Il Campione makes U.S. debut in Poker Stakes
The North American debut of the Chilean-bred champion Il Campione adds intrigue to an already interesting renewal of Saturday’s Grade 3, $300,000 Poker Stakes at Belmont Park.
David GreningJun 11, 2015
The North American debut of the Chilean-bred champion Il Campione adds intrigue to an already interesting renewal of Saturday’s Grade 3, $300,000 Poker Stakes at Belmont Park.
Only five horses have run the mile and a half Belmont as fast or faster than American Pharoah, and one of them was Gallant Man. The connective tissue between them was sitting behind his office desk, hands folded, and neat as a pin in a blue and white striped shirt, open vest, and dark slacks.
Complete coverage of the 2015 OBS June 2-year-olds and horses of racing age sale.
California Chrome, the 2014 Horse of the Year who has been based in England for the last two months, had his final workout at Newmarket Racecourse on Thursday for the Group 1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot on Wednesday.
Isn’t He Clever ran one of the best races of his career winning last year’s Downs at Albuquerque Handicap. He’s back to defend his title in the 1 1/8-mile race on Saturday.
Zeki tries to match the feat of his Jon Arnett-trained stablemate Cainam by winning a second straight running of the $75,000 Cyclones Handicap on Saturday at Prairie Meadows.
Slumber, who finally broke through to capture his first graded stakes when he won the Grade 1 Manhattan last weekend at Belmont Park, will be pointed to the Grade 1 Arlington Million on Aug. 15, trainer Chad Brown said Thursday.
Conditions may be ideal for Midnight Storm, a 4-year-old colt by Pioneerof the Nile, to win his first Grade 1 stakes in Saturday’s Shoemaker Mile at Santa Anita.
Great Majestic has come home. The Florida-bred filly will make her first start in her home state Saturday at Gulfstream Park in the $60,000 Miss Patty Handicap. Great Majestic has invaded from Louisiana for the 1 1/16-mile turf race for 3-year-old fillies. She enters off back-to-back wins at Fair Grounds and Evangeline Downs for Farm D’Allie Racing.
Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert has said he wants to share American Pharoah with “the people,” and he’ll be doing just that with 30,000-plus of his closest friends Saturday night at Churchill Downs. In his first appearance since he became the first horse in 37 years to sweep the Triple Crown, American Pharoah will spend about 45 minutes in front of his adoring public when on parade between races during the Downs After Dark program at Churchill.