Wed, 10/23/2024 - 12:45

Breeders' Cup Mile: Godolphin eyes four in a row with Notable Speech

Carl Spackler wins Fourstardave at SAR Aug 11 2024
Barbara D. Livingston
Carl Spackler, trained by Chad Brown, will take on strong group from Europe in the Breeders' Cup Mile.

Godolphin, Charlie Appleby, and William Buick equaled Goldikova winning their third straight Breeders’ Cup Mile last year. When the trio goes for a fourth, a horse with connections to Goldikova stands among a full complement of turf milers trying to deny them.

The Godolphin skein began at Del Mar in 2021 when William Buick rode Space Blues to victory in the Mile. In 2022, trainer Appleby sent Modern Games out to win, and last year, Master of The Seas turned in a spectacular finish nipping another Godolphin horse, Mawj.

Wed, 10/23/2024 - 12:45

Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint: Ways and Means sits firmly atop the division

Barbara D. Livingston
After an injury last year, Ways and Means has returned to lead the filly and mare sprint division and tops the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint.

The prognosis wasn’t good for Ways and Means after she emerged from her runner-up effort in last year’s Grade 1 Spinaway at Saratoga with an injury.

Wed, 10/23/2024 - 12:45

Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf: Distance suits War Like Goddess

Barbara D. Livingston
War Like Goddess is 5-1 on DRF's early morning line for the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf.

Surrounded by reporters after War Like Goddess grabbed the Grade 3 Robert G. Dick Memorial Stakes, Bill Mott stared intently at the infield’s big screen and gave a running commentary of the race replay.

“I guess they went fairly slow, right,” Mott murmured. “You say, okay, she idled off of that, but they’re not going to close into that as if they went in 49 and 1:13. The horse that was second is on the lead right now.”

Wed, 10/23/2024 - 12:45

Breeders' Cup Distaff: Idiomatic, Thorpedo Anna tower over rivals

Coady Media
Idiomatic wins the Grade 1 Spinster at Keeneland in her final Breeders' Cup prep.

A high-class older mare seeking her second victory in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff for trainer Brad Cox will battle an outstanding 3-year-old filly making her first start against older for trainer Kenny McPeek.

It’s like 2020 all over again in the BC Distaff, only better.

Idiomatic, the 5-year-old Cox trainee who won the BC Distaff last year, will face Thorpedo Anna, the 3-year-old McPeek trainee with four Grade 1 wins. Idiomatic and Thorpedo Anna top the 12 fillies and mares pre-entered in the $2 million BC Distaff scheduled for Nov. 2 at Del Mar.

Wed, 10/23/2024 - 12:15

Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint: Overflow field topped by foreign entrants

Barbara D. Livingston
Governor Sam, winner of three straight stakes, is the leading American hope in the Juvenile Turf Sprint.

There will be plenty of surprises in the final run-up to the Breeders’ Cup and in the results of the races themselves. But one thing that’s no surprise is that the newest race on the program, the Grade 1, $1 million Juvenile Turf Sprint, once again, has drawn a massive group from around the globe at the pre-entry stage.

Wed, 10/23/2024 - 12:15

Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies: Snowyte tries to emulate her sire

Coady Media
Alcibiades winner Immersive is the 3-1 favorite for the BC Juvenile Fillies on DRF's early morning line.

Snowyte will attempt to accomplish the same feat as her sire next month when she tries to win her maiden in a Breeders’ Cup race at Del Mar.

Good Magic did so in the Juvenile in 2017, while Snowyte is on deck for the Grade 1, $2 million Juvenile Fillies on Nov. 1.

She was one of 11 pre-entered in the 1 1/16-mile race, alongside Breeders’ Cup Challenge winners Immersive, Non Compliant, and Scottish Lassie. Final entries will be taken Monday.

Wed, 10/23/2024 - 11:34

Breeders' Cup adjusts race order, wagering menu

Barbara D. Livingston
Among the changes to the race order was moving the Dirt Mile from the first race on the Saturday card to the last.

Breeders’ Cup has switched the positions of three races in its previously announced Saturday race order on Nov. 2 at Del Mar, according to a list of the races released on Wednesday.

The switches do not impact the most prominent races on the card, but they will have a significant effect on multi-race wagers for the Saturday lineup. Breeders’ Cup frequently alters the Saturday lineup after the initial race order is announced after assessing whether the races are better positioned earlier or later in the order based on their field sizes and the presence of strong favorites.

Mon, 10/21/2024 - 17:51

Pleasanton signal blacked out on some account-wagering platforms due to contract dispute

The simulcast siggnal from Pleasanton was not available on Xpressbet or NYRA Bets on opening weekend of the inaugural Golden State Racing meet.

The inaugural weekend of racing for Golden State Racing at Pleasanton in Northern Californnia was blacked out on several large account-wagering networks and at bricks and mortar sites in various states due to failure of the sides to reach agreement on a simulcasting deal, officials involved in the process said on Monday.

The Saturday and Sunday race cards were not available on Xpressbet or NYRA Bets, nor at the sites represented by Monarch Content Management, a simulcast marketing company owned by 1/ST Racing. XpressBet is also owned by 1/ST Racing.

Sun, 10/20/2024 - 19:50

Santa Anita has $2 pick six carryover of $153,104 for Friday

Barbara D. Livingston
The Friday pick six program at Santa Anita covers the fourth through ninth races.

Friday’s program at Santa Anita will include a two-day carryover of $153,104 in the $2 pick six.

This is the highest carryover of the autumn meeting, and the first two-day carryover of the five-week season, which began on Sept. 27 and continues through Oct. 27.

On Friday, the pool of new money is likely to surpass $750,000.

Sun, 10/20/2024 - 18:45

Jockey Prat has stakes records in reach

Barbara D. Livingston
Jockey Flavien Prat has won 47 graded stakes this year, eight shy of Jerry Bailey’s record of 55 set in 2003.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Flavien Prat is enjoying a career-best year and could be in position to challenge two single-year stakes records for jockeys.

Prat’s victory on Opulent Restraint in Sunday’s $150,000 Chelsey Flower Stakes was his 68th stakes win of the year. The single-year record for stakes wins by a rider is 79, set by Irad Ortiz in 2022.

Prat has 47 graded stakes wins this year, which is eight shy of Jerry Bailey’s record of 55 set in 2003.