BloodHorse.com | Horse Racing News

 Royal Delta, Awesome Maria square off in Sabin
Despite carrying purse money of only $100,000, the field for Saturday's Grade 3 Sabin at Gulfstream Park couldn't have turned out much better. more...

 Grace Hall returns in Davona Dale
Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies runner-up Grace Hall is set to launch her sophomore campaign on Saturday as the probable favorite and horse to beat in the Grade 2, $250,000 Davona Dale Stakes at Gulfstream Park. more...

 Amazombie takes on The Factor in San Carlos
Following a weather-related delay, champion Amazombie is set to begin his six-year-old campaign when facing five challengers Saturday in Santa Anita's 74th running of the Grade 2, $200,000 San Carlos Stakes at seven furlongs. more...

 Shippers settle in at Fair Grounds ahead of weekend stakes
All the out-of-town shippers invading New Orleans in advance of Saturday's Louisiana Derby Preview Day arrived without incident in New Orleans by mid-morning Wednesday and were safely ensconced in three different barns on the Fair Grounds backstretch. more...

 Havre de Grace pointing to Azeri
Horse of the Year Havre de Grace will make her 2012 debut in the Grade 3 Azeri at Oaklawn Park on March 17. The announcement was made Wednesday by owner Rick Porter on his Fox Hill Farm website. more...

 BC Mile hero Royal Academy dies in Australia
Royal Academy, who gave the legendary duo of trainer Vincent O'Brien and jockey Lester Piggott their only Breeders' Cup wins with a thrilling photo-finish decision in the 1990 Mile at Belmont Park, has died. more...

 Southwest runners exit races well
The plane that brought the winners of both divisions of Monday's Grade 3 Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn returned to California Wednesday, though their trainer Bob Baffert has already vowed -- Gen. MacArthur-like -- "I shall return." more...

 Woodbine announces 2012 stakes
A 102-race, C$23 million stakes calendar will highlight Woodbine's 167-day Thoroughbred meet in 2012. more...

 Pimpernel favored in U.A.E. Oaks
The three-year-old classic generation take center stage at Thursday evening's Dubai World Cup Carnival meeting with both the Group 3 U.A.E. Oaks and Meydan Classic on the six-race card. more...

 Daisy Devine remains perfect on turf in Mardi Gras
In a battle of graded stakes winners in Tuesday's $75,000 Mardi Gras Handicap at Fair Grounds, it was James M. Miller's four-year-old Daisy Devine who fended off an older foe, the seven-year-old Cherokee Queen, to take the about 1 1/16-mile feature over yielding turf. more...

 Mineshaft loses three entrants
Fair Grounds stakes coordinator Scott Jones advised on Tuesday morning that the connections of Pants on Fire and Cool Blue Red Hot informed the racing office that their charges would not be coming from South Florida for Saturday's Grade 3 Mineshaft Handicap. In a related Mineshaft development, West Coast invader Gladding was reportedly not on the equine charter flight from California that was to arrive in New Orleans Tuesday. more...

 Maryland Jockey Club unveils new Pimlico logo
The Maryland Jockey Club on Tuesday unveiled a new logo for Pimlico Race Course. Pimlico, which opened on October 25, 1870, is the second oldest racetrack in the United States and is home to the $1 million Preakness Stakes, the middle jewel of Thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown. more...

 Secret Circle gives Baffert, Bejarano a Southwest double
Approximately a half-hour after guiding Castaway to a victory in the first division of the Grade 3, $250,000 Southwest at Oaklawn Park on Monday, jockey Rafael Bejarano and trainer Bob Baffert teamed up to win the second division with the highly-rated Secret Circle. more...

 Castaway runs away in first Southwest division
The Bob Baffert-trained Castaway stepped up off a maiden win at Santa Anita to dominate the first division of Monday's Grade 3, $250,000 Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park, kicking off a big-race double with stablemate Secret Circle, who prevailed as the 3-5 favorite in the second division. more...

 Yawanna Twist leads Dutrow exacta in General George
After rating in behind stablemate This Ones for Phil for nearly six furlongs, Steel Your Face Stables' Yawanna Twist drove up inside that rival with a sixteenth remaining to grab the Grade 2, $200,000 General George Handicap at Laurel on Monday by a half-length. Under a ground-saving ride by Mike Luzzi, the five-year-old completed the seven-furlong test in 1:22 1/5 over a fast track and returned $5.80, $3.20 and $3.20 as the 9-5 favorite. more...

 City to City on top in Buena Vista
After City to City could do no better than fourth as the 9-5 favorite in the Grade 2 Robert J. Frankel Stakes on New Year's Day, bettors let her go off at 8-1 in Monday's Grade 2, $150,000 Buena Vista Handicap. But the classy turf mare found a more favorable scenario in the Presidents' Day feature at Santa Anita, and prevailed in a blanket finish to repay her loyalists with $19, $7 and $5.20. more...

 Algorithms, Discreet Dancer work for Fountain of Youth
Trainer Todd Pletcher's team for Sunday's Grade 2 Fountain of Youth, the unbeaten duo of Algorithms and Discreet Dancer, turned in their final major exercise on Monday morning at Palm Meadows. more...

 Risen Star hopefuls turn in final works
Shortly after 8:30 a.m. (CST) Monday, following the morning renovation break, the first of Larry Jones' two sophomore colts preparing for Saturday's Grade 2 Risen Star on Louisiana Derby Preview Day stepped onto the fast main track at Fair Grounds, accompanied by a workmate that will be uninvolved with the Risen Star. more...

 Applauding to scratch from Rachel Alexandra
Saturday's Grade 3 Rachel Alexandra at Fair Grounds lost an entrant Monday when the undefeated sophomore filly Applauding was withdrawn following a four-furlong breeze in :50 4/5 over the fast main track at Fair Grounds. more...

 TwinSpires.com announces $1 million Triple Crown Showdown
TwinSpires.com, the official advance-deposit wagering service for Churchill Downs Inc., is offering its players an opportunity to win up to $1 million by betting the Kentucky Derby preps and the Triple Crown with TwinSpires.com. more...

 Havre de Grace posts five-furlong drill
Horse of the Year Havre de Grace continued to progress toward her 2012 debut in March, breezing five furlongs in :59 4/5 on Monday morning at Fair Grounds. more...

 Drill rebounds in San Vicente
Trainer Bob Baffert had to go back to the drawing board after Drill dropped five straight, but the Hall of Famer evidently came up with the right game plan as Karl Watson, Mike Pegram and Paul Weitman's colt returned to his best in Sunday's Grade 2, $147,000 San Vicente Stakes at Santa Anita. more...

 El Padrino invades for Risen Star
El Padrino, one of several Kentucky Derby prospects in the well-stocked barn of trainer Todd Pletcher, ships into Fair Grounds in search of graded earnings in Saturday's Grade 2, $300,000 Risen Star Stakes. more...

 Union Rags breezes from the gate for Fountain of Youth
Grade 1 Champagne star Union Rags was sent to the track at Palm Meadows Training Center Sunday morning for his final workout for next Sunday's Grade 2 Fountain of Youth. more...

 Believe You Can, Applauding face off in Rachel Alexandra
Believe You Can will only have to contend with six rivals in Saturday's Grade 3, $200,000 Rachel Alexandra Stakes at Fair Grounds, but her biggest threat looks to come from a filly making her stakes bow in the 1 1/16-mile race. more...

 Pants on Fire, Nehro back on LA Derby Preview undercard
As current Kentucky Derby hopefuls look to earn their stripes in Saturday's Grade 2 Risen Star Stakes, it's fitting that the top two finishers from last year's Grade 2 Louisiana Derby -- Pants on Fire and Nehro -- will launch their four-year-old campaigns on Louisiana Derby Preview Day at Fair Grounds. Pants on Fire is entered in the Grade 3, $125,000 Mineshaft Handicap, one of five supporting stakes on the undercard, while Nehro opts for an easier spot in an optional claimer. more...

 R Holiday Mood battles to Hurricane Bertie victory
R Holiday Mood dueled with Funny Sunny throughout Sunday's Grade 3, $150,000 Hurricane Bertie Stakes at Gulfstream Park, and just got the best of that rival when keeping her neck in front on the wire of the 6 1/2-furlong affair under jockey John Velazquez. more...

 Caleb's Posse readies for Tom Fool
Two-time Grade 1 winner Caleb's Posse posted his latest workout Sunday morning at Oaklawn as the runner-up for champion three-year-old honors prepares for his four-year-old debut in the Grade 3, $200,000 Tom Fool on March 3 at Aqueduct in New York. more...

 Dancinginherdreams returns a winner
John C. Oxley's Dancinginherdreams made a triumphant return to the races on Sunday when taking the 5TH race at Gulfstream Park by a length under jockey Edgar Prado. more...

 Southwest is proving ground for Jake Mo, King Coral
Leading trainer Allen Milligan instituted some new programs for his pair of three-year-old hopefuls in both divisions of Monday's Grade 3, $250,000 Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn. more...

 Brasser 'flattered' to be Havre de Grace's exercise rider
There's a touch of geographic irony in the fact that Jen Brasser, who was born in The Netherlands, ended up as the exercise rider this winter for Fox Hill Farms' 2011 Horse of the Year Havre de Grace, the champion mare who is named for Maryland's picturesque town as well as its historic Thoroughbred race course that flourished there from 1912 to 1950. more...

 Animal Kingdom back with a bang
Kentucky Derby-winning champion Animal Kingdom, who had not raced since sustaining an injury in the Belmont Stakes last June, returned to action with a stylish display as the 3-5 favorite in Saturday's 5TH race at Gulfstream Park. With this turf prep under his belt, the Team Valor International homebred promises to be a major player in the Group 1 Dubai World Cup at Meydan on March 31. more...

 Black Caviar finds extra to rack up number 19
While last week's Group 1 C.F. Orr Stakes was a stroll in the park for Black Caviar, the world's top sprinter had to dig deep to keep her unbeaten streak alive in Saturday's Group 1 Lightning Stakes. Her previous victories demonstrated her extraordinary speed and class; this one also revealed the depth of her heart. more...

 Mahbooba gets her revenge in Balanchine
Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa al Maktoum's homebred Mahbooba, just touched off by First City in the Group 2 Cape Verdi over an inadequate mile last time, exacted revenge on her rival over an extra furlong in Friday's Group 2, $200,000 Balanchine at Meydan. more...

 March Madness meets racing in Santa Anita online contest
Santa Anita Park has announced the launch of a first-ever Santa Anita Derby online contest patterned after the wildly popular March Madness basketball bracket model, with winners to be determined according to the outcome of the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby on April 7. more...

 Hansen tops Derby Graded Earnings list
Hansen, last year's champion two-year-old male and winner of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Churchill Downs, sits atop the official Kentucky Derby Graded Stakes Earnings list that will likely determine the participants for the 138th running of the $2 million Kentucky Derby on May 5. more...

 Viscount Nelson bombards Al Fahidi Fort
Making his second start for a partnership headed by trainer Mike de Kock, Viscount Nelson rallied strongly in deep stretch to capture Thursday's Group 2, $250,000 Al Fahidi Fort at Meydan. The former Ballydoyle runner, who had skipped his last intended engagement because of a hoof bruise, swooped to collar Albaasil by a half-length with fellow de Kock trainee Master of Hounds back in third. more...

 Pants on Fire expected to return in Mineshaft
George and Lori Hall's Pants on Fire, hero of last season's Grade 2 Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds, is being pointed toward a return to the Crescent City to contest the Grade 3 Mineshaft Handicap on February 25. more...

 Charity Night at the Tables returns to Turfway
Turfway Park will present the 11th annual Charity Night at the Tables on March 17, continuing a tradition established in 2002 by the Northern Kentucky Leadership Foundation. The event is scheduled from 7 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. (EDT) in the Spiral Stakes VIP Tent at Turfway Park. more...

 Adirondack King and rivals put in final moves for Southwest
Adirondack King and trainer John Servis have lived by the Postal Service creed since arriving last weekend for Monday's Grade 3, $250,000 Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn. more...

 Havre de Grace breezes half-mile
Horse of the Year Havre de Grace breezed a half-mile in :48 3/5 Wednesday morning at Fair Grounds more...

 Risen Star, Rachel Alexandra fields taking shape
Red-hot reinsman Javier Castellano, who introduced himself to Fair Grounds fans on Louisiana Derby Preview Day two years ago by winning two of the four graded stakes contested that afternoon, will return to the New Orleans oval February 25 to ride El Padrino more...

 Kentucky Derby joins with three new sponsors
Churchill Downs Racetrack on Wednesday announced three new partners for the upcoming $2 million-guaranteed Kentucky Derby, more...

 Registration open for 'Road to the Roses'
Churchill Downs' popular "Road to the Roses" Kentucky Derby Fantasy Challenge is back for the 14th consecutive year more...

 Californians arrive for Southwest
The roar of the Tex Sutton retro-fitted Boeing 727 never fails to charge up Hot Springs Municipal Airport and Tuesday was no different as four shippers from California arrived safely including Breeders' Cup Juvenile Sprint winner Secret Circle and his Bob Baffert-trained stablemate Castaway. more...

 Now I Know injured, retired
Grade 3 winner Now I Know, the Oklahoma-bred gray who saw her undefeated status snapped in the $75,000 Martha Washington at Oaklawn Park last Saturday, has been retired after exiting the one-mile race with a fractured left knee. more...

 Contest announced to name Rachel Alexandra colt
Barbara Banke and Harold McCormick, the owners of 2009 Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra, have announced that racing fans will have the opportunity to name her Curlin colt born on January 22. more...

 Union Rags, Pletcher armada work at Palm Meadows
Kentucky Derby hopefuls were out in force at Palm Meadows on Monday, led by Grade 2 Fountain of Youth contestants Union Rags, Algorithms and Discreet Dancer, all working toward their clash at Gulfstream Park February 26. more...

 Mutuel field closes as 3-2 choice in KDFW Pool 1
Kentucky Derby Future Wager -- Pool 1 more...

 Castellano sticks with Algorithms in Fountain of Youth
Daily Racing Form reports that jockey Javier Castellano has chosen to ride Algorithms, giving up the mount on Union Rags, in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream Park on February 26. Union Rags will pick up the services of Julien Leparoux. more...

 Creative Cause fires bullet for San Vicente
Grade 1 Norfolk hero Creative Cause drilled six furlongs in a bullet 1:11 2/5 at Hollywood Park on Sunday, posting the fastest of 17 works at the distance on the Cushion Track. more...

 Longview Drive to ship for Southwest
Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, who dispatched champion Blind Luck to Oaklawn for the past two years, will return to Hot Springs, this time with promising three-year-old Longview Drive. more...

 Gomez aims to be back in time for Out of Bounds
Garrett Gomez was a visitor to Clockers' Corner at Santa Anita Sunday morning, sporting crutches but otherwise in good shape as he recovers from a broken left heel leaving the Seabiscuit Walking Ring for the Grade 3 Daytona Stakes on January 8. more...

 Pletcher represented by star duo on Louisiana Preview Day
Exactly two weeks after five-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Todd Pletcher recorded his 3,000th career winner, the megastar conditioner will be well-represented at Fair Grounds with at least three horses on target for the upcoming stakes-laden local Louisiana Derby Preview Day on February 25. more...

 Hansen to Gotham; Alpha will train in Florida for Wood
Hansen, 2011's champion two-year-old male, will make his next start in the Grade 3, $400,000 Gotham Stakes, run at 1 1/16 miles over the inner track at Aqueduct Racetrack on March 3 more...

 Pletcher saddles 3,000th winner
Eight-time defending Gulfstream Park training champion Todd Pletcher attained a career milestone Saturday, notching his 3000th victory by saddling Spring Hill Farm for a trip to the Gulfstream winner's circle in the 3RD race. more...

 Amie's Dini hands Now I Know first loss in Martha Washington
Amie's Dini was the second choice in Saturday's $75,000 Martha Washington Stakes at Oaklawn Park, but ran like a favorite when holding previously unbeaten 1-2 choice Now I Know by 1 3/4 lengths on the wire. more...

 Joyful Victory guts out Tiffany Lass victory
Fox Hill Farms' Joyful Victory, asked to show a second effort when passed by Ravi's Song in midstretch of Saturday's $73,500 Tiffany Lass Stakes at Fair Grounds, responded to that request with a courageous half-length tally in the New Orleans oval's featured race of the weekend. more...

 Ever So Lucky out of Hutcheson
Augustin Stable's Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club runner-up Ever So Lucky was scratched from Saturday's Grade 2, $150,000 Hutcheson Stakes at Gulfstream Park. more...

 Apprehender, No Spin work toward Southwest
With wintry weather threatening Hot Springs, Arkansas, for the first time this season, trainer Ingrid Mason moved up a scheduled Oaklawn Park workout for Dream Farm LLC's Apprehender to Saturday. more...

 Black Caviar runs up the score to 18-0
Australian sprint phenom Black Caviar was trying about seven furlongs for the first time in Saturday's Group 1 C.F. Orr Stakes at Caulfield, but far from providing any sort of distance test, it simply gave the unbeaten mare more ground to restate her overweening superiority. more...

 Caleb's Posse drills five furlongs in advance of Tom Fool
Caleb's Posse, the only three-year-old male to win two Grade 1 races in 2011, will begin his 2012 campaign with a start in the Grade 3, $200,000 Tom Fool Handicap run over six furlongs on the inner track at Aqueduct on March 3, according to trainer Donnie Von Hemel more...

 Jones expects Havre de Grace will be ready to run soon
One day after reigning Horse of the Year Havre de Grace accomplished her first official work of the 2012 racing season, trainer Larry Jones was sounding increasingly positive that the Fox Hill Farm colorbearer would run her first race of the year in New Orleans. more...

 Havre de Grace posts first official breeze of 2012
Horse of the Year Havre de Grace began preparations for her five-year-old campaign at Fair Grounds on Friday, breezing three furlongs in :37 4/5. It was the first work back for the champion mare since October 31. more...

 Pletcher reveals plans for classic prospects
Trainer Todd Pletcher has so many promising three-year-old colts that his most pressing challenge may be to work out a schedule of future stops on the Road to the Kentucky Derby for all of them. more...

 On Fire Baby to aim for Honeybee
Dual Grade 2-winning filly On Fire Baby will be pointed toward the Grade 3, $125,000 Honeybee at Oaklawn Park on March 10 as trainer Gary 'Red Dog' Hartlage seeks the best schedule to get the talented three-year-old to peak at Churchill Downs in the first week of May. more...

 Fed Biz impresses on eve of Derby Future Wager
The Bob Baffert-trained Fed Biz, pegged at 20-1 in Pool 1 of the 2012 Kentucky Derby Future Wager that opens Friday, will likely see those odds drop after his tour de force performance in Thursday's 2ND race at Santa Anita. more...

 Mendip caps bin Suroor's four-win night
Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed al Maktoum's Mendip rolled to victory in Thursday's Group 2, $250,000 Maktoum Challenge Round 2 at Meydan, crowning a four-win night for trainer Saeed bin Suroor. more...

 Lukas runners gearing up for President's Day weekend
It was not difficult to find the fastest workers at Oaklawn Park from the last couple days. One just had to visit the two-barn complex occupied by last year's training champion, Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas. more...

 Southwest could be next for Najjaar
Shadwell Farm's nice maiden winner Najjaar is listed as probable for the Grade 3, $250,000 Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park on February 20 according to trainer Danny Peitz, pending another good week of training at the Hot Springs, Arkansas, track. more...

 British jumps legend Gifford dies at age 70
Former champion jockey and trainer Josh Gifford passed away early Thursday morning at the age of 70. Gifford had been treated for a severe case of septicaemia and had only recently returned home. more...

 Thoroughbred industry comes together to form Aftercare Alliance
A broad-based group of Thoroughbred industry stakeholders announced Thursday the establishment of the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA) -- an organization designed to serve as both the accrediting body for aftercare facilities that care for Thoroughbreds following the conclusion of their racing careers and a fundraising body to support these approved facilities. more...

 Oaklawn announces purse increase
Mother Nature has blessed Oaklawn with much better weather this season, and as a result the track is raising overnight purses $5,000 per day beginning with Thursday's nine-race card. Oaklawn was due some good fortune in the weather department after losing a record eight days to cold, snow and ice in 2011. more...

 Cyber Secret added to Triple Crown nominations list
The roster of three-year-old Thoroughbreds nominated to compete in the classic races of the American Triple Crown has grown by one with the addition of Charles J. Cella's Cyber Secret, who was omitted from the initial roster of 397 early nominations because of a clerical error. more...

 Team Valor, Santulli purchase champion miler from Uruguay
Team Valor International and Richard Santulli have purchased champion South American miler Brujo de Olleros and will import the once-beaten colt on February 20 from Uruguay. more...

 Boundary, sire of Big Brown, dies at 22
Multiple Grade 3 hero Boundary, sire of once-beaten champion Big Brown, was euthanized at Claiborne Farm on Saturday due to the infirmities of old age. The son of renowned Claiborne stallion Danzig was 22 years old. more...

 Alpha could contest Gotham or wait for Wood
Sporting a brand-new New York Giants cap in honor of their appearance in Sunday night's Super Bowl XLVI, trainer Kiaran McLaughlin reported that Alpha returned from his Withers CXXXII victory in good order and would likely take the next step to the Kentucky Derby in New York. more...

 Junebugred works for Southwest; Cyber's no longer a Secret
Junebugred, who stepped up off an Aqueduct maiden win to capture the January 16 Smarty Jones Stakes, worked at Oaklawn Park on Sunday in preparation for the Grade 3 Southwest Stakes on February 20. more...

 Star Guitar rocks sloppy Premier Night Championship
Brittlyn Stable Inc.'s seven-year-old Star Guitar rallied from last in a field of 10 on Saturday night to capture his fourth consecutive $200,000 Louisiana Premier Night Championship at Delta Downs. more...

 Hansen, Union Rags, Algorithms top Triple Crown nominations
Champion Hansen and Union Rags, separated by a head in a thrilling 1-2 finish in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, and unbeaten Algorithms, who stepped into the spotlight with a five-length win over the champion in the Grade 3 Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park last Sunday, top a large roster of 397 horses made eligible during the early nomination phase to compete in the three classic races that make up American horse racing's elusive Triple Crown. more...

 Mr. Prankster romps to WEBN victory
Thomas F. Conway and Mike Maker's Mr. Prankster trailed in last from his outside post during the opening quarter of Saturday's $50,000 WEBN Stakes at Turfway Park, but steadily made up ground to challenge after six furlongs, take command and easily draw off to score by 7 1/2 lengths under jockey John McKee. more...

 Gamilati canters home in UAE Guineas
Godolphin's Gamilati loomed as a prohibitive favorite in Friday's $250,000 U.A.E. One Thousand Guineas at Meydan, but the daughter of Bernardini did more than simply win. more...

 Daddy noses out Chappy in El Camino Real
Bob and Cathy Zollars' Daddy Nose Best outdueled Lucky Chappy after a stretch-long drive in Saturday's Grade 3, $201,300 El Camino Real Derby, prevailing in the tightest-ever finish to Golden Gate Fields' signature prep for the Kentucky Derby. more...

 Ellafitz sparkles in Santa Maria
Ellafitz led all the way home in the Grade 2, $200,000 Santa Maria Stakes at Santa Anita on Saturday, scoring by 1 1/4 lengths over a furiously rallying Vision in Gold and Miss Mittagong, who dead-heated for second. more...

 Magical Feeling rallies for Barbara Fritchie upset
Peter E. Blum's homebred Magical Feeling posted a 27-1 upset in Saturday's Grade 2, $200,000 Barbara Fritchie Handicap at Laurel Park. more...

 TwinSpires.com qualifier Beychok wins $1 million as NHC champion
Michael Beychok of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, parlayed a third-place finish in the TwinSpires.com Online Handicapping Championship into a $1-million first prize as the winner of the National Handicapping Championship January 27-28 at Treasure Island Casino in Las Vegas. more...

 Kentucky Derby Report
Bob Baffert's stable flexed its muscles over the Presidents Day weekend, taking down Sunday's Grade 2 San Vicente at Santa Anita and both divisions of Monday's Grade 3 Southwest at Oaklawn Park. more...

 Handicapping Insights
Wouldn't it be great if you could go to the track each morning and watch all the workouts? It would be a lot of work and you would have to know what you are watching for it to be worthwhile. After many years of doing it, I'm sure you would get good at it. more...

 Kentucky Derby Report
Bob Baffert showed his stable's depth last week at Santa Anita, sending out a pair of impressive winners in Fed Biz and Bodemeister. more...

 Off Track
We are going way off track here. I was at the Fasig-Tipton sales a while back, and I see this van advertising a "Horse Communicator." Well, I looked at that for a bit and had a pretty good idea what my next article was going to be about. more...

 2011 Turf Awards
Fireworks have been ignited around the world, along with the popping of corks and the blaring of noisemakers, so it's time once again for the fifth annual Reilly Turf Awards, my idiosyncratic review of the racing season. more...

 Commentary
In the dozen years I've had the privilege of casting an Eclipse Awards ballot, I don't think I've approached the exercise with as much trepidation as I do this year. As is the case every year a majority of the selections are pretty straightforward, but the racing gods have chosen to be unusually cruel this time by making several divisions either completely inscrutable or an extremely difficult choice between two (relatively) worthy candidates. more...

 Commentary
Five straight graded stakes wins, three of the Grade 1 variety. Clearly the best turf horse in the West, but also a winner over the best main-track runners in the Pacific Classic. Yet the Donald Warren-trained Acclamation gets little credit. more...

 Reilly's Peerage
Major campaigns are calling to mind the fascinating history of the gray coat color in the Thoroughbred, and how fortunate we are to have so many at the sport's highest level today. more...

 Santa Anita Notebook
A trio of graded runs took place this past week at Santa Anita more...

 Aqueduct Notebook
A total of 46 races were held over Jamaica, New York venue, with favorites winning at a more...