Trainer Mike Maker and jockey Tyler Gaffalione teamed up for a pair of stakes victories on Canterbury Park's marquee Northern Stars Racing Festival card June 23, highlighted by Sniper Kitten's score in the $200,000 Mystic Lake Derby.
With a long-awaited top-level victory finally on his past performance lines, Heart to Heart will try to capture the race that has taunted him most when he heads a field of 10 in the $300,000 Maker's 46 Mile (G1T).
The good impression Woodbine management made on owner Ken Ramsey during some of his stakes wins at the suburban Toronto track encouraged the Eclipse Award-winning owner to commit a string of horses this year.
The Ontario-bred son of Gio Ponti gave the owners a 1-2 finish in the Barbadian group 1 and became their third Gold Cup winner in the past five years—all trained by Mike Maker—when he ran down stablemate Shining Copper to secure a half-length win.
Michael Hui's Hogy, a durable 9-year-old millionaire gelding, surged away from seven younger rivals through the stretch March 3 to capture the $150,000 Canadian Turf Stakes (G3T) at Gulfstream Park.
Hogy and Bigger Picture teamed up to give Maker and jockey Jose Ortiz a stakes double—Hogy won the Frontier Utilities Turf Sprint going five furlongs, while Bigger Picture took the 1 1/2 mile John B. Connally Turf Cup Stakes (G3) for the second year.
Sarah Sharp Farish's homebred Texting put an end to her five-race losing skid with her first graded stakes victory in the La Prevoyante Handicap (G3T).
After setting the pace for now-retired champion Big Blue Kitten, 8-year-old Shining Copper has carried on to earn graded accolades of his own—the latest of which set him up for a trip to compete in the Barbados Gold Cup.
Run Time was the beneficiary of a perfectly timed ride from Tyler Gaffalione in the $100,000 H. Allen Jerkens Stakes Dec.30 at Gulfstream Park, and the duo prevailed over grade 1 winner Bullards Alley by a head.
Trainer Mike Maker scored his 2,000th career victory Nov. 30, as Tomahawk Kitten scored his first victory, cruising home a 4 1/4-length winner in the first race at Turfway Park.
Shining Copper led every step of the way under leading rider Corey Lanerie to score a 1 3/4-length victory over Kasaqui (ARG) in the $100,000 River City Handicap (G3T) Nov. 23 at Churchill Downs.
Opening up the undercard of Breeders' Cup Saturday Nov. 4 at Del Mar, Kitten's Roar stepped away from her field through the stretch to take the Goldikova Stakes (G2T) by daylight over Thundering Sky and On Leave.
Ken and Sarah Ramsey continued their record-breaking pace, accumulating seven wins to earn their 19th leading owner title at Keeneland, while Mike Maker added another training title and Ricardo Santana Jr. secured his first Keeneland riding title.
It took almost a year to the day for Ken and Sarah Ramsey's Oscar Nominated to find his way back to the winner's circle, but some old Kentucky Downs magic did the trick.
The ageless wonder that is Hogy added to his indefatigable reputation Saturday when he reeled in Commend in late stretch to win the $400,000 Kentucky Downs Turf Sprint Stakes (G3T) by half a length and earn his first graded score since 2013.
Flurry Racing Stable's Mr. Misunderstood will face several ship-in rivals, including Gorgeous Kitten and Sonneteer, as six line up Sept. 9 for the $200,000 Super Derby at Harrah's Louisiana Downs.
Kentucky Downs' turf sprints, the $400,000 Turf Sprint (G3T) and $350,000 Ladies Sprint Stakes, offer huge paydays going 6 1/2 furlongs Sept. 9.
Big purses at Kentucky Downs, which completed a $5 million off-season renovation, attracted an overflow of entries to the track's maiden and allowance races, the richest in the nation.
Taghleeb is the 2-1 morning-line favorite for Arlington's American St. Leger Stakes (G3T) Aug. 12. At 5-2 is Keystoneforvictory. Both runners are trained by Mike Maker.
In his graded stakes debut, Ascend reached racing's heights. Now the 5-year-old son of Candy Ride will try for consistency at the graded level when he faces six other older horses in the Bowling Green Stakes (G2T) July 29 at Saratoga.
Ken and Sarah Ramsey's Keystoneforvictory passed two-time victor The Pizza Man late and went on to post a mild upset in the $100,000 Stars and Stripes (G3T) at Arlington International Racecourse July 8.
Trainer Mike Maker has three sophomores for the May 27 Arlington Classic Stakes (G3T), including Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) runner Fast and Accurate.
The annual Kentucky Derby Trainer's Dinner gives trainers a chance to laugh a little and blow off some steam. Trainer Mike Maker was first up May 2 at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Louisville, and he stole the show.
Fast and Accurate, winner of the JACK Cincinnati Casino Spiral Stakes (G3), worked five furlongs in 1:01 1/5 April 30 at Churchill Downs while readying for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1).
They were there to roast their mentor, but by the end of the night April 17 at the Keeneland sales pavilion, the seven prominent trainers who cut their teeth under legendary D. Wayne Lukas ended up toasting their former boss.
Maxis Stable's Enterprising once again found himself in the Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots winner's circle with a determined win April 1 in the $300,000 Muniz Memorial Handicap (G2T).
Kendall Hansen's longshot Fast and Accurate continued his improvement by leaps and bounds March 25 with a victory in the $500,000 JACK Cincinnati Casino Spiral Stakes (G3).
Kitten's Cat, a two-time stakes winner on turf, will try Polytrack in the $500,000 JACK Cincinnati Casino Spiral Stakes (G3) March 25 at Turfway Park.
Millionaire Da Big Hoss, a winner of four graded stakes during his 2016 campaign, took a step closer to his seasonal debut by working six furlongs on the dirt in 1:14.42 at Gulfstream Park March 17.
Michael Hui's son of Hard Spun will face two other challengers that have won graded stakes so far this year.
Maxis Stable's Enterprising stalked favorite Oscar Nominated and gained an advantage in the deep stretch to win the $125,000 Fair Grounds Handicap (G3T) Feb. 25 by three-quarters of a length to give trainer Mike Maker the exacta for the race.
Fans at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots figure to be plenty familiar with most of the starters in the $125,000 Mineshaft Handicap (G3) Saturday, Feb. 25.
The 6-year-old son of Hard Spun came off a Dec. 31 victory in the H. Allen Jerkens Stakes at Gulfstream for trainer Mike Maker and got the perfect ground-saving rail trip in the McKnight.
Trainer Mike Maker has won the past three editions of the $200,000 John B. Connally Turf Cup (G3T) at Same Houston Race Park and he's coming with a loaded hand seeking a fourth straight score Jan. 29.
Churchill Downs reports a 1.9% increase in purses paid at the 21-day fall meet that concluded Nov. 27 in Louisville.
Bigger Picture picked up his first graded victory and held off accomplished rivals to get the job done Nov. 12 at Aqueduct Racetrack, winning the $200,000 Red Smith Handicap (gr. IIIT) over Danish Dynaformer and Wake Forest.
It took Ken and Sarah Ramsey's 5-year-old mare Al's Gal 26 starts to earn her first graded win, but it was a whopper Oct. 16 at Woodbine.
Owners Ken and Sarah Ramsey, trainer Mike Maker and jockey Florent Geroux all clinched repeat titles in their respective categories for the 2016 Kentucky Downs meeting.
Trainer Mike Maker and jockey Florent Geroux swept the stakes events Sept. 11 at Kentucky Downs and did so as impressively as seemingly imaginable.
"All I can say is he's the second-best marathon horse in the United States," said trainer Mike Maker, ceding the top position to five-time group/grade I winner Flintshire. "I think we just go right to the Breeders' Cup. He runs really well fresh."
Da Big Hoss will face eight rivals Sept. 10 when he tries to become only the second horse to capture the $600,000 Calumet Farm Kentucky Turf Cup (gr. IIIT) twice.
Saying the stewards' decision was a judgment call not subject to appeal, the New York State Gaming Commission will not consider an appeal of their choice to take no action against Inordinate in the Aug. 27 Sword Dancer Stakes (gr. IT) at Saratoga.
Sky Chai Racing's distance specialist Da Big Hoss easily held back good-closing Clondaw Warrior to win the $300,000 American St. Leger (gr. IIIT) Aug. 13 at Arlington International Racecourse.
Da Big Hoss, a sharp winner of his last pair in stakes company, heads Arlington's 1 11/16-mile American St. Leger (gr. IIIT) on the Arlington Million XXXIV undercard.
The top three finishers in the Queen's Plate Stakes--Sir Dudley Digges, Amis Gizmo, and All On Red--are set to face off in the $500,000 Prince of Wales Stakes July 26 at Fort Erie.
Greengrassofyoming thrust out his nose in a pulsating four-horse finish to capture the Stars and Stripes Stakes (gr. IIIT) July 9 at Arlington International Racecourse as two-time defending winner The Pizza Man just missed in fourth.
The two have been most successful on turf, and if both advance to the Secretariat, they will be making their first grade I attempts on that surface.
The Arlington Handicap (gr. IIIT) is without a clear-cut favorite, giving bettors many ways to go.
After a third-place run in the Plate Trial June 12, an extra furlong seemed to suit Sir Dudley Digges July 3 in the $1 million Queen's Plate at Woodbine.
Jockey Rafael Hernandez, who was injured in a racing accident at Gulfstream Park Feb. 20, returned to action at the Florida track June 12.
