The road to the 151st Kentucky Derby officially kicks off Saturday at Churchill Downs with the 43rd running of the Grade 3, $300,000 Iroquois Stakes, headlined by undefeated stakes winner Owen Almighty. The Iroquois, run as Race 10 on the 11-race card, will go off at 5:29 p.m. EDT, with the first post at 12:45 p.m. EDT. The one-mile race will award qualifying points on a 10-5-3-2-1 scale to the top five finishers. Also drawn Monday was the field for the Pocahontas (G3), the first stop on the road to the Kentucky Oaks (G1). See the field below. Trained by…
1 of 2 | Gaming wins Sunday’s Grade I Del Mar Futurity, and could be favorite for Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. Benoit Photography, courtesy of Del Mar Turf Club Sept. 9 (UPI) — Grand Sonata and Cogburn earned Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” spots with weekend victories in Kentucky on a weekend notable for big turf racing from coast to coast. Jumping right in: Turf Grand Sonata earned a “Win and You’re In” bid to the Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf with a late-running upset victory in Saturday’s $2 million Grade II FanDuel TV Kentucky Cup Turf. The 5-year-old son of…
DEL MAR, Calif. (AP) — Gaming won the $300,000 Del Mar Futurity by 1 3/4 lengths on Sunday, giving Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert his 18th career victory in the Grade 1 race for 2-year-olds.Ridden by Flavien Prat, Gaming ran seven furlongs in 1:23.02 and paid $9.80 to win. The colt earned a credit toward entry fees for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at the same seaside track north of San Diego in November.“He relaxed well; he was a bit on his toes before the race so I kept him quiet,” Prat said. “Very straightforward, and leveled out nice. Bob…
Photo: Rich Steele / Eclipse Sportswire Debut winner Gaming provided trainer Bob Baffert with his record 18th win in the Grade 1, $300,000 Del Mar Futurity going seven furlongs Saturday at Del Mar. The colt by Game Winner also supplied a fruitful return to California for top jockey Flavien Prat. Gaming, who aired gate-to-wire in his unveiling when going 6 1/2 furlongs at Del Mar Aug. 11, this time saved ground on the rail while tracking Grade 3-winning stablemate Getaway Car through fractions of 21.85 and 44.35 seconds for the opening half mile. As the leader tired entering the stretch, Gaming took over…
Hong Kong racing returns for the 2024-25 season overnight from Sha Tin with the first post Sunday at 12:50 a.m. EDT, Saturday at 9:50 p.m. PDT. Free past performances are once again available at Horse Racing Nation. For more free handicapping information, visit the Hong Kong Jockey Club website.Race 1: 2 Joyful Prosperity, 8 Go Go Go, 4 Mr Aladdin, 13 Happy HunkRace 2: 3 Super Elite, 1 Tattenham, 9 Same To You, 5 Smart LeaderRace 3: 8 Beauty Waves, 1 Ka Ying Rising, 3 Lucky With You, 2 Flying AceRace 4: 1 Fast Network, 12 Parents’ Love, 2 Metro…
DEL MAR LEADERS (Through Monday) Jockeys / Wins Juan Hernandez / 42 Antonio Fresu / 31 Umberto Rispoli / 27 Hector Berrios / 20 Kyle Frey / 17 Kazushi Kimura / 14 Trainers / Wins Bob Baffert / 21 John Sadler / 17 Doug O’Neill / 17 Phil D’Amato / 16 Mark Glatt / 15 Peter Miller / 13 WEEKEND STAKES DEL MAR Friday • $100,000 I’m Smokin Stakes, California-bred 2-year-olds, 6 furlongs Saturday • $300,000, Grade I Del Mar Debutante, 2-year-old fillies, 7 furlongs • $250,000, Grade II John C. Mabee Stakes, fillies and mares, 3 and up, 1⅛…
Travis Kelce LEANDRO LOZADA/AFP via Getty Images) If Travis Kelce returns to the Kentucky Derby next year, it will be as a spectator — and not as the owner of one of the participating horses. Travis, 34, gushed about his racehorse, aptly named Swift Delivery, to his brother, Jason Kelce, on an episode of their “New Heights” podcast, which aired Wednesday, August 4. In their discussion, he confirmed Jason’s claim that Swift Delivery, who is 3, has already aged out of eligibility for Triple Crown races. Swift Delivery can still compete in other races, however, and Travis revealed that the…
Photo: Del Mar / Benoit Photo Formidable Man came running hard in the lane and got the job done by a half-length Sunday in the 78th edition of the Grade 2, $300,500 Del Mar Derby.The 3-year-old colt by City of Light covered 1 1/8 miles on firm turf in 1:49.87 and paid $4.40 to his backers as the 6-5 favorite.Click here for Del Mar entries and results.Owned by William and Suzanne Warren, who campaigned Saint Liam to the 2005 horse-of-the-year award, Formidable Man was handled by jockey Umberto Rispoli for trainer Michael McCarthy.#6 FORMIDABLE MAN ($4.40) rallies on the outside…
Photo: Sophie Shore / Eclipse Sportswire The $1 million Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup attracted a talented field of seven headed by Whitney (G1) winner Arthur’s Ride. At 1 1/4 miles, the Jockey Club Gold Cup requires stamina and talent and is an excellent prep for the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic. It is a win and you’re in race for the Classic, meaning the winner will automatically have a fee-paid spot in the starting gate in November. The forecast for Saratoga Springs, New York, shows a good chance of rain and thunderstorms on Saturday; however, the track should…
Photo: Scott Serio / Eclipse Sportswire Angel of Empire, unraced since last year’s Grade 2 Jim Dandy, is back at work. The 4-year-old Classic Empire colt worked three furlongs at Winstar Training Center on Thursday morning, fastest of eight at the distance. Angel of Empire won last year’s Risen Star (G2) and Arkansas Derby (G1) for trainer Brad Cox and finished third as the favorite in the Kentucky Derby. He then was fourth in the Belmont Stakes and third in the Jim Dandy.Keep track of graded stakes on HRN:Stakes schedule | Stakes Tracker | Stakes results Angel of Empire was…