Hurricane Fly put a smile into Irish eyes at Cheltenham on Tuesday when he won the $598,000 Champion Hurdle on opening day of the Cheltenham Festival.
On Tuesday the Japan Racing Association (JRA) announced that all four of the remaining meetings at Nakayama this month had been canceled. Last weekend’s two meetings at the track east of Tokyo had previously been canceled.
Trainer Christophe Clement confirmed Monday that Gio Ponti would be on the flight that was scheduled to depart for Dubai from south Florida on Tuesday to compete in the $10 million World Cup on March 26.
The four-day Cheltenham Festival – the world’s preeminent jumps racing meeting – gets under way on Tuesday with the $590,000 Stan James Champion Hurdle as the opening day highlight.
The 8.9-magnitude earthquake in Japan on Friday has played havoc with the Japanese racing schedule this weekend, with damage to at least two racetracks in northeastern part of the country. The epicenter of the earthquake was located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the main Japanese island of Honshu.
The center of Japan’s Thoroughbred breeding industry - home to such American-bred champions as Azeri, Silver Charm, and Charismatic - appears to have escaped the nation’s largest-ever earthquake with relatively little damage, according to French bloodstock agent Patrick Barbe.
Dubai Racing Carnival: Watch live streaming video from Meydan and Daily Racing Form’s coverage of The Dubai International Racing Carnival. Free past performances, analysis, results, and video replays.
Rileyskeepingfaith gave Godolphin a victory in the Group 2, $250,000 Zabeel Mile at Meydan on Thursday night. The last of six local preps for the $5 million Dubai Duty Free went to the gelded British-bred son of Hunting Lion by 2 1/4 lengths over Fareer, with Fanunalter a late closing third, 1 1/4 lengths further back.
The Group 2, $250,000 Zabeel Mile at Meydan in Dubai on Thursday night will be the last of six local preps for the $5 million Dubai Duty Free on March 26.
Beauty Flash added his name to an already crowded Dubai Duty Free field when he won the Group 1, $770,000 Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup at Sha Tin on Sunday.
