Thursday, January 10, 2002A dozen of the game's top sprinters and middle distance runners have one more dance penciled in on their 2001 calendar - Saturday's $350,000 Cigar Mile, the last grade I race in New York this year.
Tuesday, November 20, 2001It was a busy morning for Breeders' Cup participants, with a steady stream of workers Sunday. The most amazing move was turned in by Squirtle Squirt, although it certainly was not what trainer Bobby Frankel was expecting.
Sunday, October 21, 2001D. Wayne Lukas is heading to the Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I) with longshot Orientate, winner of the Indiana Derby.
Friday, October 12, 2001With a quick hustle to the lead from the gate, Orientate dictated the remainder of the race to win the $300,000-added Indiana Derby. The 1 1/16-mile race is the signature event for Hoosier Park, attracting a crowd of 6,337, which ranks among the facility's top ten attended events in the history of the track.
Monday, October 08, 2001Trainer Bobby Frankel earned another grade I victory Saturday when Squirtle Squirt went wire-to-wire to win the $200,000 King's Bishop Stakes at Saratoga. For Frankel, the win marks his third grade I stakes victory of the Saratoga meeting.
Saturday, August 25, 2001