Myths are part of what makes sports fun. The “Curse of the Bambino” supposedly doomed the Red Sox for 86 years after they traded Babe Ruth. Michael Jordan allegedly never lost a game when wearing UNC shorts under his Bulls uniform.
Think Big had no problem handling a little extra distance Saturday in the Grade 3 Kelso at Saratoga. In his first start beyond 5 1/2 furlongs on turf, Think Big skipped up the rail for an impressive victory.
D.J. Stable homebred Nitrogen will contest the Belmont Oaks on Saturday in hopes of returning a Grade 1 winner. The Mark Casse trainee is the heavy morning line favorite at 4/5.
Along the Saratoga backstretch of Friday’s Grade 1, $750,000 Belmont Derby, Test Score and World Beater appeared to be backing up. At the top of the stretch, Test Score appeared to have thrown in the towel.
Bettors of Phileas Fogg in Friday’s Grade 2 Suburban at Saratoga got quite the scare at the wire of the 1 1/4-mile race. After breaking on top and leading through fractions of 23.72 seconds for the opening quarter and 47.83 for the half, Phileas Fogg looked like a sure winner in the stretch.
Zulu Kingdom is set to return in the Grade 3 Manila after inclement weather altered a series of plans for the ridgling. He was last seen winning the Grade
Racing is back at The Spa for this special July 4th racing festival. Friday’s holiday card features a star-studded Late Pick 5 sequence, highlighted by three graded stakes races, including the prestigious Grade 1 Suburban.
Throughout history, fillies and mares have struck a regal chord on the racetrack. From the esteemed Epsom Oaks and Royal Ascot’s Coronation Stakes, celebrating three-year-old fillies in Europe; to North America and the fall spectacle of the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf, along with its sprint counterpart, showcases the best female runners.
A little more than six months ago, it looked like trainer Richard Mandella had an emerging star ready for a start in the Grade 1 La Brea for 3-year-old fillies at Santa Anita.
When Lavender Disaster steps onto the inner turf at Saratoga for the $150,000 Wild Applause Stakes on July 3, she’ll carry not just the weight of expectation but also the legacy of one of America’s most eclectic and passionate horsemen, Peter Brant.
Just five horses have finished in front of Kentucky Derby and Belmont winner Sovereignty in seven career starts. Tip Top Thomas and Sovereignty debuted last summer at Saratoga, where Tip Top Thomas beat Sovereignty, who finished fourth, by 2 1/4 lengths.
Coming down the Fair Grounds stretch in the Grade 2 Risen Star in February, Magnitude looked like a 1-9 favorite, galloping to a 9 3/4-length victory. Except he wasn’t 1-9, he was 43-1.
Over the years, I’ve gotten a lot of questions about fair odds — what are they, how do you produce them, and what are they good for? Let’s start with the latter.
A pair of Kentucky Derby alumni were supposed to make their returns to turf Friday at Saratoga. Final Gambit and Flying Mohawk earned their way into the Derby finishing one-two in the Grade 3 Jeff Ruby Steaks over Turfway Park’s synthetic surface.
With the talk of the older dirt male division centered around Mindframe’s victory in the Stephen Foster and if he’ll meet stablemate Fierceness in the Whitney, eight older horses look to jump into the divisional conversation in Friday’s Grade 2 Suburban at Saratoga.
For the first time, Saratoga is set to host the July 4th Racing Festival. The four days of racing are typically held at Belmont Park but were moved upstate while the home of the Test of Champions is renovated. First post on Thursday is 1:10pm EDT. The Grade 3 Victory Ride Stakes is the only graded stakes on Thursday’s card.
With Saratoga and Del Mar about to kick off, now’s the perfect time to sharpen your skills for one of horse racing’s most exciting bets: the Pick 5. It’s a high-stakes wager that can deliver massive payouts if you know how to play it right.
With a victory in the Stephen Foster, Mindframe narrowly edges his stablemate Fierceness atop the division. While Fierceness is obviously talented, Mindframe has beaten some of the country’s best horses from seven furlongs to nine furlongs.
Tom’s Magic, a 3-year-old colt by Justify, captured Saturday’s edition of the Tale of the Cat Stakes at Monmouth Park, marking his third win in five career starts for CJ Thoroughbreds.
Sovereignty topped Journalism again on Saturday evening, winning the 157th running of the Belmont Stakes and claiming two of the three Triple Crown races in 2025.
After a close second-place finish at the Kentucky Derby, Journalism bounced back in a big -- and thrilling -- way on Saturday to gets its big win of 2025 by taking the 150th running of the Preakness Stakes.