Sun, 11/06/2011 - 17:16

Aqueduct: Calibrachoa reaffirms affinity for Big A by taking Bold Ruler

Adam Coglianese/NYRA
Calibrachoa, under Jose Lezcano, improves to 5 for 5 in races at Aqueduct by taking the Grade 3 Bold Ruler Handicap.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Calibrachoa, who swept four starts at Aqueduct last fall and  winter, got back on the winning track in Sunday’s Grade 3 Bold Ruler Handicap, improving to 5 for 5 on the Big A’s two dirt surfaces.

Calibrachoa began the year by winning the Toboggan and Tom Fool for Repole Stable and Todd Pletcher, but the 4-year-old had lost three subsequent starts, all on wet tracks, finishing third in the True North and Alfred G. Vanderbilt, and fifth most recently in the Vosburgh.

Sun, 11/06/2011 - 13:06

2010 Breeders' Cup Sprint champion Big Drama retired

Barbara D. Livingston
Big Drama, shown galloping at Churchill Downs last Wednesday, is headed to Ocala, Fla., for some rest before beginning stallion duty next year.

LOUISVILLE, Ky.-  Big Drama, winner of the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Sprint and reigning Eclipse Award champion sprinter, has been retired , trainer David Fawkes said Sunday morning at Churchill Downs.

Big Drama ended his career on Saturday finishing seventh in defense of his title in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint.  Big Drama, a 5-year-old homebred son of Montbrook owned by Harold Queen, led throughout to capture last year’s  Sprint by 1 1/2 lengths under jockey Eibar Coa.

Sun, 11/06/2011 - 12:57

Breeders' Cup: Aside from O'Brien, Europeans mostly struggled

Tom Keyser
The standout mare Goldikova had to settle for third in her bid for a fourth straight win in the Breeders' Cup Mile.

There is something to be said for strength in numbers.

Trainer Aidan O’Brien sent 11 horses -- eight more than any other European horseman –  to Churchill Downs for the 2011 Breeders’ Cup and was the only overseas trainer to get his picture taken this weekend.

Sun, 11/06/2011 - 12:01

Breeders' Cup: Little separates Hansen, Union Rags in race for leading juvenile

Barbara D. Livingston
Hansen has a strong claim to champion 2-year-old male after going 3 for 3 this season, including a narrow win over favored Union Rags in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – In a race that might prove as tight as the finish to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, a race Hansen won by a head over Union Rags, the top two finishers could soon be locked in another battle, with this one decided by votes to determine North America’s top 2-year-old colt of 2011

Both Hansen, who finished the year undefeated in three starts by winning the Juvenile, and Union Rags, who lost little in defeat with a wide trip in running second in the race, have the credentials to win an Eclipse Award as champion 2-year-old male.

Sun, 11/06/2011 - 11:38

Breeders' Cup: Wrote's win part of big day for Irish trainer O'Brien

Barbara D. Livingston
Wrote, an 11-1 upset winner in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, was the first of two winners on the card for Irish trainer Aidan O'Brien.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Wrote, the winner of the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Churchill Downs on Saturday, was among the 11 horses trained by Aidan O’Brien to van out Saturday night for O’Hare Airport in Chicago, from where they were flown back to O’Brien’s Ballydoyle base in Ireland.

Sun, 11/06/2011 - 11:25

Charles Town: Paco Smart deals Navy Chapel first defeat in Tri-State Futurity

Despite a few anxious moments as the field was loaded and after the gate opened, Paco Smart had no problem breezing to a 1 1/2-length victory in Saturday night’s $129,275 Tri-State Futurity at Charles Town.

Reluctant to load into the gate, Paco Smart ($3.60) was bumped by the filly just to his outside, Pagan Jewel, right at the start but still managed to shoot out to the lead and maintain it throughout the seven-furlong, two-turn race.

Sun, 11/06/2011 - 11:13

Breeders' Cup string of surprises scrambles Horse of the Year picture

Barbara D. Livingston
Trainer Bill Mott is losing some of the biggest stars in his stable, including Breeders' Cup Classic winner Drosselmeyer.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The blankets of flowers that were draped over the withers of Drosselmeyer and Royal Delta following their Breeders’ Cup wins hung over a sawhorse outside trainer Bill Mott’s barn on Sunday morning at Churchill Downs, testament to him having won the biggest races of the weekend here, the Ladies’ Classic on Friday, and the Classic on Saturday.

“I’m content, I suppose. For the moment,” Mott said Sunday morning. “It doesn’t last long in this business.”

Sun, 11/06/2011 - 10:58

Breeders' Cup: Asmussen eager to run Regally Ready again

Barbara D. Livingston
Trainer Steve Asmussen says Regally Ready came out of his dominant win in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint in "fabulous" shape.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Regally Ready might well follow the familiar work pattern that trainer Steve Asmussen uses for all his horses in the aftermath of the 4-year-old gelding’s convincing victory Saturday in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Churchill Downs.

Asmussen typically breezes his horses nine days after their races, meaning a workout at Churchill could come as soon as Monday, Nov. 14, for Regally Ready.

Sun, 11/06/2011 - 10:49

Breeders' Cup: Caleb's Posse enters debate for season's champion 3-year-old

Tom Keyser
By winning his fourth graded stakes of the season in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, Caleb's Posse has become a serious candidate for champion 3-year-old.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - There will be a healthy debate for championship honors in many divisions, especially among the high-profile 3-year-old males which may have welcomed a new contender for the title Saturday at Churchill Downs.

Caleb’s Posse won his fourth graded stakes of the year when he blew past virtually the entire field in the stretch to win the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile by four lengths. He ran a mile in 1:34.59 and earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 111. Caleb’s Posse has 5 wins, a second and a third from 10 starts this year.

Sun, 11/06/2011 - 10:34

Mountaineer: Shadowbdancing holds off late charge to win Mountaineer Mile

Shadowbdancing used his speed to open up a big lead in the stretch, and then held off a belated rally from Rummy’s Command to prevail in Saturday night’s $125,000 Mountaineer Mile at Mountaineer Racetrack.