Wed, 09/20/2017 - 12:20

Rivers Run Deep headed to Best of Ohio Sprint Stakes

Rivers Run Deep would fit well in the Oct. 7 Woodford at Keeneland after crushing a solid field of turf sprinters last Sunday at Churchill, but trainer Chris Hartman said the 6-year-old millionaire will make his next start the same day in the $150,000 Best of Ohio Sprint at Belterra Park, a race the horse has won the past three years.

“He’s a rock star,” Hartman said of Rivers Run Deep, a winner in 19 of 37 career starts, all for James and Ywachetta Driver. “He’s a win machine, absolutely loves his job.”

Wed, 09/20/2017 - 12:06

Locust Grove top three could meet again in Spinster

Churchill Downs/Coady Photography
Locust Grove winner Romantic Vision could face second- and third-place finishers Blue Prize and Tiger Moth in the Spinster.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Romantic Vision, Blue Prize, and Tiger Moth – the one-two-three finishers in the Grade 3 Locust Grove last weekend at Churchill – could reconvene in the Oct. 8 Spinster Stakes at Keeneland, but otherwise that Grade 1 race is currently lacking in top prospects.

Wed, 09/20/2017 - 12:06

Lukas mulling plans for Sporting Chance

Debra A. Roma
Hopeful winner Sporting Chance may train up to the Breeders' Cup juvenile, or prep once more.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas said he is thinking about whether to run his latest Hopeful winner, Sporting Chance, in the Oct. 7 Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland or just go straight into the Nov. 4 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.

:: Breeders' Cup PP packages: Get PPs, betting strategies, DRF+ Pro access, and more 

Wed, 09/20/2017 - 12:00

Limousine Liberal on target for Phoenix start

Coady Photography
Limousine Liberal (inside) is beaten by a nose by A. P. Indian in last year's Phoenix Stakes.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Limousine Liberal has been training right along at Keeneland and is on target for a return in the Grade 2 Phoenix Stakes, in which he was beaten in a tight photo last year.

Several workouts are missing from the past performances of Limousine Liberal, but that’s partly because Keeneland does not employ full-time clockers during its off-season.

“All’s well from here,” said trainer Ben Colebrook, noting that the 5-year-old gelding breezed a half-mile last Saturday in 49.20 seconds.

Wed, 09/20/2017 - 12:00

Trainer Davis looking for first stakes win in Dogwood

Coady Photography
Student Body is among the top contenders in a crowded field for Saturday's Dogwood Stakes.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Chris Davis is hoping to get the first stakes win of his nascent training career when he sends out Student Body as a top contender Saturday night in the $100,000 Dogwood Stakes at Churchill Downs.

Student Body set the pace before fading over a sloppy track earlier this month in the Grade 2 Prioress at Saratoga, but should fare better over a dry surface, said Davis.

“She didn’t quicken like she normally does,” he said.

Wed, 09/20/2017 - 10:06

All eyes on Unique Bella approaching Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint

Barbara D. Livingston
Unique Bella is expected to return from a six-month layoff in the Oct. 8 L.A. Woman Stakes.

The outlook for the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint could be shaped largely by the upcoming performance of one horse: Unique Bella.

If, as expected, the star 3-year-old runs well in her eagerly awaited return to action Oct. 8 in the L.A. Woman at Santa Anita, she could be a solid favorite for the seven-furlong Filly and Mare Sprint on Nov. 4 at Del Mar – and if not, well, throw this thing wide open.

:: BREEDERS’ CUP 2017: See DRF’s top contenders

Wed, 09/20/2017 - 08:30

Ribchester eyeing Queen Elizabeth II Stakes-BC Mile double

Emily Shields
World Approval earned a fees-paid starting berth in the Breeders' Cup Mile with his victory Saturday in the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile.

“Bring on Ribchester!” might be the rallying cry from the camp of World Approval, who cemented his position as North America’s top turf miler with a dominant victory last Saturday in the Woodbine Mile. With Group 1 victories this year in the J.T. Lockinge, the Queen Anne, and most recently in the Prix du Moulin de Longchamp, Ribchester ranks as the best miler in Europe.

But whether Ribchester brings his considerable talent to the Breeders’ Cup Mile on Nov. 4 at Del Mar remains an open question.

Wed, 09/20/2017 - 08:06

Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf lacking North American standouts

Michael Burns
Untamed Domain earned a 75 Beyer Speed Figure for his win in Sunday's Summer Stakes.

Not to put too fine a point on it, but the North American 2-year-old male turf horses of 2017 are slow.

In fact, to this point in the year, and using Beyer Speed Figures as a measure, they are historically slow, and the lack of standout performances makes evaluating the prospective cast for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf a tricky process.

It also leads one to believe that European shippers, often formidable in this race in any case, might be even more potent this fall.

On to the specifics.

Wed, 09/20/2017 - 08:00

Diverse cast sets sights on Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies

Benoit & Associates
Moonshine Memories, winner of the Del Mar Debutante, will train up to a planned start in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile.

The Breeders’ Cup was conceived as a season-ending event that would bring top horses from all jurisdictions together to settle divisional championships on the racetrack. That goal may again be realized in this year’s Juvenile Fillies, which in its early stages is assembling a far-flung cast of characters.

Mon, 09/18/2017 - 16:13

Amended schedule for final three months of year adds two days

LAUREL, Md. - Laurel Park has amended its racing calendar for the final three months of the year.

Laurel was scheduled to race four days a week in October and November by adding Thursdays, and then return to a Friday-to-Sunday race week in December.

Laurel will now race Fridays to Mondays from Oct. 9 through Dec. 18.

Laurel will face less competition on Mondays than it would have on Thursdays and will be one of the leading Monday simulcast signals. The change will add two days to the track's schedule.