Arctic Beast was beast-like making his stakes debut at Finger Lakes last month. His performance has seemingly put the freeze on those with aspirations to face him. Unbeaten in two starts, and towering over the field on Beyer Speed Figures, the colt is the heavy favorite in a field of five for the $155,667 New York Breeders’ Futurity for statebred juveniles on Monday at Finger Lakes.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Grand Slam Smile’s price will be much shorter in the California Distaff Handicap on Sunday at Santa Anita than a year ago when she scored a $23.40 upset.
Only five are entered in the hillside turf sprint for California-bred fillies and mares, and trainer Sean McCarthy is confident Grand Slam Smile will fire. She always does.
“You have to respect the field, for sure,” McCarthy said. “It’s still a horse race, and anything can happen, but she’s been training as she’s been training all year. We’re happy with the way she’s going into it.”
Triple Crown winner American Pharoah will shuttle to stand the upcoming 2026 breeding season in Japan, where he has been immensely successful, before returning to Kentucky next summer, the international Coolmore group, which stands the stallion, has announced.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Piper’s Gift took to the Tapeta like a duck to water when graduating in a romp Sept. 20. She could go favored in Sunday’s $125,000 Glorious Song, one of two seven-furlong 2-year-old stakes on the Woodbine card, along with the $125,000 Display.
Trainer Jeff Runco will be looking to win the West Virginia Breeders’ Classic for the ninth time Saturday night when he saddles past winners Runaldo and Muad’dib in the $300,000 race at Charles Town.
The Classic is the richest of 10 stakes on the annual West Virginia Breeders’ Classics card. The races are restricted to horses bred in the state, and the card is a focal point for Runco’s operation. He has entered 14 horses across nine of the stakes, with some runners out of the five broodmares he keeps at his nearby Coleswood Farm.
Youknownothing, a 4-year-old filly trained by Miguel Clement, will travel to Laurel Park on Saturday and take on the boys in the $125,000 Maryland Million Turf. Poor weather and also-eligible runners may be the only thing capable of stopping the filly, who seems to hold a decisive advantage over seven male rivals in the main field.
Clement described a rainy forecast as another headache while he prepared the filly for a number of changes at Laurel. The filly will add blinkers for the first time and cut back to 1 1/8 miles after three straight starts at 1 1/2 miles.
Because he is Maryland-bred but not Maryland-sired, Post Time needed some luck to draw into the $150,000 Maryland Million Classic at Laurel Park on Saturday. But with a spot in the starting gate, the local superstar has gone from an outsider to overwhelming danger at his home track, where he remains undefeated in 10 starts.
“It’s always nice to be back home,” trainer Brittany Russell said.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Trainer Miguel Clement hopes the horse-for-course angle bears fruit for his stable Saturday in a pair of turf stakes being run at Aqueduct.
In the $150,000 Artie Schiller Stakes, for older males at one mile, Clement sends out Big Everest, who is 5 for 9 over the Aqueduct turf courses, including victories in both the 2022 and 2023 Artie Schiller and a neck defeat in this race last year.
