Hong Kong-trained Bullish Luck demolished a top field of Asian milers in the 56th running of the Yasuda Kinen at Tokyo Racecourse Sunday, and in the process earn a US$1 million bonus for the first time in the history of the recently established Asian Mile Challenge series.
Monceaux Stable's Naissance Royale outfinished Ambitious Cat to win the $308,900 Nassau Stakes (Can-II) for fillies and mares Saturday at Woodbine over a soft turf course.
Rush Bay, ridden by Rafael Bejarano, rallied from just off the pace and held off Purim in a long stretch duel to score a head victory in Saturday's $109,000 Opening Verse Handicap for 3-year-olds and up on the turf at Churchill Downs.
Joint Effort, ridden by Rene Douglas, opened a clear lead in the stretch and held off a late surge from Ready to Please and Victorina to score a one-length victory in Saturday's $167,850 Dogwood Breeders' Cup (gr. III) for 3-year-old fillies at Churchill Downs.
If there's to be a return to the TVG Breeders' Cup Sprint (gr. I) in 2006 for champion sprinter Lost in the Fog, trainer Greg Gilchrist knows one thing for sure -- his star should handle the track.
For all her accomplishments, the millionaire mare Star Parade has never been able to win successive races. That dubious distinction held when the even-money choice in Saturday's $168,000 Milady Breeders' Cup Handicap (gr. II) came up a head short of the winning Proposed after a stretch-long drive to the wire at Hollywood Park.
While Monmouth Park's brand new turf course goes through its growing stage, the Meadowlands will be the venue for grass racing in New Jersey. Monday's first-ever Monmouth-at-Meadowlands all-turf program proved popular enough to draw a total of 91 entries for eight races.
Horatio Nelson, who stumbled and suffered a broken right foreleg about three-sixteenths of a mile from the finish in Saturday's Vodafone English Derby (Eng-I) at Epsom, was euthanized following x-rays that showed the colt had fractured cannon and sesamoid bones and dislocated a fetlock joint.
The Pick Six paid a Hollywood Park record $1,540,401 Friday night to one winning ticket following a two-day carryover.
Harriett Lane, a game second behind the red-hot Foxysox two months ago, carries country western singing star Toby Keith's hopes in Sunday's $175,000-added Honeymoon Breeders' Cup Handicap (gr. IIT) for 3-year-old fillies on the Hollywood Park turf Sunday.
Carthage, coming off an upset victory over 2005 Eclipse Award winner Lost in the Fog, is the 120-pound high weight among five entered in Sunday's $125,000 Bay Meadows Breeders' Cup Sprint (gr. III).
Jockey John Velazquez returned a winner in his first start since being sidelined in an April 20 racing accident at Keeneland when he piloted Mr Sam I Am to a 2 3/4-length win for trainer Todd Pletcher in Belmont Park's fourth race on Friday.
Alexandrova landed another English classic for trainer Aidan O'Brien and owners Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor, and Derrick Smith when flying home an easy winner of the 228th running of the Vodafone Oaks (Eng-I) at Epsom on Friday.
In a matchup between former Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships race winners, 2005 John Deere Turf (gr. IT) winner Shirocco held off a game Ouija Board, winner of the 2004 Filly & Mare Turf (gr. IT) in Friday's Vodafone Coronation Cup (Eng-I) at England's Epsom Racecourse.
Jockey John Velazquez, originally planning a return to racing aboard the Todd Pletcher-trained Scat Daddy at Monmouth Park in New Jersey, will make his comeback Friday at Belmont Park instead. According to Velazquez's agent, Angel Cordero, the jockey's original mount scratched at Monmouth and will run Saturday at Belmont.
Joint Effort, an impressive winner of the $100,000-added La Troienne (gr. III) on Kentucky Derby Day, and Ready to Please, who won the Fantasy (gr. II) at Oaklawn Park in her stakes debut, head the field in the $150,000-added Dogwood Breeders' Cup (gr. III) at Churchill Downs.
Harry T. Aleo's Lost in the Fog, the Eclipse Award sprint champion of 2005, will get a feel for the track that will host this year's renewal of the TVG Breeders' Cup Sprint (gr. I) when he takes on six rivals in Saturday's $150,000-added Aristides Breeders' Cup (gr. III) at Churchill Downs.
Two-year-old Canadian-bred champion Edenwold gets his third chance to conquer a two-turn distance in Sunday's $150,000 Plate Trial Stakes at Woodbine.
Star Parade, trained by Darrell Vienna, will be after her second victory in the $175,000-added Milady Breeders' Cup Handicap (gr. II) in three years on Saturday at Hollywood Park.
After facing the best 3-year-old fillies in the country in races like the Kentucky Oaks and Ashland (both gr. I), Wait a While moves back to the turf in Saturday's $100,000 Sands Point (gr. IIIT) at nine furlongs at Belmont Park.
Invitational, off the board just once in seven career starts, makes her 4-year-old debut for conditioner Catherine Day Phillips in Saturday's $300,000 Nassau Stakes (Can-II) at Woodbine.
Dr. Tom Simon's Vinery has purchased the breeding rights Silver Train, most recently the winner of the Metropolitan Handicap (gr. I), and the colt will stand at the Kentucky division of the farm at the conclusion of his racing career.
Nearly 30 years ago, Michael Nance got his start in Thoroughbred racing cutting the grass at the Busler Training Center in Evansville, Ind. He recently saddled the 1,000th winner as a trainer.
Jockey Corey Nakatani rode four winners including Aragorn in the $321,000 Shoemaker Breeders' Cup Mile (gr. IT) to reach the 3,000-win mark Monday at Hollywood Park.
Heavily favored Magnum registered a convincing 1 ¼-length victory over Texcess in Monday's $400,000 Lone Star Park Handicap (gr. III) on a muddy track in Grand Prairie, Texas. The 1 1/16-mile race for older horses capped Lone Star Park's eighth annual Lone Star Million – a six-race stakes bonanza on Memorial Day.
Buckram Oak Farm's Silver Train held off a fast-closing Sun King to post a narrow victory in Monday's Metropolitan Mile (gr. I), the Memorial Day feature at Belmont Park.
Jockey Corey Nakatani earned his 2,999th career win Monday when he guided Ballygallon Stud's homebred Aragorn, the longest shot on the board, to victory in the $321,000 Shoemaker Breeders' Cup Mile (gr. IT) on the Hollywood Park turf.
Silverfoot, ridden by Mark Guidry, shot between horses in the final sixteenth to gain the lead in the final strides and edge clear for a neck victory over Ramazutti in the 69th running of the $108,400 grade III Louisville Handicap for three-year-olds and up, the Memorial Day feature race at Churchill Downs.
Shining Energy isn't just a mile specialist anymore. The Julio Canani-trained 4-year-old filly trailed the field in Monday's $349,500 Gamely Breeders' Cup (gr. IT) into the far turn, then unleashed a tremendous bid in the stretch to win going away in a mild surprise on the Hollywood Park turf.
Favored Sweet Talker squeezed her way through an opening between horses in mid-stretch and was all out to hold off the determined spoiler Joint Aspiration by a head to win the $200,000 WinStar Distaff Handicap (gr. IIIT) on the Lone Star Park turf Monday.
Pacesetting Siphon City and jockey Elvis Trujillo turned back the challenge of Congrats in the stretch and edged away to a 1 1/2-length win in the $100,000 Memorial Day Handicap (gr. III) at Calder Race Course
Kentucky-bred Tungsten Strike, narrowly beaten in back-to-back group III efforts, found the soft going at Sandown Park to his liking Monday and rolled to a five-length win in the more prestigious Henry II Stakes (Eng-II).
Jockey Eduardo Perez was taken to Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights, Ill., after being thrown by his mount, Cats Jazzy, in the first race at Arlington Park Monday.
Lost in the Fog, winner of the Eclipse Award as America's champion sprinter of 2005, has been assigned high weight of 124 pounds for next week's $150,000-added Aristides Breeders' Cup (gr. III) at Churchill Downs.
Around the Cape avoided trouble in the stretch run under Cornelio Velasquez to capture the $111,500 Jaipur (gr. IIIT) at six furlongs on the Belmont Park inner turf course in track-record time Sunday.
Odds-on choice Remarkable News, Javier Castellano in the irons, fought off two stubborn rivals to capture the $150,000 Connaught Cup Stakes (Can-IIIT) by a nose in dramatic fashion Sunday at Woodbine.
Hurricane Run made a superb seasonal debut when galloping home an easy winner of the Tattersalls Gold Cup (Ire-I) at The Curragh on Sunday.
Nightime gave trainer Dermot Weld and his mother, Marguerite, the thrill of a lifetime when she stormed home a six-length winner of the Boylesports Irish One Thousand Guineas (Ire-I) at The Curragh on Sunday.
Todd Pletcher's career has been filled with sparkling highlights, but the prestigious $600,000 Metropolitan Handicap (gr. I) has been a frustration to him. The two-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer sends out Bandini in Monday's renewal of the popular "Met Mile" at Belmont Park.
Santa Anita Handicap runner-up Magnum and the top four finishers from last month's Texas Mile (gr. III) top a competitive field of 10 older horses for Monday's $400,000 Lone Star Park Handicap (gr. III).
Favored Ever Elusive, hard ridden by Rafael Bejarano, angled six-wide at the top of the lane and caught 50-1 shot Malibu Mint in the final yards to notch a neck victory in Saturday's $110,200 Winning Colors for fillies and mares at Churchill Downs.
Ervin Rodriguez's odds-on favorite Big Apple Daddy made a decisive rally from well off the pace to run down the ultra-quick P. Kerney outside the sixteenth pole en route to a 2 ½ length victory in Saturday's $100,000 Donald LeVine Memorial Handicap over seven furlongs at Philadelphia Park.
Team Valor Stable's favored Unbridled Belle won a hard fought head victory over Amandatude in the $100,600 Go For Wand Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Delaware Park Saturday.
Chrysalis Racing's Silverfoot will attempt to extend a pair of notable winning streaks when the 6-year-old gray gelding faces five opponents in Monday's $100,000-added Louisville Handicap (gr. IIIT) at Churchill Downs.
Race favorite George Washington struggled with the heavy going at The Curragh as Araafa rolled to an impressive victory in the Boylesport Irish Two Thousand Guineas (Ire-I) on Saturday.
There were just five starters in the $100,000 Hanshin Cup Handicap (gr. III) at Arlington Park Saturday, but plenty of trouble nevertheless. Favored Gouldings Green was awarded victory when jockey Corey Lanerie was forced to take up while rallying along the inside, overturning a one-length victory by Fifteen Rounds.
The multiple graded stakes winner Honey Ryder shook off a zero-for-five record on the Belmont Park turf to capture Saturday's $150,000 Sheepshead Bay Handicap (gr. IIT) for fillies and mares in smart fashion under Garrett Gomez.
Cloverleaf Farm's grade II winner Congrats makes his Calder debut in his first start for trainer Kathleen O'Connell facing nine rivals in Monday's $100,000 Memorial Day Handicap (gr. III).
Two of the Meadowlands' special turf racing programs on three Mondays in June will have veteran race caller Dave Johnson at the microphone.
Trainer Gary Mandella hopes that Japanese-bred Silent Name can follow in the footsteps of last year's American Oaks (gr. IT) victor Cesario with a victory Monday on the Hollywood Park turf in the $300,000 Shoemaker Breeders' Cup Mile (gr. IT).
