Wed, 06/18/2025 - 09:00

Offolter targets Iowa Derby for Mister Omaha

Barbara D. Livingston

Mister Omaha breezed a half-mile in 50 seconds last Sunday.

Mister Omaha is on pace for a start in the $250,000 Iowa Derby next month at Prairie Meadows after the multiple stakes winner turned in a strong recent work at his base of Lone Star Park. The 1 1/16-mile stakes is July 5.

“That’s our plan if everything goes good between now and then,” said Joe Offolter, who trains Mister Omaha for his breeder, Bryan Hawk.

Mister Omaha breezed a half-mile in 50 seconds last Sunday and from there galloped out a mile in 1:40 and change, Offolter said. Jockey Luis Quinonez, who has the mount in the Iowa Derby, was aboard Mister Omaha.

Tue, 06/17/2025 - 13:59

Betting handle up year-over-year at Santa Anita

By Steve Andersen

Benoit Photo

Antonio Fresu just won his first riding title at Santa Anita and the second of his career.

For the second time this year, average daily handle on Santa Anita’s races increased compared to a similar period a year ago.

At the 29-day spring meeting that ended on Sunday, handle on races run at Santa Anita increased 4.8 percent from more than $228.6 million in 2024 to more than $239.6 million this year, according to figures compiled by Daily Racing Form.

Tue, 06/17/2025 - 13:29

Penn Mile night stakes rescheduled a second time due to weather

By Patrick Moquin

Barbara D. Livingston

The Penn Mile, Penn Oaks, and two statebred stakes have been pushed to Friday, June 27 due to rain this week.

Four stakes races on the Friday card at Penn National, including the Grade 3, $400,000 Penn Mile, will be postponed a second time and will now be run on Friday, June 27. There will be no turf racing at the track this week due to heavy rain throughout the week.

The original 11 races scheduled at the track for Friday were to include the Penn Mile, $150,000 Penn Oaks, and two $75,000 statebred races, the Alphabet Soup and the Lyphard.

Tue, 06/17/2025 - 12:46

It's been a long road for Chorleywood winner Rebel Red

By Marcus Hersh

Rebel Red wins Chorleywood at CD June 14 2025

Coady Media

One-eyed Rebel Red rebounded from a fall during the Louisville Stakes to win the Chorleywood last weekend at Churchill.

The 5-year-old horse Rebel Red has been through some stuff. He lost an eye in a stall accident last summer at Saratoga. He clipped heels and fell during the Louisville Stakes last month. Yet Rebel Red has come through it all better than ever – on the Beyer Speed Figure scale, at least.

Mon, 06/16/2025 - 13:17

Cox hoping top fillies can rebound as he sorts out older dirt runners

By Marcus Hersh

Dubai Racing Club

Hit Show, the upset winner of the Dubai World Cup, will return in the Grade 1 Stephen Foster at Churchill Downs.

In a span of eight days trainer Brad Cox watched both his unbeaten 3-year-old fillies go down to defeat.

Good Cheer, the Kentucky Oaks winner, won her first seven before finishing a flat fifth June 6 in the Acorn Stakes at Saratoga. Cox can’t point to anything particular besides a sloppy track that produced that dull showing.

Mon, 06/16/2025 - 13:14

Fresno, Ferndale to request fall racing dates

By Steve Andersen

For the third time in as many months, supporters of Northern California fair racing will request dates from the California Horse Racing Board on Thursday for brief meetings in Fresno and Ferndale in September and October.

In April, the racing board voted 3-2 against a proposal for late summer dates at Ferndale, but it needed four votes for an official action. With the full seven-person board in place for the May meeting, the board rejected Ferndale’s request by a vote of 4-3.

Mon, 06/16/2025 - 12:34

Rispoli reflects on six-win day as dream season continues

By Steve Andersen

Benoit Photo

Umberto Rispoli had never won more than three races on a program at Santa Anita.

ARCADIA, Calif. – A spring of career landmarks continued for Umberto Rispoli Sunday at Santa Anita, where the jockey notched a six-win day on the final program of the track’s spring meeting.

Last month, Rispoli won his first American classic with Journalism in the Grade 1 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico. Sunday was Rispoli’s most successful single day of riding since he relocated from Hong Kong in December 2019.

Mon, 06/16/2025 - 12:23

D'Amato pair pointed toward Del Mar stakes

By Steve Andersen

Barbara D. Livingston

Off wins at Santa Anita, trainer Phil D'Amato will have Motorious and Thought Process headed to Del Mar.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Sharp wins on Saturday at Santa Anita by the 3-year-old filly Thought Process in an allowance and the veteran gelding Motorious in the Grade 3 Daytona Stakes for turf sprinters have put the multiple stakes winners on course for stakes at the Del Mar summer meeting.

Sun, 06/15/2025 - 20:29

Trainer Doug O'Neill wins 3,000th race

By Steve Andersen

Doug O'Neill wins 3000th race June 15 2025

Benoit Photo

Doug O'Neill's 3,000th winner, Hero Or Zero, was bred and is owned by Paul and Zillah Reddam, for whom he has won the Kentucky Derby twice.

ARCADIA, Calif. – It was fitting that trainer Doug O’Neill reached his 3,000th Thoroughbred win in North America in Sunday’s eighth race at Santa Anita with a colt owned and bred by Paul and Zillah Reddam.

O’Neill, 57, has won two Kentucky Derbys for the Reddams – with I’ll Have Another in 2012 and Nyquist in 2016.

“I’m so glad we were able to get our 3,000th for them,” O’Neill said in the winner’s circle.

Sun, 06/15/2025 - 18:24

Mrs. Astor as honest as they come

By Steve Andersen

Benoit Photo

Mrs. Astor has won stakes in four of her last five starts, including Saturday's Possibly Perfect.

ARCADIA, Calif. - What started last fall at Del Mar has continued through the winter and spring at Santa Anita. The 5-year-old mare Mrs. Astor thrives in distance stakes on turf.

On Saturday at Santa Anita, Mrs. Astor won her fourth stakes in her last five starts with a nose victory in the $100,500 Possibly Perfect Stakes for fillies and mares at 1 1/4 miles.

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