One of the highlights on the Maryland Million card a year ago came in the Turf. Ben’s Cat, trying to stretch out to a mile, ran a gutsy race but was run down late by Talk Show Man and beaten a half-length. Both Ben’s Cat and Talk Show Man are back for this Saturday’s Maryland Million at Laurel Park but neither will be running in the Turf, or for that matter on turf.
Four therapeutic medications should be added to a list of medications that can be legally administered to racehorses, an influential horseracing group, the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium, has recommended.
I’m taking a shot with Ahh Chocolate in Saturday’s Raven Run Stakes at Keeneland.
Walter Cluer saw a patch of dirt north of Phoenix and had a vision. His dream turned out to be Turf Paradise, which opens its 2015-16 meet on Friday and will celebrate its 60th season.
Pursuing Fate is eligible to improve in her second start on grass when she runs Saturday in a first-level allowance race for 3-year-olds and up at Gulfstream Park West.
Bob Pandolfo's Sharp Horses and Track Trends for October 8 to 11, 2015.
Can Demonstrative regain the good form that enabled him to claim the 2014 Eclipse Award as the nation’s top steeplechase horse in 2014? That’s the question the now 8-year-old Demonstrative will try to answer in Saturday’s Grade 1, $300,000 Grand National Hurdle Stakes, the feature at the 95th annual Far Hills Races in Far Hills, N.J.
If you encounter a 3-year-old filly late in the season with an 84-76-93 Beyer series, you can look at it two ways. She just ran the race of her life and can’t duplicate it, or that race is the tipoff that the best is yet to come. Turned out it was the latter for Her Emmynency in the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup last Saturday at Keeneland.
Last Saturday (October 10) the International Trot returned to Yonkers Raceway after a 20 year hiatus. Yonkers did an excellent job with the track, which was not speed favoring on Saturday.
Trainer Nick Esler saddles Esther the Queen (#2, ML 12-1) in Thursday's second race at Belmont Park, a seven-furlong starter allowance on turf. Since Jan., 1, 2014, Esler is winning at a 38 percent clip when saddling a horse coming off a win, for a return on investment of $3.37. Check out the Positive ROI report as part of DRF Plus. Sign up for DRF Plus here.
