Fri, 10/02/2015 - 12:31

Bluegrass Angus heading to Keeneland’s Perryville

Four-Footed Fotos
Bluegrass Angus (left), coming out of three straight route races, will cut back to six furlongs for the Perryville at Keeneland on Oct. 31.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Trainer Craig MacPherson is excited about the prospect of running Bluegrass Angus in the $100,000 Perryville Stakes at Keeneland on Oct. 31. Bluegrass Angus is the top 3-year-old at Hastings and is coming off a runner-up finish behind the 3-year-old filly Academic in the Grade 3, $250,000 British Columbia Derby on Aug. 13.

Fri, 10/02/2015 - 12:06

Liam’s Map scheduled to work Sunday for Breeders’ Cup

Barbara D. Livingston
Todd Pletcher is scheduled to be at Keeneland on Sunday morning to watch Liam's Map work out.

Weather permitting, trainer Todd Pletcher is scheduled to be at Keeneland on Sunday morning with John Velazquez and other New York-based jockeys for several important works, including one by Liam’s Map, a candidate for the Breeders’ Cup Classic and the Dirt Mile.

Thu, 10/01/2015 - 15:45

Second Step, Sheikhzayedroad among Canadian International nominees

Michael Burns
Sheikhzayedroad, winner of the 2014 Northern Dancer, is one of two Europeans nominated to the Oct. 18 Canadian International at Woodbine.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – The European runners Second Step and Sheikhzayedroad are among the 20 nominees to the 78th running of the $1 million Canadian International on Oct. 18 at Woodbine.

Second Step, a 4-year-old trained by Luca Cumani, won a Group 1 fixture in his penultimate start in Germany and is coming off a fourth in the Group 1 Irish St. Leger.

Sheikhzayedroad made headlines here last year when he captured the Grade 1 Northern Dancer Turf. The 6-year-old is winless in seven starts this season against some formidable company in England and Dubai.

Wed, 09/30/2015 - 15:31

Soft ground no problem for Stephanie’s Kitten, Watsdachances

Barbara D. Livingston
Stephanie's Kitten will try to defend her title in the Flower Bowl on Saturday.

ELMONT, N.Y. – The conditions for Saturday’s Grade 1 Flower Bowl could be very similar to what they were in the Beverly D. last month at Arlington, which could play in the favor of Stephanie’s Kitten and Watsdachances in the 1 1/4-mile turf race. Stephanie’s Kitten won last year’s Flower Bowl over firm turf.

Wed, 09/30/2015 - 15:21

Nemoralia the Frizette wild card

Barbara D. Livingston
She's All Ready (above) is among the U.S.-based fillies who will take on Great Britain invader Nemoralia in the Frizette on Saturday.

ELMONT, N.Y. – The American-bred, European-based Nemoralia adds intrigue to an already wide-open edition of the Grade 1, $400,000 Frizette for 2-year-old fillies, which awards a fees-paid berth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies.

Nemoralia, a daughter of More Than Ready, is 2 for 4, with wins in Britain over synthetic and turf. Her trainer, Jeremy Noseda, believes Nemoralia can handle the mile and the dirt of the Frizette, but he’s worried about the potential for a wet track.

Wed, 09/30/2015 - 15:21

Ralis back for more in Champagne

Barbara D. Livingston
Ralis and jockey Javier Castellano win the Grade 1 Hopeful Stakes by 5 3/4 lengths on Monday.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Ralis shipped across the country to win the Grade 1 Hopeful at Saratoga on Sept. 7, and he made another cross-country ship on Wednesday for Saturday’s Grade 1, $500,000 Champagne Stakes for juvenile males.

Ralis doesn’t act like a 2-year-old, according to trainer Doug O’Neill.

Wed, 09/30/2015 - 15:16

Appealing Tale to play “catch me” in Kelso

Benoit & Associates
Appealing Tale's Pat O'Brien Stakes win earned him a fees-paid berth in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Multiple Grade 1 stakes winner Honor Code will be the horse to beat in Saturday’s Grade 2, $400,000 Kelso Handicap, but California shipper Appealing Tale will be the horse to catch in the one-turn, one-mile race.

Appealing Tale, trained by Peter Miller, is coming off a front-running victory in the Grade 2 Pat O’Brien going seven furlongs at Del Mar on Aug. 22.

Wed, 09/30/2015 - 15:16

Pletcher has two shots at Gold Cup breakthrough

Debra A. Roma
Coach Inge (left), under John Velazquez, prevails by a neck over V. E. Day and Javier Castellano in the 1 1/2-mile Brooklyn.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Todd Pletcher has won virtually every Grade 1 race run in New York. To this point, however, the Jockey Club Gold Cup has eluded him.

Pletcher has run 13 horses in 10 editions of the Gold Cup. He finished second with Lawyer Ron (to Curlin) in 2007 and finished second again in 2011 with Stay Thirsty, who was beaten a head by Flat Out.

On Saturday, Pletcher will try again when he sends out the pair of Constitution and Coach Inge in the $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup, a stepping-stone to the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland on Oct. 31.

Wed, 09/30/2015 - 14:56

Catch a Flight, Twentytwentyvision get time off after injuries

Benoit & Associates
Catch a Flight (left) is sidelined after a recent nuclear scan revealed a developing injury.

ARCADIA, Calif. – The older horses Catch a Flight and Twentytwentyvision will be sidelined this fall after suffering recent injuries.

Catch a Flight underwent nuclear scan tests earlier this week that revealed a developing injury to a condylar bone that will require “a few months off,” trainer Richard Mandella said.

Twentytwentyvision is recovering from a bizarre incident Sunday in which he got his face stuck in the front of a gate and suffered a severe lip injury that required more than an hour of stitches to mend.

Wed, 09/30/2015 - 14:42

Kalamos continues trainer's remarkable saga

Tom Keyser
Kalamos, who scored at 50-1 in the Old Friends at Kentucky Downs in mid-September, returns in an allowance Friday at Keeneland.

Another chapter will be tacked onto the remarkable story of Edward Boerjan when he saddles Kalamos for the second race Friday at Keeneland.

Kalamos, purchased here last November for a mere $3,000 at the horses-of-racing-age sale, was 50-1 when capturing the $150,000 Old Friends Stakes on Sept. 16 at Kentucky Downs, giving Boerjan easily the biggest coup of his intermittent career as an owner and trainer.