CJ Thoroughbreds

DEL MAR, California--In Saturday's GI Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf at Del Mar, the Europeans come to town riding a five-year win streak having taken the hardware and the bragging rights with thanks. Yet, lest we forget that this is horse racing on the turf and that means even the most deserving favorites can be vulnerable. To put it in sports betting terms, the Filly & Mare Turf could be deemed what we call a 'trap game' in the business. That means a seemingly stronger opponent underestimates...

7th-Ellis, $70,251, Msw, 7-29, 2yo, 6f, 1:11.97, my, 1 3/4 lengths. MESERO (c, 2, Not This Time--Lemon Liqueur {SP}, by Exchange Rate), a 5-1 shot, was away half a step slowly and raced near the back of the field as favored Snap Call (Volatile) pressed the pace three wide down the backstretch before settling just off the pace on the bend. Mesero began improving his position along the rail as the favorite settled just off the pace in third, but he was still some eight lengths back as the leaders...

A colt by Practical Joke led the way Wednesday, kicking off Book 5 of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale in Lexington. Consigned by Bluewater Sales, Hip 2980 is out of Jetbird (Wildcat Heir), a half-sister to Group 1 winner X Y Jet (Kantharos). "We were prepared [for the $250,000 price] because of the entire package," said CJ Thoroughbred's Corey Johnson. "We felt between $200,000-$250,000 was what it was going to take to purchase him. We were expecting somewhere around that number." On Day 9, Ashford's Practical Joke was the second...

GSW Dennis' Moment (Tiznow) will stand the 2024 breeding season at Golden Creek Equine in Cheyenne, Wyoming, part-owner CJ Thoroughbreds said in a release Wednesday. The 6-year-old is co-owned by Eugene Joyce and will stand for a fee of $1,500. A limited number of lifetime breeding rights are also available. Although Wyoming has a long history of horse racing and is the final resting place of the sport's first Triple Crown winner, Sir Barton, the state's live racing scene nearly disappeared until HHR was legalized a decade ago. Since then,...

5th-Ellis, $67,900, Msw, 8-1, 2yo, f, 5 1/2fT, 1:03.77, fm, 4 1/4 lengths. SONG OF NORWAY (f, 2, Flatter--Cougarstown {SW, $101,723}, by Speightstown) was installed the 2-1 favorite, her position only strengthened by the late scratch of the well-meant Pinotslilgirl (Jimmy Creed). Jumping to the front in a blink of an eye from her high draw, the Wesley Ward trainee led 3-1 chance Saltwater Taffy (Twirling Candy) and Midnight Angel (West Coast) through an initial quarter in :22.12. Rolling through the a half in :45.79, the blinkered filly opened up...

On this week's episode of Bettor Things with Joe Bianca, the host talks to handicapper, owner/breeder and former racetrack executive CJ Johnsen about betting, sports, music and more. Johnsen, who is currently the vice president at CJ Thoroughbreds, is best known for guiding the remarkable transformation of Kentucky Downs from an afterthought on the racing calendar to a marquee stand with what equates to paradise for horseplayers: big fields and low takeout. Then, in the latest installment of his Breeders' Cup handicapping series, Bianca lays out plays for Saratoga's GI...

With the end of his NFL career right around the corner, Mike Renfro was looking for something to do after his playing days were over. That's why he bought a Louisiana-bred in 1988 named Dr. Death. It couldn't have worked out any better. Dr. Death won his first start for Renfro and would go on to win six stakes races and finish third in the 1988 GI Hollywood Derby. "It was going to be my last season and I was looking to get into the real estate business, but real...

The Keeneland September Yearling Sale opened its first of two Book 4 sessions with a workmanlike day of trade in Lexington Sunday. C.J. Johnsen made the day's highest bid, going to $210,000 to acquire a filly by Ghostzapper (hip 2342) for his CJ Thoroughbreds. Three yearlings tied for the day's second highest price of $190,000: a colt by Maclean's Music and a pair of colts by first-crop sire Unified. A total of 31 yearlings brought six figures on the day. In all, 237 yearlings sold Sunday for $11,516,500. The session...