Eternal Hope

Although in its 30th rendition in 2024, the GII Glens Falls Stakes at Saratoga has been contested at the distance of 1 1/2 miles for just the past four years. Only two mares have won those four renewals: War Like Goddess (English Channel) in 2021 and 2022 and now McKulick (GB) (m, 5, Frankel {GB}--Astrelle {Ire}, by Makfi {GB}) in 2023 and 2024. Last year, McKulick denied War Like Goddess a three-peat in a neck victory. This year, McKulick circled six wide to best fellow late runners Parnac (Fr) (Zarak...

Unbeaten in two starts in this country as a 3-year-old last season, Godolphin's Eternal Hope (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) makes a belated seasonal debut in Thursday's $250,000 GII Glens Falls Stakes at Saratoga. A stakes winner going 12 furlongs over the Lingfield all-weather last May and third in the G2 Prix Alec Head, the homebred was the even-money pick for the GIII Jockey Club Oaks Invitational Stakes at Aqueduct last September and was a long way out of her ground before a late flourish saw her score by a neck. She...

Stop me if you've heard this one before. A rain-soaked Saturday at a New York racetrack with a scratched-down field tackling a less-than-firm turf course. In this edition of NYRA's Groundhog Day, Eternal Hope (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) repeated her performance in last month's GIII Jockey Club Oaks with another win over Neecie Marie (Cross Traffic) in the GII Sands Point S. Saturday's victory, her second in the United States after a quintet of starts in Europe, also marked her 1 1/8-mile debut in a career of thus-far longer distances. Favored...

Keeneland's lawn debuted during the 1985 Fall meet in an era when American turf courses were just coming into vogue. According to a back issue of the track's media guide, through 2016 they had two names for their grass course. The Keeneland Course referred to the one with rail up, while the normal configuration with it down was called the Haggin Course. Named for Louis Lee Haggin II, who was not only Keeneland's President from 1940-1956, but the decade before had purchased the 550-acre Sycamore Farm in Woodford County. Serving...

After then-Irish-based Aspen Grove (Ire) (Justify) took the GI Fasig-Tipton Belmont Oaks and French filly Elusive Princess won the GIII Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Oaks, it was only fitting another European, Godolphin homebred Eternal Hope (Ire) (f, 3, Teofilo {Ire}--Voice of Truth {Ire}, by Dubawi {Ire}), should capture the GIII Fasig-Tipton Jockey Club Oaks Invitational S. Saturday for her first graded/group win. Last-out Parx stakes winner Neecie Marie (Cross Traffic) was second, while Leopardstown G3 winner Speirling Beag (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {(Ire}), sixth in the Belmont Oaks behind Aspen Grove, finished third. Sporting...

Saturday's Betfred Derby at Epsom has been boosted by one supplementary entry, with the Niarchos family opting to pay the £85,000 fee to add Dante S. third Passenger (Ire) (Ulysses {Ire}) to the line-up.  At the confirmation stage, 16 colts remain in contention, with Coolmore's Auguste Rodin (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) and Godolphin's Military Order (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) vying for favouritism.  The latter is trained by Charlie Appleby, who will be aiming for a third Derby success following Masar (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) in 2018 and Military Order's full-brother Adayar...