Centre Court, seizing the lead in deep stretch, held off a streaking Kitten's Point by a nose to make it consecutive wins in the $200,000 Honey Fox Stakes (gr. IIT) on the Gulfstream Park turf March 15.
Trainer Rusty Arnold was earning his second Keeneland training title, securing a then-record 13 victories. Although he might not have guessed it, the trainer from Paris, Ky. also was beginning a long streak of success. read blog
Trainer George "Rusty" Arnold believed Zinzay was going to be a turf horse and the Smart Strike filly showed her affinity for that surface when she won a 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight for 2-year-old fillies.
Grade I winner Centre Court will face Laughing, Miz Ida, Somali Lemonade, and Hungry Island trying to make it back to the winner's circle in the $250,000 Ketel One Ballston Spa Stakes (gr. IIT) Aug. 24 at Saratoga.
A resolute Ice Cream Silence withstood pace pressure throughout to prevail by a neck over Sisterhood for jockey Rosie Napravnik in the Hilliard Lyons Doubledogdare Stakes (gr. III) at Keeneland April 19.
G. Watts Humphrey Jr.'s homebred Centre Court ran down 2012 Jenny Wiley (gr. IT) winner Daisy Devine in the final furlong of the 2013 renewal to get her first grade I victory for trainer Rusty Arnold at Keeneland April 13.
There was no moss growing on Centre Court, who made her 2013 debut a winning one by 1 3/4 lengths in the $150,000 Honey Fox Stakes (gr. IIT) March 16 at Gulfstream Park.
After winning two grade II stakes on turf against other fillies of her age last season, Centre Court will take on older rivals for the first time when she begins her 4-year-old campaign March 16 in the Honey Fox Stakes.
Centre Court served up an ace at Churchill Downs in the $175,000 Mrs. Revere Stakes (gr. IIT) Nov. 17, fulfilling expectations as the 3-2 favorite and extending her record on the Louisville turf to a perfect 3-for-3.
Centre Court carries top weight in a full field of 12 sophomore fillies looking to capitalize on one of the last local grass stakes of the season, the $175,000-added Mrs. Revere Stakes (gr. IIT) at Churchill Downs Nov. 17.
A Kentucky state veterinarian accidentally administered furosemide to a racehorse at Keeneland Oct. 5, the first day a new state rule was enacted that requires the medication to be administered by KHRC vets.
Kentucky Downs ended its most successful live race meet Sept. 19 in Franklin, establishing new benchmarks for on-track and all sources handle while hosting some of the highest quality racing the track has seen.
Irish One Thousand Guineas (Ire-I) heroine Samitar and Ashland Stakes (gr. I) winner Karlovy Vary head a field of seven 3-year-old fillies entered for the $300,000 Garden City (gr. IT) at Belmont Park Sept. 15.
Centre Court, weaving through traffic in the stretch run on the Saratoga Race Course turf under Julien Leparoux, got the lead in deep stretch and prevailed in a roughly-run renewal of the $200,000 Lake George Stakes July 25.
The 3-2 favorite in a field of 11 3-year-old turf fillies, the bay daughter of Smart Strike got her first graded win.
Helen Groves' And Why Not fired a :46 4/5 bullet in a half-mile drill at Churchill Downs April 28. The daughter of Street Cry was one of five fillies that worked under the Twin Spires for the May 4 Kentucky Oaks (gr. I).
This year's Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) picture is shaping up nicely, with a talented cast of fillies poised to contend on the first Friday in May at Churchill Downs.
Alex G. Campbell Jr.'s homebred goes wire-to-wire in Keeneland feature April 7.
Veteran Kentucky horseman George R. Arnold Sr. died July 4. The Lexington native was 83.
Eight-year-old Karelian, who scored the biggest win of his career in the Maker's Mark Stakes (gr. IT) last month, bids for consecutive grade I victories when he battles nine rivals in the $250,000 Shoemaker Mile (gr. IT).
Two Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) hopefuls turned in workouts at Keeneland and Lone Star Park April 16. While It's Tea Time breezed four furlongs in :49 flat at Keeneland, Bella Diamante covered five furlongs in :59 4/5 at Lone Star.
Green Lantern Stables' homebred Karelian held off favored Court Vision in the stretch to win the $300,000 Maker's Mile (gr. IT) under Julien Leparoux April 9 in Keeneland's feature.
Gio Ponti, the champion male turf horse and champion older male of 2009, was upset at 1-5 odds in his seasonal debut Feb. 20 when 5-1 shot Karelian won a head bob and the $150,000 Tampa Bay Breeders' Cup.
One Caroline, the talented 4-year-old daughter of Unbridled's Song who won her first five career starts, has been sidelined by an undisclosed injury that occurred during a third-place finish to Malibu Prayer in the Nov. 7 Chilukki Stakes (gr. II) at Churchill Downs.
Karelian may have been named for a comic book character, but he will be all business in the TVG Breeders' Cup Mile (gr. IT).
G. Watts Humphrey Jr.'s One Caroline, who suffered her first career loss in six starts when she ran second to Miss Isella in the May 1 Louisville Distaff (gr. II), will not get a rematch with that rival in the June 13 Fleur De Lis (Grade II) at Churchill Downs.
The Louisville Distaff (gr. II) is a fine race in its own right, but with the surprise addition of undefeated champion Zenyatta, the $350,000 event has now become the main attraction on the Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) undercard May 1 at Churchill Downs.
G. Watts Humphrey's sparkling filly One Caroline remained undefeated in five starts and continued to climb her way up the older filly-and-mare ranks when romping to a wire-to-wire 6 1/2-length victory in the $150,000 Rampart Stakes (gr. II) March 29 at Gulfstream Park.
G. Watts Humphrey's undefeated filly One Caroline shoots for her fifth win in as many starts when she takes on six fillies and mares in the $150,000 Rampart Stakes (gr. II) March 29 at Gulfstream Park.
G. Watts Humphrey Jr.'s homebred El Crespo took over at the top of the lane and powered to a one length victory in the $150,000 Palm Beach Stakes (gr. IIIT) March 14 on the Gulfstream Park turf.
G. Watts Humphrey Jr.'s talented filly One Caroline wasn't fazed the least bit when facing graded stakes winners for the first time, as she took command shortly after first call and disposed of six rivals to win the $100,000 Sabin Stakes (gr. III) by a length Feb. 20 at Gulfstream Park.
G. Watts Humphrey Jr.'s good-looking filly One Caroline, undefeated in three starts and a runaway winner in optional claiming company last month, dives into stakes competition for the first time when taking on eight fillies and mares in the $100,000 Sabin Stakes (gr. III) Feb. 20 at Gulfstream Park.
Green Lantern Stables' Karelian and American Racing Stables' Demarcation, head-bobbing to the wire, finished in a dead-heat in the River City Handicap (gr. IIIT) Nov. 22 at Churchill Downs, each of them earning their first career graded stakes win in the process.
Communique will not run in the $2-million Emirates Airline Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf (gr. IT) at Santa Anita Oct. 24 due to a foot abscess in her right front leg.
On Sept. 27, Honest Man will tell trainer Larry Jones if he is ready for prime time, as he makes what could be his final Breeders' Cup prep in the $350,000 Kentucky Cup Classic (gr. II) at Turfway Park. He will take on five rivals in the 1 1/8-mile test on Polytrack.
Though this weekend will feature power-packed racing that should impact the upcoming Breeders' Cup World Championships, all eyes will be on Curlin as he looks to defend his title in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (gr. I) and break Cigar's North American earnings record.
Making his first start in more than eight months, Stream Cat split horses in the stretch and put away two-time defending event winner Cosmonaut to take the $194,000 Arlington Handicap (gr. IIIT) by 3 3/4 lengths July 12 on the Arlington Park turf.
G. Watts Humphrey Jr.'s homebred Communique worked rail-skimming magic in deep stretch of the $150,000 Grey Goose Bewitch Stakes (gr. IIIT) and swung out just in time to keep Helen Groves' Tejida from a wire-to-wire win in the April 24 event at Keeneland Race Course.
Ashbrook Farm's Wicked Style, winner of the Lane's End Breeders' Futurity (gr. I) at Keeneland in October, will not run in the Nov. 24 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (gr. II) at Churchill Downs.
Lexington native Rusty Arnold relocated his operation to his home town from New York and the move has paid dividends. It reunited him with longtime client Glen Bromagen, for whom Arnold trains undefeated 2-year-old Wicked Style. Arnold discusses Wicked Style's chances in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile.
A victory in the Arlington-Washington Futurity (gr. III) last month was not enough to convince bettors that Wicked Style was for real. Going off at odds of 11-1, the 2-year-old son of Macho Uno broke sharply from post 12 and never looked back, taking the $500,000 Lane's End Breeders' Cup Futurity (gr. I) by 3 1/4-lengths in front-running fashion Oct. 6.
Wicked Style may have been light on experience heading into the $198,500 Arlington-Washington Futurity (gr. III) but the 2-year-old showed plenty of grit, fighting back after being overtaken in the stretch to defeat Riley Tucker by a head at Arlington Park Sept. 1.
Six-year-old Irridescence, who was beaten by a head in the $750,000 Beverly D. (gr. IT) at Arlington Park Aug. 11, has been acquired in full by Richard Masson's Green Lantern Stable.
G. Watts Humphrey Jr.'s Communique, a closing fourth in the Regret Stakes (gr. IIIT) on the Churchill Downs turf June 16, has accepted an invitation from Hollywood Park racing secretary Martin Panza to compete in the $750,000 American Oaks (gr. IT) on July 7, trainer Rusty Arnold said Friday from Kentucky.
Several top trainers will be heading down a synthetic path this winter, with Todd Pletcher sending a string of stakes horses to Hollywood Park, Nick Zito opening a winter barn at Keeneland, and Rusty Arnold setting up shop year-round at Keeneland.
Nearly one out of every four winners of Belmont Park's Matron (gr. I) has been crowned 2-year-old filly champion, and the six juvenile fillies head postward Saturday in hope to keep that tradition alive.
John H. Peace, who raced homebred graded stakes winners West by West and Top Secret, died Oct. 22 at a hospital in Sleepy Hollow, N.Y.
Favored Rey de Cafe, who always likes to make it interesting, did so again. He was between horses in a tight finish and just got his nose in front to take the $114,700 Hill Prince Stakes (gr. IIIT) Friday at Belmont Park.
The battle-toughened Rey de Café, a colt who has ascended to the upper echelon of the 3-year-old turf division this spring, returns to Belmont Park as the horse to beat in Friday's grade III, $100,000- added Hill Prince.
Trainer Rusty Arnold sent Green Lantern Stable's Florida Oaks winner Ender's Sister out for a four-furlong work Friday morning at Keeneland. The daughter of A.P. Indy recorded a bullet work at that distance in :47.80.
