The $3 million Breeders’ Cup Turf ended for the most recent winner of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, Golden Horn, just as it had for the first Arc winner to come to the Turf, Dancing Brave in 1986, and the other five Arc winners between the two – in defeat – as the 3-year-old filly Found, beaten both times she’d met Golden Horn, turned the tables and handed him a half-length defeat Saturday at Keeneland.
Despite his unbeaten record, which included two Grade 1 victories, there were doubts surrounding Nyquist entering Saturday’s Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Keeneland.
Flipcup overhauled the leading favorite Academic in deep stretch to take the $158,200 Maple Leaf Stakes under Luis Contreras at Woodbine on Saturday.
Chad Brown swept the exacta in the $100,000 Chelsea Flower Stakes at Belmont Park on Saturday with Ken and Sarah Ramsey's filly Ava's Kitten and Martin Schwartz's filly Llanita. Earlier in the day, Brown won the Grade 3, $200,000 Bold Ruler at Belmont with Matrooh.
The 4-year-old filly Tepin, who entered this season without even a stakes win, got good in the spring and even better in late summer and fall, and where most horses improve and decline as they grow and change, tire and freshen, Tepin just has kept blooming. Three weeks after winning her second Grade 1, and while facing males for the first time, she dominated a world-class field of milers and won the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Mile by 2 1/4 lengths under Julien Leparoux.
For all the accolades Runhappy received immediately after his record-setting, three-quarter-length victory over four-time Grade 1 winner Private Zone in Saturday’s $1.5 million Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Keeneland, nobody paid him a bigger compliment than his own jockey, Hall of Famer Edgar Prado.
Stephanie’s Kitten has proven to be a top-class horse all over the country in her distinguished career. But in her home state of Kentucky for the Breeders’ Cup, she has proven downright unbeatable.
Matrooh got back on a winning track Saturday at Belmont Park, rallying from several lengths back to win the Grade 3 Bold Ruler by 1 3/4 lengths.
Candy Bites, claimed for $20,000 a month ago, returned dividends to owner Michael Friedman and trainer Nabu Morales when he scored by 2 1/4 lengths in Saturday’s $75,000 Cardinal Handicap for Ohio-breds at Mahoning Valley Race Course.
St. Albans Boy won a head bob from between horses to take the $100,000 Laurel Turf Cup by a nose over Perfect Title on Saturday at Laurel Park. It was a head farther back to Uncle Dave along the inside.
