Shared Content Archive

Saturday evening's G3 Prix Paul de Moussac at Chantilly sees the return of this season's biggest missing piece so far in Full Mast (Mizzen Mast). Khalid Abdullah's homebred, who ended up being presented with the G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere by the Longchamp stewards on Arc day upon the demotion of none other than Gleneagles (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), is technically unbeaten as a result and carries a seven-pound penalty here. That could let in Rashit Shaykhutdinov's De Treville (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}), who was second to the subsequent G1 Prix du Jockey Club third War...

Before Aidan O'Brien arrived on the scene, it was Andre Fabre who ruled the roost in the G1 Investec Coronation Cup, and the success of Swain (Ire) in 1996 was a third straight and fifth overall in the Epsom feature for Chantilly's maitre. Shirocco (Ger) has subsequently added a sixth during the period of Ballydoyle's second empire, and in the absence of a representative of that Co. Tipperary powerhouse Saturday's renewal could be primed for Fabre to equal Aidan O'Brien's record courtesy of Flintshire (GB) (Dansili {GB}). Runner-up to Dolniya (Fr) (Azamour {Ire}) in...

Today's G1 Investec Derby seems to hinge on one question, and only Golden Horn (GB) (Cape Cross {Ire}) can supply the answer as he enters the final quarter- mile of Tesio's famed ultimate test of the Thoroughbred. There is no doubt that Anthony Oppenheimer's homebred has a distinct class edge over all of his rivals based on his emphatic success in the premier trial, York's G2 Dante S. May 14, which was termed a “mini Derby” at the time. Form, mentality and physicality aside, however, the bay enters this race without all...

by Ben Massam Whether by choice or by circumstance, trainer William 'Buff' Bradley is taking the patient approach with his talented sophomore turfer Divisidero (Kitten's Joy). The colt displayed a scorching turn of foot to earn his first graded stakes victory in Saturday's GII American Turf S. at Churchill Downs--his third career start--covering the final 5/16th of a mile in an exceptional :27.89 [video].  Owned by Tom Kiethley's Gunpowder Farms LLC, Divisidero began to train under Bradley's care last summer, but the dual-Breeders' Cup winning conditioner noted that it quickly became apparent...

Ken and Sarah Ramsey's GII Louisiana Derby hero International Star (Fusaichi Pegasus), who was a late scratch from the GI Kentucky Derby with a quarter crack in his left front foot, has been further sidelined by an ankle chip detected in the same leg.  The announcement was made Tuesday on the Ramsey Farm Facebook page, which stated, "We found out this morning that International Star has a small chip in his left front ankle and will be off for 60 to 90 days to recover from surgery."  Trained by Mike Maker, International...

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, fresh off his fourth GI Kentucky Derby win with American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile) last Saturday, was named the 2015 recipient of Monmouth Park's Virgil “Buddy” Raines Distinguished Achievement Award during the New Jersey track's opening press conference Tuesday.  “The Raines Award was designed to honor those who have made a difference in New Jersey racing,” said Bob Kulina, president of Darby Development LLC, operators of the racetrack. “For nearly 20 years, Bob Baffert and his standout runners have helped build the GI Haskell...

The third session of the Inglis Australian Broodmare and Weanling Sale Tuesday saw leading farms and part-owners stepping up to the plate in support of their young or new stallions.  "Young stallions such as Dissident, Deep Field, Akeed Mofeed and Vancouver are all due to cover some top- quality mares out of this week's sale, which is best placed to ensure buyers can get in to the popular stallions before the book full signs go up," stated Jonathan D'Arcy, Inglis National Bloodstock Director.  "It is great to see a vast...

By Gai Waterhouse It is just over 10,500 miles from the training center at Newmarket, England to Tulloch Lodge Randwick in the inner Eastern suburbs of Sydney. I was asked by a leading English trainer why us Australian trainers don't phone up our English peers and seek feedback on our imported horses and their previous race records. Well, I can only speak for myself, but the difference between Newmarket and Randwick--taking into account geography, weather and the vastly varying training facilities--is like comparing Antarctica to the Sahara Desert. The horses...

David J. Stern, widely credited for building the model for professional sports in league operations, public service, global marketing and digital technology over the course of a three-decade tenure as commissioner of the National Basketball Association (NBA), will discuss the global growth and success of the league during his tenure and its potential relevance to Thoroughbred racing in a special question-and-answer session at the Pan American Conference June 3-5 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City.  Stern, who stepped down and became commissioner emeritus in February 2014, oversaw...

By T.D. Thornton The first three dozen of about 50 Thoroughbreds in northern California were scheduled to have radio frequency identification (RFID) chips implanted on Tuesday at Golden Gate Fields as part of a California Horse Racing Board initiative to modernize pre-race identification, streamline the tracking of the backstretch population, and to assist the state in equine disease control.  "It's a pilot project," said CHRB track safety program director Jeff Salmon, who is overseeing the roll-out of the microchip study. "What we're trying to do is understand what it will...

Xpressbet, an online wagering plateform, will be the title sponsor of the GI Preakness S., it has been announced. "At Xpressbet, we strive to partner with the country's leading racetracks and the best brands in the sport," said Xpressbet President Ron Luniewski. "The Preakness S. is not only an important event in U.S. racing, but it is one of the world's premier races. The pageantry, history, and prestige of Preakness Day are unparalleled, and we're thrilled to sponsor a race with such significance and importance." "The fans are the economic...

By Bill Oppenheim The GI Kentucky Oaks isn't officially a Classic, nonetheless last Friday's edition was one of four Classic or (shall we say) Classic-standard races run last weekend: the Oaks and GI Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, and England's one-mile Guineas Classics, the G1 English 2000 Guineas for colts on Saturday, and the G1 English 1000 Guineas for fillies on Sunday. Michael Tabor's colors were carried to victory for the Coolmore triumvirate by Ryan Moore in both the Newmarket Guineas races, while rumors abound that a certain...