Mon, 08/15/2011 - 13:13

Await the Dawn heavy favorite in Juddmonte International

Press Association Images
Await the Dawn is the future-book favorite for the BC Classic with one British bookmaker.

Await the Dawn, the 5-1 future-book favorite for the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill Downs in November with the British bookmaker Coral, will be odds-on to win his first Group 1 in the Juddmonte International at York in England on Wednesday.

A 4-year-old colt trained by Aidan O’Brien for Michael Tabor and Susan Magnier, Await the Dawn has won his last four starts, two races in Ireland in 2010 and two stakes in England this year – the Group 3 Huxley Stakes at Chester in May and the Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot in June.

Mon, 08/15/2011 - 11:07

Immortal Verse upsets Goldikova in Prix Jacques le Marois

Press Association Images
Immortal Verse earned a fees-paid berth in the Breeders' Cup Mile and is under consideration to make the trip.

The 3-year-old filly Immortal Verse, the winner of the Group 1 Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot in June, upset the heavily favored Goldikova in Monday’s Group 1 Prix Jacques le Marois at Deauville, France.

The loss prevented Goldikova from winning the 15th Group 1 race of her career, and was the second consecutive year in which she was beaten in the Prix Jacques le Marois, one of the top mile races in Europe each summer.

Sat, 08/13/2011 - 19:04

Arlington: Stacelita struts her stuff in Beverly D.

Four-Footed Fotos
Stacelita, under Ramon Dominguez, takes advantage of a perfect trip to win the Beverly D.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – Stacelita got a perfect trip from just off the pace before going on to victory as the favorite Saturday in the 22nd running of the Grade 1, $750,000 Beverly D. at Arlington Park.

Giving owner Martin Schwartz his third victory in what long has been a crucial race in the filly-mare turf division, Stacelita bided her time and saved ground behind Dubawi Heights and Never Retreat before finding an inside gap and surging to victory.

Sat, 08/13/2011 - 18:44

Arlington Park: Cape Blanco takes Arlington Million

Four-Footed Fotos
Cape Blanco, with Jamie Spencer riding, bounds home to win the Arlington Million.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – Aidan O’Brien did not travel to Chicago for Arlington Million Day. Call his performance Saturday long-distance precision surgery. O’Brien has well more than 100 horses in training at Ballydoyle, his home base in Ireland, and chose exactly the right pair to come to America.

Sat, 08/13/2011 - 14:12

Del Mar: Unzip Me makes Breeders' Cup reservations after Daisycutter win

Benoit & Associates
Unzip Me wins the Daisycutter on Friday and will be pointed to the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint.

DEL MAR, Calif. – The Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint is in the long-term plans for Unzip Me, both this year and in 2012.

Friday, Unzip Me won the eighth stakes of her career with a convincing victory in the $105,685 Daisycutter Handicap for female turf sprinters at Del Mar.

Sat, 08/13/2011 - 13:16

Goldikova goes for 15th Group 1 win in Jacques le Marois at Deauville

Just two weeks and a day after her win in the Group 1 Prix Rothschild at Deauville, Goldikova seeks her 15th Group 1 win in Monday’s Prix Jacques le Marois in France over the same course.

Goldikova was even-money in future-book betting on Saturday to win the Prix Jacques le Marois, which is run over a mile and is annually one of Europe’s most important races in the division. The race carries a purse of approximately $850,000.

Wed, 08/10/2011 - 15:19

Breeders' Cup makes it official: Santa Anita to host in 2012

The Breeders' Cup will return to Santa Anita Park in Southern California in 2012, three years after the track hosted consecutive editions of the event, Breeders' Cup announced on Wednesday.

The two-day event will be held on Nov. 2-3, Breeders' Cup said. Santa Anita, which hosted the Breeders' Cup in 2008 and 2009, was selected as the host site over two other tracks, New York's Belmont Park, which last hosted the Breeders' Cup in 2005, and Kentucky's Churchill Downs, which was the host for the 2010 event and will be the site for the event later this year.

Tue, 08/09/2011 - 16:51

Arlington: Mission Approved figures elusive Million target

Justin N. Lane
Mission Approved, with Jose Espinoza riding, wins the Manhattan, with Gio Ponti third.

CHICAGO – The 29th edition of the Arlington Million largely will be billed as a rematch between Cape Blanco and Gio Ponti, the one-two finishers in the Man o’ War Stakes on July 9 at Belmont Park, but there is little doubt that to win Saturday’s Million, both horses will have to run down Mission Approved. And that, to the surprise of most, has proven to be a difficult task over the past year.

Tue, 08/09/2011 - 14:55

Arlington Park: Schwartz targets third Beverly D. win with Stacelita

Barbara D. Livingston
Stacelita, under Ramon Dominguez, works outside Desert Sage on Monday at Saratoga. She will try to give owner Martin Schwartz an unprecedented third win in the Beverly D.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – Martin Schwartz says he loves the Beverly D., and no wonder. He won the race in 2005 with Angara and in 2006 with Gorella, forever endearing Arlington Park to his stock-playing heart.

“Dick Duchossois really puts on a wonderful show there in Chicago,” said Schwartz, the New York tycoon who wheels and deals in high-dollar horseflesh, too.

Sun, 08/07/2011 - 12:03

Saratoga: Whitney one-two headed for Jockey Club Gold Cup clash

Barbara D. Livingston
Tizway and Rajiv Maragh pull away in deep stretch of the Whitney.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Tizway and Flat Out, the one-two finishers from Saturday’s Grade 1 Whitney Invitational Handicap at Saratoga, will likely renew acquaintances in the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup Invitational at Belmont Park on Oct. 1. While Tizway will train up to that race, Flat Out is expected to run once before then.

WATCH REPLAY: Whitney Handicap