This year's edition of the $300,000 Madison Stakes (gr. I) may not feature a superstar such as 2012 winner Groupie Doll, but 10 older fillies and mares will provide a good wagering event at Keeneland April 13.
Ben Cecil, the son and nephew of English trainers, will attempt to win his first Breeders' Cup race with Reddam Racing's Second City in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (gr. I).
On the day I'll Have Another was honored at Betfair Hollywood Park, jockey Mario Gutierrez and owner J. Paul Reddam teamed to win the $150,000 Royal Heroine Mile Stakes (gr. IIT) by a head with Quiet Oasis July 7.
California Thoroughbred Trainers seated three directors and unanimously elected James Cassidy as its new president at its annual transition meeting July 6 held at Betfair Hollywood Park.
Just nudged in the Gamely Stakes (gr. IT) when caught late by Belle Royale, Quiet Oasis returns to Betfair Hollywood Park at a shorter distance in the $150,000 Royal Heroine Mile Stakes (gr. IIT) on the turf July 7.
Finishing with a flourish, Quiet Oasis produced a 15-1 upset in the $100,000 Wilshire Handicap (gr. IIIT) when she swept past pacesetter Briecat in the closing strides for a half-length victory at Betfair Hollywood Park.
Miss Mittagong will attempt to give trainer Ben Cecil consecutive wins in the Robert J. Frankel Stakes (gr. IIT) at Santa Anita on New Year's Day.
Trainer Ben Cecil confirmed that Medaglia d'Amour will be scratched from the $2 million Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic (gr. I) Nov. 4 after spiking a temperature the day before the race.
The busy Labor Day weekend of stakes action winds down at Del Mar with the Palomar Handicap (gr. IIT). The 1 1/16-mile race for older fillies and mares is a hard one to handicap.
Spring Style's wait for her first stakes victory ended in her 6-year-old debut Jan. 1 when she held off Harmonious by a nose to win the $147,000 Robert J. Frankel Stakes (gr. IIT) on the turf at Santa Anita.
Even though defending champion Tuscan Evening is awaiting a stakes date at Arlington Park, trainer Jerry Hollendorfer has a chance to win the $150,000 Royal Heroine Mile (gr. IIT) for a second year in a row July 3.
Medaglia d'Amour made her stakes debut a winning effort when she edged clear in deep stretch to take the $100,000 Wilshire Handicap (gr. IIIT) by 1 1/4 lengths over favored Cat by the Tale on the Hollywood Park turf May 1.
Loup Breton, whose stretch run fell a neck short in the San Gabriel Handicap (gr. IIT) as the favorite last month, appears to be the one to beat in the $150,000 San Marcos Stakes (gr. IIT) Jan. 18 at Santa Anita
After a couple of close tries earlier this year, trainer Ben Cecil warned that Ferneley would win a big race before all was said and done. That day came Aug. 29 when the Irish-bred 5-year-old swept past his tiring rivals to score a 1 1/2-length win in the $238,000 Del Mar Mile (gr. IIT).
Monba and Yankee Bravo, both prominent on last year's Triple Crown trail, will make their returns to the racetrack in the $100,000 Thunder Road Handicap (gr. IIIT) Feb. 7 at Santa Anita. However, Irish-bred Ferneley, a near-winner in consecutive graded stakes, could loom the largest in the one-mile turf event.
Making her first United States start for trainer Ben Cecil, Missit needed the entire length of the stretch to collar Sweeter Still for a nose victory in the $150,000 Providencia Stakes (gr. IIT) for 3-year-old fillies on the Santa Anita grass course April 5.
The 3-year-old In Excess colt looks for his second consecutive stakes score Feb. 9 at Turf Paradise in Arizona.
Worldly remains undefeated in three U.S. starts after grabbing the lead nearing the sixteenth pole and keeping even-money favorite Golden Balls at bay with a one-length spread in Saturday's $113,500 Cinema Breeders' Cup Handicap (gr. IIIT) at Hollywood Park.
Worldly will attempt to become the sixth horse to sweep Hollywood Park's turf stakes for 3-year-olds in Saturday's $150,000 Cinema Breeders' Cup Handicap (gr. IIIT).
Hollywood Turf Cup (gr. IT) winner Boboman, a disappointing fourth in the Californian (gr. II) in his last start June 2, came out of the race with an ankle injury and will undergo surgery this week, trainer Richard Mandella confirmed Wednesday.
Favorite Worldly outran Silent Soul and Mayor Bozarth through the stretch as jockey Victor Espinoza registered his third Will Rogers Stakes (gr. IIIT) victory in Saturday's one-mile turf race for 3-year-olds at Hollywood Park.
Journeyman Brice Blanc, a French-bred rider who found success on the Southern California circuit for nearly 10 years, has returned to ride for the rest of the Del Mar meet.
Genre, closing from far back, was along just in time when the apparent winner of the $128,200 Cinema Breeders' Cup Handicap (gr. IIIT), New Joysey Jeff, lost rider Jose Valdivia Jr. in mid-stretch Sunday on the Hollywood Park turf course.
Gary Tanaka's Hallowed Dream, a winner of her last three starts on the Santa Anita lawn for trainer Ben Cecil, shipped to Northern California to take the closing day $125,625 Yerba Buena Breeders' Cup Handicap (gr. IIIT) with a superb effort at Golden Gate Fields Sunday.
Bob and John's apparent six-length victory as the 1-5 favorite in Saturday's $100,000 Real Quiet Stakes for 2-year-olds was overturned by Hollywood Park stewards, who gave the victory to Genre, ridden by Martin Pedroza.
The arrest of financier and prominent Thoroughbred owner Gary Tanaka in New York on charges of allegedly stealing money from clients isn't impacting his far-flung racing stable, at least so far.
Gary Tanaka's grade I winner Passinetti is back in training after a second lengthy layoff and the 9-year-old gelding is less than two weeks away from racing, according to trainer Ben Cecil.
Irish-bred Hoh Buzzard gained command in the stretch of the $100,000 Brown Bess Handicap, repelling a late challenge from Uraib to win the closing-day feature by 1 1/4 lengths on the grass at Golden Gate Fields Sunday.
J. Paul Reddam's Natalma Stakes (Can-III) winner Fearless Flyer has been transferred to trainer Ben Cecil in California where she will be prepared for a start in the Oct. 2 Oak Leaf Stakes (gr. II) at Santa Anita.
Irish-bred Fearless Flyer and jockey Emily Ramsammy pulled off a mild upset, gliding to victory in the $177,300 Natalma Stakes (Can-III) for 2-year-old fillies Sunday at Woodbine.
Saturday's $150,000 Arcadia Handicap (gr. IIT) at Santa Anita has all of the earmarks of a springboard race for grass stakes later in the year at longer distances. Several of the eight entrants are better traveling farther than the Arcadia's 1 1/8-mile route. And none of the starters are coming off of a win.
Dan Hendricks is inclined to draw a line through Runaway Dancer's last race, an eighth-place finish in the William L. McKnight Handicap (gr. IIT) at Calder Race Course on Dec. 27.
Del Mar Derby (gr. IIT) winner Fairly Ransom, unplaced as the favorite in the San Marcos Handicap (gr. IIT) in his last start, will get a chance to redeem himself in the Feb. 16 San Luis Obispo Handicap (gr. IIT) at Santa Anita, Hall of Fame trainer Ron McAnally said.
Irish-bred Red Rioja slipped through a hole along the inside and edged away in the late stages to tally a one-length victory in Saturday's $100,000 Brown Bess Handicap (gr. IIIT) on the soft Golden Gate Fields turf course.
Hall of Fame trainer Ron McAnally sent Hollywood Derby (gr. IT) winner Sweet Return and runner-up Fairly Ransom out for works over Santa Anita's firm turf course Wednesday morning in preparation for a rematch in the Jan. 17 San Marcos Stakes (gr. IIT).
Gary Tanaka's grade I winner Passinetti has returned to trainer Ben Cecil's Santa Anita base after several months at a nearby farm and will aim at a defense of his title in the $400,000 San Juan Capistrano Handicap (gr. IT) at the end of the meeting on Apr. 18.
British import Hoh Buzzard, ridden by California-based Ryan Foglesonger, helped set the early pace and held off a late charge from Aud for a neck victory in Saturday's $175,650 Mrs. Revere (gr. IIT) for 3-year-old fillies on the turf at Churchill Downs.
Eclipse Award winner Golden Apples has been retired from racing because of a suspensory injury to her left front leg.
Michael Bello's John C. Mabee Handicap (gr. IT) winner Megahertz, as well as Juddmonte Farms' co-runner-up Tates Creek, will likely remain in California and be pointed toward the Southern California grass stakes, according to trainer Bobby Frankel's assistant.
It's been a long wait for trainer Ben Cecil, but he's oozing confidence over the upcoming 2003 debut of his Eclipse-winning race mare Golden Apples. She begins her 5-year-old season Saturday at Del Mar in the grade I, $400,000 John C. Mabee Handicap.
Trainer Ben Cecil reported that Gary Tanaka's champion Golden Apples is set to make her 2003 debut in Saturday's John C. Mabee Handicap (gr. IT) at Del Mar. The Irish-bred daughter of Pivotal received a 122-pound impost for Saturday's 1 1/8-mile turf event, one less than high weight and likely favorite Tates Creek.
Gary Tanaka's San Juan Capistrano Invitational Handicap (gr. IT) winner Passinetti has been taken out of training and will be rested for an indefinite amount of time, trainer Ben Cecil said. The 7-year-old gelding re-injured the same tendon that kept him out of training for three years.
San Juan Capistrano Handicap (gr. IT) winner Passinetti will likely make his next start in the $350,000 Charles H. Whittingham Memorial Handicap (gr. IT) at Hollywood Park, trainer Ben Cecil said. The 7-year-old gelding worked five furlongs in 1:02 2/5 handily over the firm turf at Hollywood on Sunday.
Gary Tanaka's Golden Apples had her first recorded work since being crowned last year's filly and mare turf champion, logging three furlongs in :37 2/5 breezing Sunday over Hollywood Park's firm turf course.
San Juan Capistrano Invititational Handicap (gr. I) hero Passinetti will be given a short break and won't likely turn up next until at least the end of the Hollywood Park meeting.
Gary Tanaka's Passinetti, a 7-year-old gelding who had been turned out for more than three years and was nearly given away to become a riding horse, became racing's resurrection story of this Easter season Sunday by winning the $400,000 San Juan Capistrano Handicap (gr. IT) at Santa Anita.
Embassy Belle is winless in two starts in the United States, but the 5-year-old Irish-bred mare has far from disgraced herself. She returns to the downhill turf course Saturday in the $100,000 Las Cienegas Handicap (Gr. III) for older fillies and mares.
Gary Tanaka's Golden Apples, who won last year's Eclipse Award as the country's top female turf horse, returned to trainer Ben Cecil's Santa Anita barn on Friday morning to begin preparations for her 2003 campaign.
Three nominees for the $150,000 Dahlia Handicap (gr. II) for fillies and mares on turf Dec. 21 worked Thursday.
A potential Eclipse Award winner and a wide-open Hollywood Derby (gr. IT) highlight the final day of Hollywood Park's Turf Festival Sunday.
