Sun, 09/20/2015 - 13:46

Next stop Breeders' Cup for Frosted, I'm a Chatterbox

Barbara D. Livingston
Frosted earned a career-best 106 Beyer Speed Figure for his win in the Pennsylvania Derby.

Frosted and I’m a Chatterbox punched their tickets to the Breeders’ Cup on Saturday with their respective wins in the Pennsylvania Derby and Cotillion, the $1 million brother-sister races for 3-year-olds that highlight the season at Parx Racing.

Frosted was returning on three weeks’ rest following his courageous third-place finish in the Travers at Saratoga, a race in which he hooked American Pharoah on the lead for approximately five-sixteenths of a mile before flattening out late. He scored a relatively easy two-length victory in the 1 1/8-mile Pa. Derby under Joel Rosario.

Wed, 09/16/2015 - 12:46

Work All Week, The Pizza Man ready to work

Coady Photography
Market Magic, making her stakes debut under Miguel Mena, wins the West Virginia President's Cup.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – With their final prep races for the Breeders’ Cup two weeks away, Midwest Thoroughbred stars Work All Week and The Pizza Man are scheduled for serious workouts at Churchill Downs this weekend.

Trainer Roger Brueggemann said reigning champion sprinter Work All Week will work Friday, while The Pizza Man, the winner of the Arlington Million in his last start, will work Saturday.

“They’ll breeze one more time before they run, but these will be the quicker works,” said Brueggemann.

Tue, 09/15/2015 - 12:43

Untapable to Spinster; Furia Cruzada out of Distaff

Barbara D. Livingston
Untapable will prep for the Breeders' Cup Distaff in the Grade 1 Spinster Stakes on Oct. 4 at Keeneland.

Untapable, the 2014 Breeders’ Cup Distaff winner and champion 3-year-old filly, will prep for the 2015 Distaff by running in the Grade 1 Spinster Stakes on Oct. 4 at Keeneland.

Trainer Steve Asmussen confirmed Tuesday that Untapable will prep for the Distaff by racing for the first time at Keeneland, where the Breeders’ Cup will be held for the first time on Oct. 30-31. Untapable is based at Churchill Downs. She worked five furlongs Monday morning in 1:02.

Sun, 09/13/2015 - 17:55

Strut the Course finishes strongly in Canadian

Michael Burns
Strut the Course, with Luis Contreras aboard, earns her second Grade 2 stakes win of the Woodbine meet in the Canadian.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario — Strut the Course, last year’s Canadian champion female runner, came charging from the back of the pack under Luis Contreras to win Sunday’s Grade 2, $338,000 Canadian Stakes, a Breeders’ Cup Win and You’re In event on the Woodbine Mile undercard.

Strut the Course bided her time in eighth on the backstretch, as Bear’s Pride set a lively pace in the about nine-furlong turf route for fillies and mares. 

Sun, 09/13/2015 - 13:27

O'Brien, Coolmore sweep Group 1 stakes for 2-year-olds at The Curragh

Aidan O’Brien and Coolmore won both Group 1 races for 2-year-olds Sunday at The Curragh, including a sweep of the first three places in the Moyglare Stud Stakes for fillies.

But the Moyglare Stud winner came as a surprise, as Minding, an 8-1 shot in North American betting, pushed past heavily favored Ballydoyle to win by three-quarters of a length.  Alice Springs finished another half-length back in third.

Sat, 09/12/2015 - 18:13

Conquest Daddyo delivers in Summer under substitute rider Bravo

Michael Burns
Conquest Daddyo pays $33.80 for winning the Summer under jockey Joe Bravo, giving trainer Mark Casse a sweep of the two turf stakes for 2-year-olds.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario — Conquest Daddyo gave trainer Mark Casse a sweep of the two Breeders’ Cup Win and You’re in qualifiers at Woodbine on Saturday, when he took the Grade 2 Summer under Joe Bravo.

Conquest Daddyo ($33.80) raced near the rear of the field in the one-mile turf route, as Manhattan Dan set fast fractions, while being stalked by favored The Zip Zip Man.

Conquest Daddyo began to mount his rally late on the turn, and then came rolling wide in the stretch to score by 1 3/4 lengths, in 1:36.61 over the “good” ground.

Sat, 09/12/2015 - 17:40

Cocked and Loaded rebounds to win Iroquois

Churchill Downs/Reed Palmer Photography
Cocked and Loaded, ridden by Emmanuel Esquivel, wins the Grade 3 Iroquois Stakes by two lengths Saturday.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The aptly named Cocked and Loaded came to the half-mile pole of the Grade 3, $150,000 Iroquois Stakes full of run, pounced once given his cue, and handily won by two lengths as the road to the Kentucky Derby formally began right where it will end – under the twin spires of Churchill Downs.

"He just took off with me," said jockey Emmanuel Esquivel, who capped a three-win day with the score.

Sat, 09/12/2015 - 17:21

Dothraki Queen rallies to win Pocahontas Stakes

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Dothraki Queen rallied up the rail when passing the entire field in a little more than an eighth of a mile to post a 7-1 victory Saturday in the 47th running of the Grade 2, $200,000 Pocahontas Stakes at Churchill Downs.

Corey Lanerie was aboard Dothraki Queen, who held off Bold Quality by a half-length in winning the 1 1/16-mile Pocahontas, a Win and You’re In event for the Breeders’ Cup. Bold Quality was subsequently disqualified to third for an upper-stretch bump of Dream Dance, a 19-1 shot elevated to second.

Sat, 09/12/2015 - 16:58

Catch a Glimpse impresses in Natalma Stakes

Michael Burns
Catch a Glimpse, with Florent Geroux aboard, wins the Grade 2 Natalma Stakes by five lengths Saturday.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Catch a Glimpse ($19.80) went right to the front and never looked back to capture the Grade 2, $212,800 Natalma Stakes, a Breeders’ Cup Win and You’re In qualifier at Woodbine on Saturday.

Over a rain-softened course labeled “good,” Catch a Glimpse set fractions of 23.63 and 47.57 seconds under Florent Geroux before drawing away in the stretch to prevail by five lengths in 1:35.95 for the mile.

Fri, 09/11/2015 - 11:41

Grand Arch peaking for Woodbine Mile

Barbara D. Livingston
Grand Arch wins the Fourstardave Handicap by a neck Saturday at Saratoga.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – The recent retirement of two-time Woodbine Mile winner Wise Dan has left Sunday’s edition of the $1 million event wide open. A sharp Grand Arch could make the most of Wise Dan’s absence in the Grade 1 stakes, which is an important Breeders’ Cup Mile prep.

Grand Arch came from third under Luis Saez to win his most recent race in the Grade 2 Fourstardave over Ironicus, who subsequently won another Saratoga stakes, the Grade 2 Bernard Baruch.