Del Mar

The Chosen Vron On Turn-Out, Expected To Return in 2025

Fan favorite The Chosen Vron (Vronsky), scratched from the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint last weekend, will be turned out for several months after an issue was detected in his ankle. "We'll take it one step at a time," trainer J. Eric Kruljac said. "We'll give him four months off and then bring him back. I feel pretty good that he'll come back the same horse." California's reigning Horse of the Year, the 6-year-old has won 19 of his 25 career trips to the post to date and, after finishing fifth...

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Starlust Suddenly a Colt In Demand after Breeders' Cup Glory

Alex Cole, racing manager for owners Jim and Fitri Hay, has paid tribute to their "superstar" Starlust (GB), who has reportedly attracted plenty of interest from Australia with a view to a stallion career following his victory in Saturday's GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint at Del Mar. Trained by Ralph Beckett, Starlust is now the winner of six of his 18 career starts, having thrived on his racing in 2024, notably winning at the Breeders' Cup on his tenth run of a three-year-old campaign which began at Meydan back in...

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Breeders' Cup Handle Up Over 2023, Third-Highest in History

Numbers have been released for the 2024 Breeders' Cup World Championships, with total all-sources, global common-pool handle for the two-day event at $179,218,631, marking a 1.7% bettering of the 2023 total handle. The 41st running of the Breeders' Cup was held Nov. 1-2 at Del Mar, while the 2023 event was held at Santa Anita. The 2024 handle of $179,218,631 marked the third-highest in Breeders' Cup history since the event went to two days in 2007. Only the 2022 event at Keeneland (with $189,060,373 in handle) and the 2021 event...

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Prat Edges Moore For Shoemaker Award

Edited Press Release Flavien Prat, who guided two horses to Breeders' Cup victories Nov. 1-2 at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club during the World Championships, won the 22nd Bill Shoemaker Award as the outstanding jockey of the event. The Shoemaker Award goes to the jockey who rides the most winners in the 14 Championship races with the tiebreaker being a 10-3-1 point system for second- through fourth-place finishes. Prat and Ryan Moore each won two races but thanks to a runner-up effort on Raging Sea (Curlin) in the GI Longines Breeders'...

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City Of Troy Bows Out as Triumph and Disaster Converge at Del Mar

DEL MAR, USA -- From the 2,000 Guineas to the Breeders' Cup Classic, he is the horse who has kept us captivated, wondering and engaged, through to season's end. And that, really, is why we are all fans of horse racing. That longing to know what can't be known for sure until those gates spring open, the skirmishes are had, and the winning post looms.  In the end, for City Of Troy (Justify), unbeaten and burgeoning with promise at two, redeemed in the Derby and then some at Sandown and...

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Straight No Chaser Buzzes Down Lane To Take Breeders' Cup Dirt Sprint

The rowdy MyRacehorse contingent, chanting their horse's name in unison, flooded the Del Mar winner's circle as they celebrated a signature score by Straight No Chaser (Speightster) in the GI Cygames Breeders' Cup Sprint at Del Mar on Saturday. Straight No Chaser began his career under trainer Dan Blacker's care over two years ago. As a 3-year-old that summer at Del Mar, the bay debuted a winner while sprinting over the grass. Though he was well-beaten over course and distance against optional claimers that September, Straight No Chaser cleared that...

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Third Time's The Charm For Moira, As Canada's Horse Of The Year Takes Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup F&M Turf

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. That was the case for Canadian Horse of the Year MOIRA (Ghostzapper--Devine Aida, by Unbridled's Song) as she took the lead in her third attempt in the GI Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf, before driving home a half-length winner for her first Grade I tally at Del Mar Saturday. In so doing, the 5-1 shot held off the late rush of Godolphin's 13-5 favorite Cinderella's Dream (GB) (Shamardal), who nosed out Didia (Arg) (Orpen) for second. The final...

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Jayarebe Dies Following Breeders' Cup Turf

European shipper Jayarebe (Fr) (Zoffany {Ire}) died following the running of Saturday's GI Breeders' Cup Turf. The 3-year-old finished the race, but collapsed during the gallop out. According to a statement put out by the Breeders' Cup, Jayarebe suffered what appears to have been a cardiac event.  He was immediately attended to by a team of veterinary experts led by Dr. Brent Cassady, but unfortunately passed away. His jockey, Sean Levey, was uninjured. "Our thoughts and condolences go out to Jayarebe's connections and the many fans whose lives he touched,"...

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Sierra Leone 'Guns' Down Fierceness in Classic

DEL MAR, CA -- Sierra Leone (Gun Runner), a painful second in the GI Kentucky Derby and a frustrating, beaten favorite in three subsequent efforts at Saratoga this summer, emulated his leading young sire with a victory on the biggest stage of them all in Saturday's GI Longines Breeders' Cup Classic at Del Mar. The GI Toyota Blue Grass S. winner and 'TDN Rising Star' took advantage of a lightning-fast pace up front, picked off his rivals with an eye-catching, sweeping move on the final turn and outbattled favored 'Rising...

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Rebel's Romance Holds Off Japan's Rousham Park For Second Win In the Turf

From Qatar to Dubai to Hong Kong, back to Britain and then across to Germany. By any metric, it had already been a massive season for Godolphin's hearty globetrotter Rebel's Romance (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), and it got that little bit better Saturday afternoon, as his best battling qualities were on full display in just staving off a gallant effort from Rousham Park (Jpn) (Harbinger {GB})--the lesser-preferred of the two Sunday Racing-owned horses--to win the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Turf for the second time in three seasons. Shahryar (Jpn) (Deep Impact...

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Thorpedo Anna Caps Stellar Year with Breeders' Cup Distaff

Is Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna) the 2024 Horse of the Year? That will undoubtedly be the most-asked question in racing from now until the Eclipse Awards in late January. In a year where Thorpedo Anna's name has seemingly never been far from any racing conversation, the brilliant 3-year-old filly showed why she absolutely should be under heavy consideration for Horse of the Year honors with a sublime victory in Saturday's $2-million GI Breeders' Cup Distaff at Del Mar. The race was hers to lose and the task made considerably less...

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Zoustar's Starlust Takes An Eventful Prevagen Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint

DEL MAR, CA - Mrs. Fitri Hay's Starlust (GB) (Zoustar {Aus}), a longshot third in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Santa Anita last year, added to a dream run for trainer Ralph Beckett and jockey Rossa Ryan with a 33-1 upset in an eventful renewal of the GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint at Del Mar. With the rail-drawn, 4-year-old filly Believing (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) a late scratch after flipping in the gate and delaying the start by a good 10 minutes, 4-5 favorite and world-record setter Cogburn...

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