Shadwell Stable's homebred Shakis, well-beaten in three starts this season, roared from the back of the pack and nailed War Monger in the final strides to take the $200,000 Bernard Baruch Handicap (gr. IIT) for the second consecutive year on the Saratoga grass Aug. 23.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
There were many who questioned whether champion mare Ginger Punch would be able to stretch out to 10 furlongs, something she had never done before. In the $400,000 Personal Ensign Stakes (gr. I) Aug. 22 at Saratoga, the 5-year-old daughter of Awesome Again was grateful for the added distance, as she needed every last stride to pass Lemon Drop Mom.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Zayat Stables' Thorn Song has competed well against some of the nation's best turf horses this season -- Einstein and Kip Deville to name a pair. That good company is the main reason the 5-year-old son of Unbridled's Song was installed as the 3-1 morning-line favorite and should be a tough customer Saturday in the $200,000 Bernard Baruch Handicap (gr. IIT) at Saratoga.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
David and Jill Heerensperger's Indyanne is undefeated and unchallenged in four career starts. The lightning-quick daughter of Indian Charlie looks to continue her domination Aug. 23 at Saratoga, as she takes on nine quality 3-year-old fillies in the $100,000-added Victory Ride (gr. III).
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Other than Big Brown, no 3-year-old has separated itself from the rest of the pack in 2008. That could all change Aug. 23 at Saratoga, as a full field of 12 will go to post in the $1 million Travers Stakes Presented by Shadwell Farm (gr. I), each horse seeking its place in history by attempting to win one of the oldest and most prestigious Thoroughbred races in North America.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Tin Cup Chalice, owned, bred, and trained by Michael Lecesse, became the first horse to sweep the OTB's Big Apple Triple on Aug. 20 at Saratoga, when he held off an upset bid by That'srightofficer to win the 31st running of the $150,000, nine-furlong Albany Stakes for 3-year-old New York-breds by a head.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
On Aug. 22, Ginger Punch will try something she has never done -- go 10 furlongs for the first time in the $400,000 Personal Ensign Stakes (gr. I) at Saratoga. She will take on six rivals in the main track event.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
The Horse Racing Radio Network will provide live coverage of 11 graded stakes the final two weekends of the Saratoga meet.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Former jockey Parker Buckley, an exercise rider for trainer Steve Asmussen, died Aug. 19 at Albany Medical Center in Albany, N.Y., following an Aug. 18 accident on the Oklahoma training track at Saratoga Race Course.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Dallas Stewart and Eoin Harty, the respective trainers of Macho Again and Colonel John, discuss the chances of their colts in Saturday's Travers Stakes (gr. I) at Saratoga.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008Parker Buckley, a former jockey who was working as an exercise rider for trainer Steve Asmussen, is in critical condition following an Aug. 18 accident at Saratoga's Oklahoma training track.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Marc Keller's Grand Couturier had to check under Alan Garcia at the top of the lane, but re-rallied, split horses in mid-stretch, and drew clear to win the $500,000 Sword Dancer Invitational (gr. IT) for the second consecutive year Aug. 16 at Saratoga. Better Talk Now finished second, followed by Interpatation.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Any Limit, winner of this year's Honorable Miss Handicap (gr.II) and First Flight Handicap (gr.II), will miss the Ballerina (gr.I) at Saratoga Aug. 24, because of a recurring injury.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Belmont Stakes (gr. I) winner Da' Tara fired a bullet work Aug. 15, and along with Jim Dandy (gr. II) winner Macho Again, head the likely field for the Aug. 23 Travers (gr. I).
Friday, August 15, 2008
Run Away and Hide stayed unbeaten in three starts and earned the second graded stakes victory of his young career, edging clear of Break Water Edison in mid-stretch to win the $150,000 Saratoga Special (gr. II) by 1 1/4 lengths Aug. 14.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Red Rocks and Dancing Forever, both fresh off grade I turf victories at Belmont, will square off in the star-studded Sword Dancer Invitational (gr. IT) Aug. 16 at Saratoga, a field that also includes three other grade I winners, including Grand Couturier, who won the event a year ago.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Evening Attire, the 10-year-old gelding who qualified for a starting berth to the inaugural running of the Breeders' Cup Marathon by winning the Greenwood Cup by 8 1/4 lengths at Philadelphia Park Casino & Racetrack in July, will be entered as a main-track-only participant for the $80,000 John's Call Stakes at Saratoga Aug. 17.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Fresh off her impressive victory in last month's Virginia Oaks (gr. IIIT), Flying Zee Stable's homebred I Lost My Choo tries to take the next step in her budding career, as she takes on seven rivals in the $150,000 Lake Placid Stakes (gr. IIT) Aug. 15 on the Saratoga turf.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Fasig-Tipton will pay the nomination and entry fees for the horses sold at its recent Saratoga select yearling auction that are pointed to any of the six graded stakes for juveniles at Saratoga in 2009. It's just one of what could be many initiatives as the company attempts to reinvent itself.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008A daughter of Red Bullet brought the top price of $30,000 during the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga open yearling sale Aug. 12 in New York.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008Boyers and consignors discuss the market at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga select yearling auction, held Aug. 4 and 5 in New York.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Run Away and Hide, undefeated in two starts and entering off a victory in the May 1 Kentucky Stakes (gr. III) at Churchill Downs, tops a promising field of 2-year-old colts in the $150,000 Saratoga Special (gr. II) Aug. 14.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008Fasig-Tipton officials reported Aug. 11 that there were no positives for exogenous anabolic steroids among horses sold during the company's Saratoga select yearling auction that were tested at the request of their buyers.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Severe thunderstorms, heavy rain, and nearly continuous inclement conditions played havoc on attendance and handle figures during the third week of the 2008 Saratoga Race Course meet, according to the New York Racing Association, Inc.
Monday, August 11, 2008
A relationship that began nine years ago will culminate in a wedding revolving around two passions the betrothed couple share: horse racing and Saratoga Race Course.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Trainer Steve Asmussen called an audible early Monday morning, switching 2007 Horse of the Year Curlin's scheduled workout from Saratoga Race Course's main track to the Oklahoma training track because of overnight rains.
Monday, August 11, 2008
While the second-session figures weren't as lofty as the numbers from Aug. 9, Fasig-Tipton's sale of preferred New York-breds finished it's two-night run Sunday evening with an overall average price that was 5.4% higher than last year.
Monday, August 11, 2008
The Fasig-Tipton New York-bred preferred sale opened with mixed results Aug. 9. The average rose 19.4% and the median jumped 40%, but more than half the horses offered went unsold.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
According to New York Racing Association Stakes coordinator Andrew Byrnes, Acai, Colonel John, Da' Tara, Harlem Rocker, Macho Again, Mambo in Seattle, Pyro, Tale of Ekati, and Tres Borrachos are probable for the Travers Stakes (gr. I) at Saratoga.
Saturday, August 09, 2008
A severe summer thunderstorm, complete with heavy rain, hail, and lightning, washed out part of the main track at Saratoga, forcing the cancellation of racing after the second race Aug. 8.
Friday, August 08, 2008
Legends Racing made a powerful debut as a Thoroughbred buyer at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga select yearling auction, which ended its two-night run Aug. 5 in New York.
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
Curlin will make his next start in the $500,000 Woodward (gr. I) Aug. 30 at Saratoga, Stonestreet Stables' Jess Jackson told media members Aug. 5, but the majority owner would not commit to sending the reigning Horse of the Year anywhere after that, including the Breeders' Cup later this year at Santa Anita. Jackson also left the possibility open that Curlin could race next year, saying the chances were "pretty slim, but not foreclosed."
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
For complete coverage of the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga select yearling sale , including Hip-by-Hips and cumulative sale results, visit the new enhanced Auctions section on BloodHorse.com. Updated auction leader lists include top sires, consignors, buyers, and more!
Tuesday, August 05, 2008The Fasig-Tipton Saratoga select yearling sale, a small boutique auction that offers quality horses, got off to what the company's chairman, D.G. Van Clief Jr., termed "a solid start " Aug. 4 in New York.
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
The message at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame induction ceremony Aug. 4 was plain and simple: "It's all about the horse."
Monday, August 04, 2008
Willmott Stables' Wesley moved from last to first on the final turn before breaking free from a tightly-bunched field in deep stretch to win the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Stakes (gr. IIT) at Saratoga Race Course Aug. 4.
Monday, August 04, 2008
The Aug. 5 second and final session of the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga select yearling auction includes the offspring of such successful sires as Storm Cat, Unbridled's Song, Awesome Again, and A.P. Indy.
Monday, August 04, 2008
Three Chimneys Farm has become the two-year title sponsor of the Hopeful Stakes (gr. I) at Saratoga, the New York Racing Association announced Aug. 4.
Monday, August 04, 2008
Horse of the Year Curlin worked five furlongs in an easy 1:02.72 at Saratoga Aug. 4.
Monday, August 04, 2008
Horse of the Year has offspring from his first crop in the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga select yearling sale.
Sunday, August 03, 2008Jess Jackson, a leader in the push for integrity in the Thoroughbred marketplace, has his own consignment for the first time at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga select yearling sale, which begins its two-night run Aug. 4.
Sunday, August 03, 2008
Brandon and Diannah Perry are offering their first Thoroughbred yearling consignment in the name of their Kentucky-based Paragon Farms at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga select sale, which starts its two-night run Aug. 4 in New York.
Sunday, August 03, 2008
Many foreign countries are suffering the same economic woes as America.
Sunday, August 03, 2008
Trainer Bob Baffert was pleased with how Indian Blessing, juvenile filly champion of 2007, came out of her impressive seven-length win in the Test Stakes (gr. I) Aug. 2 at Saratoga.
Sunday, August 03, 2008
If the massive Keeneland September auction is the Wal-Mart of yearling sales, then Fasig-Tipton's Saratoga select auction is the stylish little boutique. There are only 195 horses in the Saratoga catalog, and some of their pedigrees are quite fancy. Horses by such top sires as A.P. Indy, Distorted Humor, and Storm Cat are scheduled to be offered during the sale's two-night run, Aug. 4 and 5, in New York.
Saturday, August 02, 2008Adena Springs has canceled its juvenile sale for 2009, but is selling 217 yearlings this year at sales conducted by Fasig-Tipton, Keeneland, and the Ocala Breeders' Sales Co.
Saturday, August 02, 2008
Hal and Patti Earnhardt's homebred filly Indian Blessing, who began her remarkable career almost a year ago by breaking her maiden at Saratoga, returned for the first time Aug. 2 in the $250,000 Test Stakes (gr. I) and like she did in her debut, destroyed the competition. This time, the 3-year-old daughter of Indian Charlie won by seven lengths to earn the fourth grade I victory of her career.
Saturday, August 02, 2008Fasig-Tipton will pay the nomination and entry fees for any of the six 2009 graded stakes for 2-year-olds at Saratoga Race Course on horses sold at its upcoming Saratoga select yearling sale, it was jointly announced Aug. 2 by the sales company and the New York Racing Association.
Saturday, August 02, 2008
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.
Friday, August 01, 2008
Zayat Stables' Thorn Song, who defeated Einstein July 4 in the Firecracker Handicap (gr. IIT) and has won twice in the past two months, tops a deep and talented field of 11 in the $150,000 Fourstardave Handicap (gr. IIT) Aug. 3 on the Saratoga turf.
Friday, August 01, 2008