Free Drop Billy gave his owners and trainer Dale Romans their second win in the Claiborne Breeders' Futurity (G1) in the last three years and is on track to head to the Sentient Jet Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) at Del Mar Nov. 4.
Zipessa will be seeking her first victory of season and try to end a five-race skid dating back to last season when the 5-year-old daughter of City Zip starts in the $200,000 Robert G. Dick Memorial Stakes (G3T) at Delaware Park July 8.
Delaware Park, a bucolic race course steeped in racing history but an operation battling stiff competition from other Mid-Atlantic region tracks, begins its 80th season of racing with a 10-race program June 3.
Empyrean Stables' Zipessa broke through the graded ranks July 4 at Parx Racing, obtaining the lead early and maintaining it late in the $200,000 Dr. James Penny Memorial Stakes (gr. IIIT).
Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots closed its 144th racing season March 27 with Florent Geroux, Mike Stidham, and Midwest Thoroughbreds taking the respective jockey, trainer, and owner titles.
Twice a runner-up in previous grade I races, Her Emmynency would not be denied on Saturday, Oct. 10 as she held off Miss Temple City in the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (gr. IT) Presented by Lane's End at Keeneland.
Gold Standard: Tonalist repeats in the Jockey Club Gold Cup and more in the October 10, 2015 issue of Blood-Horse Magazine.
After rolling to a 10-length victory in the Prairie Meadows Juvenile Mile Stakes Aug. 7, Mark Breen's Pinnacle Peak will try for a second straight stakes win Sunday, Sept. 6 in the $100,000 Sapling Stakes at Monmouth Park.
DP Racing's Prize Exhibit will look to claim her third straight graded turf victory in the $300,000 Del Mar Oaks (gr. I) Aug. 15.
Lael Stables' Ageless will try to win the $150,000 Royal North Stakes (Can-IIIT) for a second straight year when she starts from the outside in the expected field of seven fillies and mares Sunday, July 26 at Woodbine.
Front-running filly Istanford took it to her male rivals early and held on late, carrying home a stylish victory in the $150,000 Arlington Classic Stakes (gr. IIIT) at Arlington Park.
New millionaire Willcox Inn will try to score a victory in his second start at the current Keeneland fall meet when he faces an expected field of eight other starters in the $200,000 Hagyard Fayette Stakes (gr. II) Oct. 26.
Two-time grade III winner Mister Marti Gras will try for a second straight stakes score when he faces an expected five other older horses in the $150,000 Washington Park Handicap (gr. III) Aug. 31 at Arlington Park.
Positive stories about horses that were retired at the right time and able to have lives beyond the track.
In the final start of her career, multiple graded stakes winner Upperline outfought Ciao Bella in the homestretch to prevail in the $125,000 Rood and Riddle Dowager Stakes Oct. 21 on the Keeneland turf.
Upperline will be returning to the course and 1 1/2-mile distance where she captured the Grey Goose Bewitch Stakes (gr. IIIT) in the spring.
Ruthville stole the show in front of a crowd of 8,259 fans at Canterbury Park Aug. 4, winning the $100,000 Lady Canterbury Stakes as a part of the track's second annual Fillies Race for Hope.
Hammers Terror won the inaugural running of the $161,250 Mystic Lake Derby at Canterbury Park July 28 in front-running fashion, surviving a lengthy inquiry into the final stages of the one-mile turf event.
Favored Upperline collared pacesetter Hooh Why in the final furlong to post a sharp four-length victory in the $150,000 Arlington Matron (gr. III) at Arlington Park May 26.
Upperline, runner-up in her last two stakes tries, found another gear in the late stages to win the $150,000 Grey Goose Bewitch (gr. IIIT) by 1 1/2 lengths April 26 at Keeneland.
Willcox Inn looks to wrap up his 2011 campaign with his first victory outside of Illinois when he squares off against a full field of 3-year-olds in the $250,000 Hollywood Derby (gr. I) Nov. 27.
Heavy choice Willcox Inn cut the final corner expertly for jockey Robby Albarado and sprinted away from his rivals in the stretch to win the $200,000 Hawthorne Derby Sponsored by TVG (gr. IIIT) by 4 1/2 lengths Oct. 15.
Proven over the Arlington Park turf course this year, grade II winner Willcox Inn switches Illinois venues to Hawthorne Racecourse for the first time in the $200,000 Hawthorne Derby (gr. IIIT) Sponsored by TVG Oct. 15.
Favored Willcox Inn's romp in the $200,000 American Derby (gr. IIT) on the Arlington Park turf July 9 will give trainer Michael Stidham a shot at sweeping the track's Mid-America Triple for the second year in a row.
Before May 28, Willcox Inn was best known as a horse whose lone win came against Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom. But in scoring the Arlington Classic, the son of Harlan's Holiday is beginning to write his own legacy.
The top three finishers of the Colonel E. R. Bradley Handicap (gr. IIIT) including the winner, Gran Estreno, will face off once again in the $125,000 Fair Grounds Handicap (gr. IIIT) Feb. 19.
Gran Estreno made a bold move on the final turn and pulled away from a good field in the stretch to win the Colonel E. R. Bradley Handicap (gr. IIIT) by 1 1/4 lengths Jan. 22 at Fair Grounds.
Wilcox Inn and Rough Sailing will represent trainer Michael Stidham in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Tuf.
Separated by just a nose in the recent Hall of Fame Stakes (gr. IIT), Interactif and Grand Rapport will meet again in the $250,000 Kent Stakes (gr. IIIT) at Delaware Park Sept. 25.
Favored Workin for Hops captured the second leg of the Mid-America Triple and became a likely contender for the Secretariat Stakes (gr. IT) next month when he dominated the field in the $200,000 American Derby (gr. IIT).
Workin for Hops, second to Paddy O'Prado in last month's Colonial Turf Cup (gr. IIT), aims for his first graded stakes win in the $200,000 American Derby (gr. IIT) on the Million Preview program at Arlington Park July 17.
Freshened since a fifth-place finish in the Ashland Stakes (gr. I) at Keeneland three months ago, Upperline drew away to a 4 3/4-length victory in the $100,000 Arlington Oaks (gr. III) July 3.
Comedero broke on the lead and was never challenged in winning the $400,000 Red Legend Stakes as the 1-5 favorite at Charles Town Races & Slots on the night of June 19.
Front-running favorite Tizaqueena, craftily ridden by E.T. Baird, drew away in the stretch and held sway for a two-length victory in the $150,000 Arlington Matron Handicap (gr. III) May 29 at Arlington Park.
Gran Estreno, a former claimer who registered his first graded stakes victory at Arlington Park last summer to cap a six-race winning streak, returns to his favorite track for the $100,000 Hanshin Cup Stakes (gr. III) May 29.
Bay to Bay wins the 1000 Guineas at Arlington; Robby Albarado gets a stakes double with Workin for Hops in the Arlington Classic
The front-running gelding takes the first added-money event on the Preakness (gr. I) Day program at Pimlico.
Setsuko, whose runner-up effort in the Santa Anita Derby (gr. I) didn't earn him enough in graded stakes company to make the May 1 Kentucky Derby (gr. I), instead will contest the American Turf Stakes at CD April 30.
Jockey Calvin Borel will receive the 2010 Bill Hartack Memorial Award at the Foundation's reception and award ceremony March 25.
Undefeated in three starts, Comedero is the 3-1 morning-line favorite for the $200,000 Springboard Mile, Remington Park's richest 2-year-old race of the year on Dec. 13.
Gran Estreno, claimed twice for $20,000 this year, earned a starting berth in the Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I) when he led all the way to win the $200,000 Washington Park Handicap (gr. III) at Aqueduct Sept.5.
Darley Stable's Tizaqueena will try to bounce back off a third-place finish in the Early Times Mint Julep Handicap (gr. IIIT), a defeat that broke a string of four consecutive scores, as she headlines a field of eight fillies and mares in the $100,000 Locust Grove Handicap (gr. IIIT) on the Churchill Downs turf July 5.
Darley Stable's Tizaqueena, chased by a wall of horses during a contentious stretch drive, was up to the challenge under Jamie Theriot, hanging on for a three-quarters length victory in the $238,600 Churchill Distaff Turf Mile (gr. IIT) May 2 at Churchill Downs.
Trainer Michael Stidham won the 1,000th race of his career Feb. 1 when Exoteric captured the second race at Sam Houston Race Park the evening of Feb. 1.
The 3-year-old gelding, a former claimer, looks for his second consecutive stakes win Feb. 2 at Turfway Park.
Arbuckle Bandit, ridden by Brice Blanc, unleashed a furious stretch rally while six or seven wide to win a remarkable four-horse photo finish in Saturday's $169,800 Commonwealth Turf for 3-year-olds at Churchill Downs.
Oak Crest Farm's homebred Sutra took advantage of a hot pace to tally a rail-skimming victory under jockey Mike Luzzi in Saturday's $400,000 Frizette (gr. I) for 2-year-old fillies at Belmont Park.
Pin Oak Stable's Whimsy used a ground-saving trip to stay close to the leaders, then angled out at the head of the stretch before pulling away for a 2 3/4-length victory over prohibitive favorite Cee's Irish in Friday night's $122,500 Iowa Oaks (gr. III) at Prairie Meadows.
Locally based runners bettered the shippers in a pair of grade III stakes for 2-year-olds on the closing day program at Arlington Park Sunday as Three Hour Nap won the $200,000 Arlington-Washington Breeders' Cup Futurity and Culinary captured top honors in the $100,000 Arlington-Washington Lassie.
Robert McNair's Native Annie and Frank Fletcher's There Goes Rocket won divisions of the $125,000 Texas Stallion Stakes for 2-year-olds to close out the 2003 season at Sam Houston Race Park.
