Ack Ack S.

Barry and Joni Butzow, who bred and race graded-stakes winning 'TDN Rising Star' Zozos (Munnings), are the recipients of the 2023 John Deere Award, which recognizes breeders who were represented in this year's Breeders' Cup World Championships and the Breeders' Cup 'Win and You're In' Challenge series over the course of the year. The Deere Award winner was determined by a drawing among all breeders who either won a Breeders' Cup race or a Challenge series race. NTRA Advantage and John Deere will award the Butzows a John Deere Gator...

Barry and Joni Butzow's homebred and 'TDN Rising Star' Zozos (Munnings) took them all the way for an overdue first graded stakes success in Saturday's GIII Ack Ack S., a 'Win and You're In' for the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile. The 3-5 favorite set a pressured pace, albeit through very manageable early fractions of :23.69 and :47.10 going a one-turn mile beneath the Twin Spires. He let it out a notch as they straightened for home and held Justify (Scat Daddy)'s half-brother and 'Rising Star' Stage Raider (Pioneerof the...

Winner of the 2020 Springboard Mile, looking every bit a horse with a future, Senor Buscador (Mineshaft) was the 5-2 second favorite when pitched in against the likes of 'TDN Rising Star' and future GI Kentucky Derby winner Mandaloun (Into Mischief) and Midnight Bourbon (Tiznow) in last year's GII Risen Star S. Sidelined off that effort and away nearly 16 months, connections kept the faith, and Saturday, the homebred colt rewarded them with a tough victory in the GIII Ack Ack S. at Churchill, earning a fees-paid berth into the...

There are but five weeks remaining between now and the Breeders' Cup at Keeneland Nov. 4 and 5, and many of horse racing's biggest names will take in their final prep races over the course of the next couple of weekends. Better than 40 graded stakes, the majority of which have championship weekend implications, are set to take place from sea to shining sea, including 21 'Win and You're In' events offering the winners an all-expenses paid trip to the Bluegrass. Santa Anita stages one of the four Breeders' Cup...

Stonestreet Stables' 'TDN Rising Star' Beau Liam (Liam's Map), unbeaten in three starts in the lower grades, takes a steep rise in class as he squares off with the well-traveled Rushie (Liam's Map) in Saturday's GIII Ack Ack S. at Churchill Downs. Each could book a ticket to this year's GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, won in spectacular fashion by their sire at Keeneland in 2015. The homebred turned in a freakish effort on debut, sitting off a quick pace, cruising past the front-runners under a hold and scampering home...

Tom's Ready (More Than Ready), a three-time graded-stakes winner around one turn, has been added to the roster at Old Friends Thoroughbred Retirement Center in Georgetown, Kentucky. The 7-year-old, trained by Dallas Stewart for Gayle and Tom Benson's GMB Racing, was runner-up in the GIII Lecomte S. and GII Louisiana Derby in 2015, but cut back to one turn to win the GII Woody Stephens S. over seven furlongs and the GIII Ack Ack S. going a mile that season. Winner of the GIII Bold Ruler H. in 2016, the...