The repeat win by Cody’s Wish in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile has been named the NTRA Moment of the Year, the administrators of the award announced on Wednesday, one day prior to the Eclipse Awards ceremony, where the connections of the horse will be acknowledged.
The administrators of the $20 million Saudi Cup, the richest race in the world, will recommend the disqualification of Maximum Security from the colt’s 2020 win in the race on charges that his trainer, Jason Servis, committed “substantial breaches of the rules” for the race related to his arrest and conviction on drug misbranding charges in the United States.
Bob Baffert and Zedan Racing will drop their appeal of a ruling by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission to disqualify Medina Spirit from the 2021 Kentucky Derby and issue Baffert a 90-day suspension for the horse’s positive drug test after the race, Baffert said in a social-media post Monday night.
It is expected to be another big night for Godolphin Racing when the Eclipse Awards for outstanding achievement in Thoroughbred racing in 2023 are announced Thursday night at the Breakers Palm Beach in South Florida.
In 2022, Godolphin, the racing arm of Dubai’s ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, won Eclipse Awards for outstanding owner and breeder and had its Modern Games recognized as champion male turf horse.
Idiomatic, all but certain to be named champion older female of 2023 at Thursday’s Eclipse Awards, is returning for another season of racing as a 5-year-old of 2024.
Garrett O’Rourke, general manager of Juddmonte USA, said in a Monday morning text message that Idiomatic was in light training at Juddmonte and would join the Fair Grounds string of trainer Brad Cox in two weeks.
Fierceness, the winner of the 2023 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and likely champion 2-year-old colt for 2023, closed at 8-1 to lead all individual interests in the third Kentucky Derby future bet, well behind the overall favorite, the “all others” entry, at $6.88 for every $2 win wager.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - National Treasure drew post 7 and was established as the 9-5 morning-line favorite for Saturday’s $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational. The event will highlight a 13-race program at Gulfstream Park that also includes the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational and $500,000 Pegasus Filly and Mare Turf Invitational.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Maymun, the easy winner of a maiden race at Santa Anita on Saturday, is the latest prospect on a growing list of dynamic 3-year-olds trained by Bob Baffert.
Maymun won his debut on Saturday in an exciting manner in a maiden race for 3-year-olds at 6 1/2 furlongs.
Maymun took the lead shortly after the start and set quick fractions of 21.72 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 43.91 for the half-mile, leading by at least a length. Maymun extended his advantage to the stretch, winning by 7 1/2 lengths as the 4-5 favorite.
Track Phantom came out of his Saturday win in the Lecomte Stakes looking fresh, healthy, and happy Sunday morning. His next stop: The Risen Star Stakes on Feb. 17, when a new challenger will be coming out of Track Phantom’s barn at Fair Grounds.
Track Phantom won the Grade 3, $200,000 Lecomte by 2 3/4 lengths, running his two-turn record to three wins from three starts, adding the Lecomte to his Dec. 23 victory in the Gun Runner at Fair Grounds, and bumping his Kentucky Derby qualifying points total to 30, already likely enough to make the 20-horse Derby field.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Sunday’s $75,000 Sunshine Turf at Gulfstream Park turned out to be a “Souper” race for trainer Michael Trombetta.
Trombetta sent out the first two finishers in the restricted stakes for Florida-breds on the grass, Forever Souper running down stablemate Souper Blessing to register a one-length victory while making his stakes debut in the race.
