Wed, 04/12/2023 - 11:10

Modern Games stands out in strong Maker's Mark Mile field

Barbara D. Livingston
Modern Games is undefeated in three North American starts, including this victory in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Mile.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Emmanuel is a colt of upward mobility with back-to-back Grade 3 wins to start his year. Speaking Scout and In Love already are Grade 1 winners. Chez Pierre is 5 for 6 in a career of promise.

Up to the Mark is unbeaten on grass for Todd Pletcher, and Dr Zempf seems to have unlimited potential for Chad Brown. And Cabo Spirit is a three-time stakes winner out West.

Wed, 04/12/2023 - 11:05

Protege set for stalk-and-pounce trip in Friday allowance

Easy Action (above) is among several speed horses in the Friday allowance feature who might help set the table for Protege.
Coady Photography
Easy Action (above) is among several speed horses in the Friday allowance feature who might help set the table for Protege.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Protege might get an ideal setup Friday when he cuts back to one turn for the featured eighth race at Oaklawn Park. The first-level allowance is for 3-year-olds at six furlongs.

Protege could get a stalking trip behind Easy Action, Call Me Q, and Ryvit. The horses are part of a field of nine.

Tue, 04/11/2023 - 14:45

Dreaming of Julia's stellar run continues with Julia Shining

Julia Shining in center.12-3-22
Barbara Livingston
Grade 2 Demoiselle winner Julia Shining (center) is by Curlin out of Broodmare of the Year Dreaming of Julia. Julia Shining and Dreaming of Julia were bred and are owned by Barbara Banke.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – There was celebration at Stonestreet Farm last week when homebred Dreaming of Julia was honored as Kentucky’s Broodmare of the Year. And the party may not be over yet.

Dreaming of Julia, the dam of Eclipse Award champion Malathaat, was named Broodmare of the Year at the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association and Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders awards dinner April 5 in Lexington. Two days later, her Grade 2-winning daughter Julia Shining added a Grade 1 placing to her résumé when a close third in the Grade 1 Ashland Stakes at Keeneland.

Mon, 04/10/2023 - 13:55

Dontlookbackatall tries middle distance in comeback race

Ryan Thompson/Coglianese Photos
Alternate Rock wins a Florida-bred allowance sprint in January. She will stretch out from five furlongs to a mile on Thursday.

Dontlookbackatall, who showed promise in three starts as a 2-year-old, makes her sophomore debut in a first-level allowance race that will serve as the feature race at Gulfstream Park on Thursday.

The one-mile race on turf for 3-year-old fillies drew eight horses and goes as the seventh race on an eight-race card that gets underway at 12:40 p.m. Eastern. There is a $75,000 claiming option available in the feature, with Fast Kimmie the only horse in for the price.

Mon, 04/10/2023 - 13:40

Congruent now being trained by Brown

Congruent wins the Battaglia Memorial at TP March 4 2023
Coady Photography
Congruent wins the Battaglia Memorial at Turfway Park in March. He has been switched from trainer Antonio Sano to the barn of Chad Brown.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Congruent, winner of the John Battaglia Memorial earlier this year at Turfway Park, has been transferred from Antonio Sano to Chad Brown by his owners.

Brown said he has no immediate plans for Congruent, who has raced on all three surfaces – dirt, turf, and synthetic. He won the off-the-turf Laurel Futurity last fall at Laurel Park. He raced three times on turf, with a third-place finish in the Pulpit Stakes at Gulfstream Park in December his best finish on that surface. Most recently, he finished sixth in the Jeff Ruby Steaks on the Tapeta at Turfway.

Mon, 04/10/2023 - 13:40

Arctic Arrogance will shorten up in distance moving forward

Barbara D. Livingston
Trainer Linda Rice is considering several races for Arctic Arrogance's next start.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Following his fourth-place finish in Saturday’s Grade 2 Wood Memorial, Arctic Arrogance is basically out of the Kentucky Derby picture. His 36 qualifying points leave him 27th on the list, needing seven defections to get into the field.

Trainer Linda Rice said she will likely back Arctic Arrogance up in distance anyway, which opens up several different options. One could be the Pat Day Mile at Churchill Downs on the May 6 Kentucky Derby undercard.

Mon, 04/10/2023 - 13:30

Doppelganger has plenty of options after upsetting Carter

Doppelganger wins the Carter at AQU April 8 2023
Debra Roma
Doppelganger wins the Carter Handicap at 17-1 for trainer Brittany Russell and rider Jevian Toledo. The win was the first in a Grade 1 for both Russell and Toledo.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Plans for Doppelganger are fluid after the 4-year-old colt pulled off a 17-1 upset in Saturday’s Grade 1 Carter Handicap at Aqueduct.

The win, which came by 1 1/4 lengths over heavily favored Repo Rocks, was the third straight for the son of Into Mischief, all since coming to Maryland-based trainer Brittany Russell. His wins have come from seven furlongs to 1 1/16 miles, which leaves open the possibility of stretching him back out in distance at some point, according Tom Ryan, managing partner of SF Racing, which owns the colt in partnership.

Mon, 04/10/2023 - 13:10

Lone Star meet opens without out-of-state wagering

 Eyeing Clover is a candidate for the Texas Derby on May 29 at Lone Star.
Coady Photography
Eyeing Clover is a candidate for the Texas Derby on May 29 at Lone Star.

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas – Lone Star Park’s signal will not be exported to out-of-state locales when the track opens its 44-date meet Thursday night, according to a representative of a major account-wagering platform. The season is set to run through July 4.

Mon, 04/10/2023 - 13:05

Last-race allowance caps pick six with $67,000 carryover

Nothing Better defeats Anaconda in the Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship last November. The top five finishers from that race meet in Thursday's final race.
Susie Raisher/NYRA
Nothing Better defeats Anaconda in the Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship last November. The top five finishers from that race meet in Thursday's final race.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – A stakes-caliber turf sprint allowance caps Thursday’s eight-race card at Aqueduct and a pick six sequence that begins the program with a $66,705 carryover after the wager went unhit following Lord Miles’s $120.20 upset in Saturday’s Grade 2 Wood Memorial.

The program begins at 1:20 p.m., the pick six starts on race 3 (2:24 p.m.)

Mon, 04/10/2023 - 12:30

Sovereign Awards: Moira, Lady Speightspeare top finalists

Emily Shields
Moira won both the Queen's Plate (above) and the Woodbine Oaks by wide margins in 2022.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Queen’s Plate winner Moira and Lady Speightspeare are finalists in multiple categories at the 2022 Sovereign Awards ceremony at the Universal Eventspace in the Toronto suburb of Vaughan on Thursday.

Moira, who won both the Plate and Woodbine Oaks decisively, is a finalist for champion 3-year-old filly, along with Sister Seagull and Souper Hoity Toity. Moira is also a finalist in the female turf category, along with Lady Speightspeare and Fev Rover.