Jockey Club Gold Cup

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. -- George Krikorian's dependable War Like Goddess (English Channel) will make her age-matching seventh career Saratoga start Saturday in the GII $500,000 Flower Bowl. War Like Goddess has never been worse than third at Saratoga Race Course. The turf distance specialist won the 1 3/8-mile Flower Bowl in 2021, its last year as a Grade I, and was second by a neck in 2022. Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott did not run her in the race last year. The Flower Bowl will be her third start...

When people discuss Horse of the Year candidates, the name Next (Not This Time) almost never comes up. That's despite what is currently the most impressive winning streak and show of dominance in the sport. He's won eight of his last nine, all of them stakes, by a combined 81 3/4 lengths. On Sunday at Saratoga, he won the Birdstone Stakes, doing so while never appearing to do more than galloping across the track in what amounted to a paid workout. We haven't seen a horse like this for a...

MIDDLETOWN, NJ--The Kentucky breeding industry didn't bite on 2021 GI Jockey Club Gold Cup winner Max Player (Honor Code--Fools in Love, by Not For Love), not exactly a surprise considering he was overshadowed during his career by stars such as Flightline (Tapit), Tiz the Law (Constitution), Authentic (Into Mischief), Epicenter (Not This Time) and others. When that happens, it usually means that the horse will land in one of the stronger regional markets, like New York or Pennsylvania. Not Max Player. He's been retired to owner George Hall's Annestes Farm...

Max Player (Honor Code--Fools in Love, by Not For Love), winner of the 2021 GI Jockey Club Gold Cup S., has been retired and will stand the 2024 breeding season at Annestes Farms in Middletown, New Jersey. "After an impressive career on the racetrack, we are excited about his prospects as a sire," majority owner and New Jersey resident George Hall said. Max Player's resume also includes wins in the 2021 GII Suburban S. and 2020 GIII Withers S. and third-place finishes in the 2020 GI Belmont S. and GI...

Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable's lightly raced Bright Future (Curlin), a well-backed 7-2 in Saturday's GI Jockey Club Gold Cup S. at Saratoga, dug down deep beneath the ageless Javier Castellano to hold off Proxy (Tapit) by a nose and punch his ticket to the GI Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita. "It was a good spot to try a Grade I and he delivered a big performance," winning trainer Todd Pletcher said. "In order to go to the next one, he's going to need to make another move...

A trio of highly regarded sophomores will take on their elders in a fantastic renewal of Saturday's GI FanDuel Pacific Classic S. at Del Mar, a 'Win and You're In' for the GI Breeders' Cup Classic. The 5-2 morning-line favorite Geaux Rocket Ride (Candy Ride {Arg}) leads the way for the 3-year-olds after defeating GI Kentucky Derby winner Mage (Good Magic) by 1 3/4 lengths in Monmouth Park's GI TVG.com Haskell S. July 22. He will look to follow in the hoofprints of his leading sire Candy Ride, who won...

Trainer Kenny McPeek confirmed Lucky Seven Stable's Smile Happy (Runhappy) for next Saturday's GI Whitney S. at Saratoga Race Course, but his stablemate for the same owner, Rattle N Roll (Connect), will take his show on the road. Both horses last raced in the GI Stephen Foster S. July 1 at Ellis Park. McPeek said Rattle N Roll will target either the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup at Saratoga or the GI Pacific Classic at Del Mar. Both races are run at 10 furlongs September 2 and are "Win and...

Olympiad (Speightstown--Tokyo Time, by Medaglia d'Oro), a five-time graded stakes winner, led by the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup S., and most recently second in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic, has been retired to Gainesway Farm. The $700,000 Keeneland September graduate will stand for an advertised fee of $35,000 LFSN. One of North America's top older males of 2022, Olympiad posted eight wins in 13 career starts for earnings of $3,027,560 for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott and owners Grandview Equine, Cheyenne Stables and LNJ Foxwoods. Olympiad's year started...

Grandview Equine, Cheyenne Stable and LNJ Foxwoods's Olympiad (Speightstown), a head-scratching fourth in the GI Whitney S., bounced back with a powerful performance in Saturday's 'Win and You're In' GI Jockey Club Gold Cup at Saratoga. The 8-5 favorite jumped well from his inside draw and sat a perfect, stalking trip in second behind longshot pacesetter Tax (Arch) through fractions of :24.54 and :49.70. Racing in between rivals as last year's GI Cigar Mile H. winner Americanrevolution (Constitution), one of four entered for Todd Pletcher, continued to draw closer heading...

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...

Joe Bianca talks to handicapper, owner/breeder and former racetrack executive CJ Johnsen about betting, sports, music and more, then Joe lays out plays for Saratoga's Jockey Club Gold Cup and Flower Bowl, two Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" challenge races.

There is no such thing as a sure thing in horse racing, but 'TDN Rising Star' Flightline (Tapit) will be bet as if Saturday's GI TVG Pacific Classic--a 'Win and You're In' qualifier for the GI Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland Nov. 5--is already the proverbial fait accompli. And why not, really? His four towering victories in as many trips to the races have come by an average winning margin of better than 13 lengths. His lowest Beyer Speed Figure is a downright pedestrian 105 earned for his debut just...