Sat, 11/06/2021 - 18:57

2021 Breeders' Cup Mile: Space Blues triumphs in final racing start

Emily Shields
Space Blues's (3) victory in the Breeders' Cup Mile at Del Mar on Saturday was his eighth win in his last 10 starts.

DEL MAR, Calif. – Space Blues, finishing like a rocket, launched himself past pacesetting Smooth Like Strait and won the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Mile in his career finale.

It was the second Breeders’ Cup victory of the weekend for Godolphin, trainer Charlie Appleby, and jockey William Buick, and like the first one, the Mile had pre-race drama.

Sat, 11/06/2021 - 18:14

2021 Breeders' Cup Sprint: Aloha West noses out Dr. Schivel as odds-on favorite Jackie's Warrior tires

Debra A. Roma
Aloha West (left) and jockey Jose Ortiz catch Dr. Schivel in the final strides to win the Breeders' Cup Sprint on Saturday at Del Mar.

DEL MAR, Calif. -  Aloha West, who came a long way in a relatively short time, gave trainer Wayne Catalano his fourth Breeders’ Cup victory, registering a last-to-first, heart-stopping decision over tough-luck runner-up Dr. Schivel in Saturday’s $2 million Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Del Mar.

Sat, 11/06/2021 - 17:41

Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf: Loves Only You scores one for Japan

Debra A. Roma
Loves Only You (second from left) had to wait for room on the far turn and into the stretch, then split horses late under jockey Yaga Kawada to win the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf.

DEL MAR, Calif. - A plan hatched in April came to fruition on the first Saturday in November as Loves Only You, the third betting choice at 4-1, split horses in deep stretch under Yuga Kawada and got up to win the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf by a half-length over My Sister Nat.

My Sister Nat, a 29-1 longshot, was second by a head over War Like Goddess, the 2-1 favorite, who was 1 1/2 lengths clear of Love, the 3-1 second choice.

Sat, 11/06/2021 - 16:44

2021 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile: Life Is Good runs away from them

Barbara D. Livingston
Life Is Good, ridden Irad Ortiz Jr., smokes a mile in 1:34.12 to win the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile by 5 3/4 lengths on Saturday at Del Mar.

DEL MAR, Calif. – Life Is Good early this year looked like he might be the best member of this outstanding crop of 3-year-olds. An injury that forced him to miss the Triple Crown kept him from showing off in the spring and much of the summer, but he’s come back this fall to show what the fuss was all about.

Sat, 11/06/2021 - 16:39

Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint: Golden Pal explodes from gate, goes wire to wire

Justin N. Lane
Golden Pal (right) leads runner-up Lieutenant Dan and the rest of the Turf Sprint field into the stretch.

DEL MAR, Calif. – The Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint is run over a mere five furlongs, as short a major race as you’ll find in America, but it took only about 20 yards for the 2021 renewal to be decided.

Golden Pal rocketed out of the starting gate and in 12 bounding strides put two lengths on his nearest pursuer. That was Lieutenant Dan, who chased and chased but never could bridge the gap, checking in second, 1 1/2 lengths behind Golden Pal.

Sat, 11/06/2021 - 15:35

2021 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint: Ce Ce runs past Gamine to pull the upset

Susie Raisher
Ce Ce and jockey Victor Espinoza fly past a weary Gamine to win the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint by 2 1/2 lengths over Edgeway, who outfinished Gamine for second.

DEL MAR, Calif. - The presence of Gamine scared away most of the competition from this year’s $1 million Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint. But for at least one set of connections the decision to run against the defending female sprint champion paid huge dividends.

Sat, 11/06/2021 - 15:01

2021 Breeders' Cup: Communications procedure tightened in wake of scratch snafu on Friday

Barbara D. Livingston
The scratch of Albahr from the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf on Friday set in motion a series of events that led to the second-place horse being declared the winner for parimutuel purposes. On the left, Albahr's jockey, Frankie Dettori, walks back to the jockeys' room uninjured as the horse is being led off the track.

Dr. Dana Stead, a veterinarian working for Del Mar, will have “sole authority” to communicate to stewards whether a horse should be scratched in the lead-up to the Breeders’ Cup races on Saturday, it was announced on Saturday in a joint statement issued by Del Mar, the California Horse Racing Board, and Breeders’ Cup.

Sat, 11/06/2021 - 14:16

2021 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf: Modern Games will point to 2000 Guineas; Albahr has superficial cuts

Susie Raisher
Modern Games ran a remarkable race from post 1 considering all the commotion his stablemate, Albahr, caused in the adjacent stall in the starting gate.

DEL MAR, Calif. – Modern Games, the colt at the center of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf firestorm Friday evening, managed to keep his cool before delivering a winning performance and came out of his race in great condition, trainer Charlie Appleby reported Saturday morning.

Modern Games won the Juvenile Turf by 1 1/2 lengths and earned an 87 Beyer Speed Figure for running one mile on a firm course in 1:34.72.

Sat, 11/06/2021 - 11:28

Breeders' Cup: Horseplayers up in arms over Juvenile Turf scratch snafu

Justin N. Lane
Jockey Frankie Dettori runs to get clear after Albahr flipped in the gate before the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf.

The Friday running of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Del Mar has left bettors once again infuriated by the racing industry’s procedures and protocols, with social media abuzz with claims from longtime horseplayers that their confidence and enthusiasm for the sport has been irretrievably shaken.

Fri, 11/05/2021 - 23:27

2021 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf: Confusion among vets led to betting scratch of Modern Games

Justin N. Lane
Jockey Frankie Dettori runs to get clear after Albahr flipped in the gate before the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf.

DEL MAR, Calif. – Modern Games was prematurely scratched from Friday’s Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Del Mar after attending veterinarians present at the starting gate thought the colt may have sustained an injury when he acted up before the start.