
Kantharos Romps in Bashford Manor
Stonestreet Stables' Kantharos shrugged off a stumble at the break and cruised to a 9 1/2-length victory in the $108,200 Bashford Manor Stakes (gr. III) July 3 at Churchill Downs.
Stonestreet Stables' Kantharos shrugged off a stumble at the break and cruised to a 9 1/2-length victory in the $108,200 Bashford Manor Stakes (gr. III) July 3 at Churchill Downs.
Just Louise made a sparkling stakes debut June 26 at Churchill Downs, relinquishing the lead on the turn, then coming back in the final jump to win the $108,800 Debutante (gr. III) by a neck.
Colizeo, the 8-5 favorite, defeated Worldly after a long stretch duel to score the $125,000 Northern Dancer Stakes (gr. III) in his graded stakes debut June 12 at Churchill Downs.
Some leading current and retired jockeys will test their karaoke skills against each other during an April 17 talent competition at the Keeneland Entertainment Center. The event, titled "Riders Up!," will benefit the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund of the Jockeys' Guild.
Trainer Mike Maker established a Churchill Downs fall meet record for victories Nov. 19 when One Eyed Joker won the eighth race. His victory gave Maker his 21st triumph of the season.
Keeneland closed its 2008 fall season on Saturday, Oct. 25, with near-record attendance for the 17-day race meeting that began Oct. 3. On-track handle fell 8.3% and all-source wagering was down 17.8%.
Betting favorite Lucky Copy took a commanding six-length lead into the stretch, but could not find the wire in time during a desperate final sixteenth of a mile, as Closeout rallied from way back under Jamie Theriot to claim the $200,000 Pucker Up Stakes (gr. IIIT) by a half-length Sept. 6 on the Arlington Park grass.
Add a little more distance and throw in a few extra runners, and a rerun of the May 3 La Troienne Stakes (gr. III) is essentially what you'll have in the $100,000 Dogwood (gr. III) at Churchill Downs.
In the $150,000 Louisville Handicap (gr. IIIT) at Churchill Downs, Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider's homebred Lattice got an extension to the 1 1/2-mile distance, a confident ride from jockey Robby Albarado, and a soft pace to run at courtesy of Transduction Gold. Those factors were all he needed to put together a winning run.
Lantana Mob equaled the six-furlong track record at Pimlico May 17 when he ran down Silver Edition for a neck victory in the $100,000 Hirsch Jacobs Stakes (gr. III) on the Preakness Stakes (gr. I) undercard.
In spite of his affinity for Louisville, Robby Albarado is missing a victory in the race that makes that city famous. He'll be chasing that win in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) aboard the Steve Asmussen-trained Z Fortune, while making his 10th start in the race May 3.
NetJets Breeders' Cup Mile (gr. IT) winner Kip Deville makes his 5-year-old debut April 11 at Keeneland, but will have to take down 10 talented older horses in order to defend his Maker's Mark Mile (gr. IT) title, including multiple graded stakes winner Einstein.
As 12 horses headed to the post in the $6 million Dubai World Cup (UAE-I), trainer Steve Asmussen stood in the paddock at Nad Al Sheba racecourse. "I'm just wanting the real Curlin to show up," he said. Moments later, the Smart Strike colt more than obliged, rolling to a 7 3/4-length win and convincing viewers of one sure thing - right now "the real Curlin" is the best horse in the world.
One day before flying to Dubai in pursuit of the world's richest race, jockey Robby Albarado spoke of the newly-formed non-profit bearing his name that will help underprivileged individuals living in the Louisville, Ky. area.
Robby Albarado will have a definite target on his back when he rides Curlin in the $6-million Dubai World Cup (UAE-I) at Nad Al Sheba Racecourse March 29. But the Cajun jockey is confident in his mount's ability and the way the 2007 Horse of the Year is going to handle his 4-year-old campaign.
Curlin got a perfect trip, a perfect ride, and a perfect prep for the $6-million Dubai World Cup (UAE-I) when he won the $175,000 Jaguar Trophy Handicap at Nad Al Sheba Race Course Feb. 28.
Denis of Cork came with a three-wide move into the stretch and ran away with the Southwest Stakes (gr. III) to score a 2 1/4 length win Feb. 18 at Oaklawn. The $250,000 mile race for 3-year-olds was run in 1:37.59.
Coming off his Delta Jackpot win, the Dixie Union colt looks to solidify Derby position Feb. 18 at Oaklawn Park.
Grasshopper made an impressive 4-year-old debut and earned his first graded stakes victory when he took the $150,000 Mineshaft Handicap (gr. III) at Fair Grounds Feb. 9.
The four ungraded $100,000 stakes races at Fair Grounds' "Road to the Derby Kickoff Day" were all about gate-to-wire wins and solid payoffs, as all but one of the winners paid more than $10 while setting or contesting the pace to do so at the Louisiana track Jan. 12.
Prior to this year's Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), Larry Jones, trainer of eventual runner-up Hard Spun, said of the meteoric rise of the then undefeated Curlin, "Six months from now, we could be looking at Curlin as a super horse." Well, it is now six months later, and Jones' words, unfortunately for him, have become prophetic.
Curlin swept past Hard Spun down the stretch to win the Breeders' Cup Classic - Powered by Dodge (gr. I) by 4 1/2 lengths.
Teuflesberg rebounds from a 17th place finish in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) to rally from last to win the Woody Stephens (gr. II).
Curlin, who suffered his first defeat in the Kentucky Derby (gr. I), kept gaining down the stretch and got past Street Sense in the final strides to win the Preakness Stakes (gr. I) Saturday at Pimlico.
Mending Fences euthanized after falling in Dixie Stakes. Jockeys Eddie Castro and Robby Albarado in spill but both walk off under their own power.
Almost a week has gone by since the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) and all the analyses have been written. While it's time to look ahead to the Preakness Stakes (gr. I), there still are some Derby points that are worth discussing.
Apprentice Joe Talamo, runaway leader in the jockey standings at Fair Grounds, will switch his tack to New York for the start of Aqueduct's main track meet in early April, according to his agent, Ronnie Ebanks.
Team Block's undefeated Corrupt proved much the best in capturing the delayed $75,000 Mardi Gras Stakes Monday at Fair Grounds Race Course.
The return of grade I winner Happy Ticket highlights the 2006 edition of "Louisiana Premiere Night" to be held at Evangeline Downs Racetrack and Casino Saturday.
Having just missed last time out when they moved too soon, Robby Albarado and 17-1 shot America Alive timed their move perfectly Saturday, taking the $470,400 Woodford Reserve Turf Classic (gr. I) at Churchill Downs.
Shadow Cast, who had a three-race win streak broken in her last start, rebounded to win the $336,300 Louisville Breeders' Cup Handicap (gr. II) Friday at Churchill Downs.
Louisiana's path on the Triple Crown trail officially gets underway Saturday with the running of the one-mile LeComte Stakes (gr. III) at Fair Grounds. Six 3-year-olds have passed the entry box, with Biloxi Palace and Storm Surge figuring to draw the most attention.
Colonial Colony will be seeking his first win since his 62-1 shocker in the Stephen Foster Handicap (gr. I) at Churchill Downs in June when he lines up in the $60,000 Louisiana Handicap Friday at Fair Grounds.
Jockey Robby Albarado won his 3,000th race Thursday at Fair Grounds Race Course aboard 2-year-old maiden Isle of Silver.
As two more winter Thoroughbred meets prepare to open, management is lining up commitments from jockeys in the wake of walkouts at Churchill Downs and Hoosier Park. Meanwhile, members of an insurance task force that will meet for the first time Nov. 22 hope to maintain focus and expedite recommendations.
Despite the absence of 15 riders who were ejected from Churchill Downs for refusal to commit to mounts on the Wednesday and Thursday race cards in a dispute over insurance, jockeys have been named to ride horses entered for those two days, according to a statement from the track.
William S. Farish's Midway Road will remain at Churchill Downs to participate in Saturday's 23rd running of the $750,000-added Stephen Foster Handicap (gr. I). The field is also expected to include Southern Image, Peace Rules, and Perfect Drift.
Midway Road, making just his second start since last June's Ohio Derby (gr. II), crushed a good field of handicap horses in record time while winning Thursday's $150,000 Ben Ali Handicap (gr. III) at Keeneland.
Perfect Soul remained perfect on the Keeneland turf course, winning the competitive Maker's Mark Mile (gr. IIT) Friday under a well-judged ride by Edgar Prado in course record time.
Jockey Robby Albarado Thursday became the seventh jockey in Fair Grounds history, and the second rider at the current meet, to ride six winners on a single card.
Robby Albarado will be aboard Toccet when the 4-year-old son of Awesome Again goes postward in the $300,000 Strub Stakes (gr. II) at Santa Anita Saturday.
Robby Albarado will be honored as the winner of the George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award in a winner's circle ceremony at Santa Anita Park on Feb. 7.
If Robby Albarado's luck holds, Jake Delhomme and the Carolina Panthers will upset the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXVIII on Sunday.
<i>By Ray Paulick</i> -- For clues as to why the coronation of Mineshaft as Horse of the Year was not unanimous, a call to Sigmund Freud would be necessary. The human mind can be a strange thing.
Robby Albarado, who was named the winner of the George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award on Thursday, reflected on the accomplishment Saturday morning at Fair Grounds. Albarado is currently the leading rider at the New Orleans track.
Robby Albarado, the regular rider on Horse of the Year favorite Mineshaft, is the winner of the 2004 George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award, Santa Anita Park announced Thursday.
Blushing Indian, second to Hopeful Stakes (gr. I) winner Chapel Royal in his last start, heads a field of 10 for Monday's Miller Genuine Draft Cradle Stakes at River Downs. At 1 1/16 miles, the $200,000 Cradle is the first big-money stakes for 2-year-olds around two turns.
Neil Howard may saddle a longshot Saturday in the Preakness (gr. I), but he sent out a favorite to win the $600,000 Pimlico Special (gr. I) Friday. Mineshaft and Robby Albarado won the Pimlico Special over Western Pride and longshot Judge's Case.
Limehouse, a 2-year-old Grand Slam colt, won the first important juvenile stakes of the year, the Three Chimneys at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Derby Day.
Keeneland ended its 15-day spring meeting with slight declines in both total handle and on-track attendance.