Breeders' Cup Win and You're In

Elite-level racing in Japan for the first half of the season comes to a close this weekend with the running of the G1 Takarazuka Kinen, being contested this year at Kyoto Racecourse due to ongoing renovations at its normal home at Hanshin. The 2200-metre contest will earn the winner a fees-paid berth into the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Turf at Del Mar in early November. The Takarazuka Kinen is one of two fan-voted events on the JRA calendar annually, and its leading votegetter Do Deuce (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) will...

Clark Brewster and Bill and Corinne Heiligbrodt's Cogburn (Not This Time) continued his assault on the American turf sprint division with a jaw-dropping, front-running success in Saturday's GI Jaipur S. at Saratoga, a 'Win and You're In' qualifying race for the GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint at Del Mar in early November. And if holding the form he's in currently, he will be a very difficult nut to crack. Drawn eight in a full field for the Jaipur, normally a six-furlong contest downstate, but shortened to 5 1/2 panels to...

Headed by a quartet of graded races, Colonial Downs unveiled its 2024 stakes program consisting of 27 races worth $5.7 million for the 27-day season which runs from Thursday, July 11 through Saturday, Sept. 7. The Colonial Downs Festival of Racing, slated for Saturday, Aug. 10 is highlighted by the GI Arlington Million, the GII Beverly D. S. and the GII Secretariat S. The Beverly D. returns as a 'Breeders' Cup Challenge Win and You're In' race for the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf to be held at...

Highlighted by the 156th edition of the GI Belmont S. on Saturday, June 8, the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) has revealed the stakes schedule for the 2024 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, which will be held at Saratoga Race Course from Thursday, June 6 through Sunday, June 9. The 2024 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival will include 23 stakes races with purses totaling $10.1 million, the highest purse levels and number of stakes offered since the launch of the multi-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival in 2014. NYRA has increased the...

Juddmonte homebred Idiomatic (Curlin) continued her ascent to the top of the distaff division Sunday with a dominant and fitting front-running tally in the GI Juddmonte Spinster S., a "Win and You're In" qualifier for next month's GI Breeders' Cup Distaff. This was the second Spinster title for Juddmonte, which began sponsoring the prestigious race in 2005. Emollient (Empire Maker) carried the famed green and pink to victory here in 2013. Backed at even-money to repeat rival Nest (Curlin)'s 4-5 odds, the Brad Cox trainee took clear command from the...

Rancho Temescal Thoroughbreds and Dan Agnew's Chatalas (f, 2, Gun Runner--Indian Safari, by Indian Charlie), fourth last month behind ultra-impressive 'TDN Rising Star' Tamara (Bolt d'Oro) in the GI Del Mar Debutante, looks like she'll get another shot at that rival after winning the GII Chandelier S. at Santa Anita Saturday and earning a 'Win and You're In' berth to the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. Co-owner Agnew also bred the filly. "Cloud nine, now that would describe it," said Agnew. "Especially with a homebred like this, it is a...

Paul Reddam's Slow Down Andy (Nyquist) assumed command of Saturday's GI Awesome Again S. from the opening bell and made every pole a winning one, earning a fees-paid berth into the GI Breeders' Cup Classic over an extra eighth of a mile of the Santa Anita main track on Nov. 4. "I was kind of surprised, I thought everyone would try to go," Reddam said. "The track has been pretty speed favoring all day and he just broke so smoothly that he was on top in three jumps and that...

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...

Santa Anita kicks off its Autumn meet in style this weekend, highlighted by eight graded stakes, including Saturday's GI Awesome Again S., a Breeders' Cup 'Win and You're In' for the Nov. 4 Classic. As is his custom, trainer Bob Baffert is armed with a slew of Classic prospects, however, he confirmed last week that one of the early Classic favorites--GI Pacific Classic scorer Arabian Knight (Uncle Mo)--would bypass this local Breeders' Cup Classic prep. Also missing this weekend's lineup, GI Haskell Invitational winner Geaux Rocket Ride (Candy Ride {Arg})...

Lael Stables' She Feels Pretty (Karakontie {Jpn}) came with a stinging rally down the center of the E. P. Taylor turf course to punch her ticket to the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf with an impressive victory in Saturday's GI Johnnie Walker Natalma S. at Woodbine. It marks the first elite-level scorer for the barn of Cherie DeVaux. Sent off at odds of 8-1 while stretching out to the mile off a first-up graduation sprinting over the Ellis Park turf course July 16, the $240,000 Keeneland September acquisition was...

When they throw $1.7 million at a race that entitles the winner to a guaranteed, fees-paid berth in the field for the GI Breeders' Cup Turf, sometimes you cast all logic aside and roll the dice against all odds. As the saying goes, 'you miss 100% of the shots you don't take,' and it was with that mindset that Get Smokin (Get Stormy)--a Grade II and Grade III winner, but unproven over the 12-furlong trip of the GII FanDuel Kentucky Cup Turf--was even entered in the first place. But given...

In a mad scramble for the wire in Saturday's $1-million GII Ainsworth Turf Sprint S. at Kentucky Downs, 23-1 Calumet homebred Gear Jockey (6, h, Twirling Candy--Switching Gears, by Tapit) got a desperate head down in front of 3-2 choice One Timer (Trappe Shot) and 11-1 Bad Beat Brian (Jack Milton). It was a repeat of his success in this same race two years ago when it was a Grade III, albeit by a far slimmer margin. Final time for the six furlongs was 1:10.59. The Turf Sprint is a...