United Nations S.

A total of 429 graded stakes races--down from 440 in 2023--and four fewer top-level events will be contested in 2024, the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association announced following its two-day grading session Dec. 14 and 15. The Committee reviewed 970 overall with purses of at least $75,000 and also assigned listed status to a further 213 races. Some 10 races were upgraded from their previous status--one new Grade I and nine Grade Iis. Four new Grade III events were also listed. Fourteen new listed...

Jack Christopher (Munnings), who suffered his first career loss when third in his two-turn debut in the GI TVG.com Haskell S. at Monmouth Park Saturday, is expected to cut back to one turn in the Aug. 27 GI H. Allen Jerkens S. at Saratoga next time out. "The horse ran really well and I thought he had a good trip," trainer Chad Brown said. "He got a little quick on the final turn when they moved from [the half-mile in] :46 into [three-quarters in] 1:09. That probably emptied him a...

The 'second season' for this year's crop of 3-year-olds--both boys and girls--gets underway in earnest with the running of the $1-million GI TVG.com Haskell S. at Monmouth Park for the males and the GI CCA Oaks about 2 1/2 hours earlier at Saratoga. And intriguing matchups between the top two morning-line choices loom in each of the nine-furlong tests. Zedan Racing Stable's 'TDN Rising Star' Taiba (Gun Runner) was made the narrow 7-5 Haskell favorite by oddsmaker Brad Thomas and was utterly brilliant in his first two career starts, winning...

Mike Maker's incredible success with turning claimers into graded winners on the turf is well documented, but that didn't stop Aquaphobia from getting lost on the board and upending Saturday's GI United Nations S. at 10-1 off a 9-2 morning line. Taken for $62,500 out of a fourth-place run at Gulfstream Jan. 26 for Drawing Away Stable and Robert Falcone, Jr., the bay immediately began repaying his new connections' investment when he bested future stablemate and fellow UN competitor Muggsamatic (Any Given Saturday) in a Gulfstream starter stakes race Feb....

Hunter O'Riley (Tiz Wonderful) last saw the starting gate just over a year ago. Some may remember him blowing up their ticket that day, as it was when he snuck up from the outside to win the GI United Nations S. at odds of 14-1, beating the likes of eventual GI Pegasus World Cup Turf S. winner Zulu Alpha (Street Cry {Ire}), as well as the near-millionaire graded stakes-winning Channel Cat (English Channel). Co-owner Mike Ryan has had his share of pinnacle moments in racing as the bloodstock agent for...

Monmouth Park will hold the $1-million GI TVG.com Haskell Invitational July 18 during its 75th race meet, which is scheduled to begin on Saturday, May 2. A total of 63 stakes (12 graded and 11 restricted to New Jersey-breds) worth $7.3 million will be held over the Jersey Shore oval's 56 days of live racing. The 2020 Haskell card will feature six stakes races, two of which have received $100,000 purse increases--the now $300,000 GIII Monmouth Cup and the $250,000 GIII Molly Pitcher S. The GIII Iselin S., part of...