ETOBICOKE, Ontario—Conquest Typhoon graduated in style on Saturday at Woodbine in the Grade 2 Summer, giving Conquest Stable, trainer Mark Casse, and jockey Patrick Husbands a sweep of the two Breeders’ Cup Win and You’re In stakes for 2-year-olds on the card.
Morning-line favorite Conquest Tsunami, who was to have been ridden by Corey Nakatani, was scratched about an hour before the Summer due to the giving ground on the turf course, according to owner Ernie Semersky.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Conquest Harlanate punched her ticket to the Breeders’ Cup with a gutsy score over the favored Isabella Sings in Saturday’s Grade 2, $228,800 Natalma Stakes at Woodbine.
Green Doctor and Appeal to the Win fought for the lead through the turn in the one-mile turf route for 2-year-old fillies, as Conquest Harlanate raced in midpack under Patrick Husbands.
The Grey Gatsby flew home under Ryan Moore to nail the heavily favored Australia on the wire in the Group 1 Irish Champion Stakes on Saturday at Leopardstown.
Australia had beaten The Grey Gatsby by two lengths Aug. 20 in the Juddmonte International Stakes, but after being caught very wide on the turn and making a somewhat early bid into a fast pace, Australia and Joseph O’Brien could not stave off a late challenge from fellow 3-year-old The Grey Gatsby, who rallied from last.
Treve, unbeatable last year at age 3 but winless in two starts this year, will try to position herself for a defense of her Prix de l’Arc d’Triomphe crown when she starts Sunday at Longchamp in the Group 1 Prix Vermeille.
Treve is one of 10 fillies and mares entered in the Vermeille, one of three Arc preps at Longchamp along with the Prix Niel for 3-year-olds and the open Prix Foy. The card also includes the Group 1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp at one mile.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario — Queen’s Plate winner Lexie Lou will get her sternest test to date on Sunday’s Woodbine Mile undercard, when she meets older opposition in the $300,000 Canadian Stakes.
Lexie Lou is riding a lucrative three-race winning streak, having taken the Woodbine Oaks, the $1 million Plate, and the Wonder Where Stakes. After Lexie Lou breezed five-eighths in 1:00.40 last Sunday, trainer Mark Casse said the 3-year-old filly has continued to flourish.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Sunday’s $1 million Woodbine Mile lacks the star power of Wise Dan, who won the Grade 1 turf route in each of the past two years, but it’s a terrific betting race in which one could make a case for many of the 11 entrants.
Kaigun shortened up from 11 to seven furlongs when he captured the local prep, the Grade 2 Play the King Stakes, with a powerful rally. Trainer Mark Casse said he was concerned with the turnback in distance that day, when he outfinished stablemate Lockout for the win.
Australia will be an odds-on favorite to add another Group 1 win to his r é sum é when he starts Saturday at Leopardstown in the Irish Champion Stakes.
The Irish Champion is one of two Group 1 races on the day, along with the Matron for older fillies and mares, and is one of three Breeders’ Cup Challenge Win and You’re In races on the card. The Irish Champion winner earns automatic entry and travel expenses to the BC Turf, the Matron winner to the BC Filly and Mare Turf, and the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Trial winner to, obviously, the BC Juvenile Turf.
Artemis Agrotera, the dominant winner of the Grade 1 Ballerina on Aug. 23, will run in the Grade 2, $300,000 Gallant Bloom Handicap on Sept. 20 as a prep for the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint, trainer Mike Hushion said Wednesday.
Hushion said he would rather run the New York-bred 3-year-old filly again as opposed to simply training up to the Breeders’ Cup.
“To train her 10 weeks and work her seven times, I’d rather get one good race in her. That would fit the bill the best,” he said.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Medal Count might not be the most accomplished racehorse in America these days, but he’s certainly among the most interesting.
“We haven’t been afraid to try anything with him,” said Dale Romans, who trains the 3-year-old Dynaformer colt at Churchill Downs for the Spendthrift Farm of B. Wayne Hughes.
Beaten a nose by My Afleet in a grueling stretch drive Saturday in the inaugural running of the $230,417 Dueling Grounds Derby at turf-only Kentucky Downs, Medal Count was racing on a different surface yet again.
DraftKings, one of a number of online fantasy sports sites that have emerged over the past several years, will sponsor the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint this year and launch fantasy contests centered on racing results, the company and Breeders’ Cup announced Monday.
