This column highlights the performances of 2-year-old maidens who have made no more than five starts and who either sold for more than $500,000 at public auction, have siblings that are graded/group winners, or have dams that are graded/group winners. BloodHorse research shows maiden winners, in particular, who meet these criteria are more likely to…
An invigorated buying bench drove a lively trade at the Tattersalls Somerville Yearling Sale Sept. 2, where the market was led by a pair of 160,000gns (US$225,037, 1 guinea=US$1.41) purchases. Tattersalls offered a significantly slimmed-down catalog compared to 12 months ago, with 257 lots coming under the hammer during a single session. Last year saw 426 yearlings…
Santa Anita’s 16-day Autumn Meet begins on Sept. 26 with a new wager, the $1 Sunset Pick Six. The Sunset Pick Six will comprise the final three races from both Santa Anita and Gulfstream Park on days that the pair are running. Available to retail customers only (no CAW players), the Sunset Pick Six features…
Management at Kentucky Downs plans to review the performance of its new timing system after errors were detected in the times for the four graded stakes run on its Aug. 30 card. All four of the initially reported times have been revised to slower marks. Three of those races initially appeared to be track records and still…
The Labor Day weekend was a good one for both of the leading second-crop sires in Europe and North America, Kameko and Vekoma . Kameko was represented by Wimbledon Hawkeye , who took the most valuable race of the holiday weekend, the Nashville Derby (G3T), narrowly prevailing over one-time classic contender, Burnham Square . Prior to his Kentucky Downs…
Five-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown and Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher each posted 32 wins at Saratoga Race Course to share the H. Allen Jerkens training title at the 40-day meeting that ran from July 10 through September 1. Brown entered Monday’s Closing Day card with a one-win lead over Pletcher, who evened…
Champion mare Via Sistina capped an extraordinary 2024-25 campaign with the title of Australian Racehorse of the Year, announced at a ceremony at The Star in Brisbane Aug. 31. Prepared by Chris Waller for Yulong, Via Sistina polled 202 of a possible 204 votes to claim the award comfortably ahead of Bella Nipotina on 75 and…
The Hopeful Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course is a race intended to point out stars of the future. Though for one of the New York Racing Association’s most liked and respected officials, it will mark the end of a long and stellar career. Once entries were taken for the Sept. 1 Hopeful, Andrew Byrnes…
Grade 1 winner Burnham Square has completed his 2025 campaign with a runner-up finish in the Nashville Derby (G3T), trainer Ian Wilkes told Kentucky Downs publicity Aug. 31. Wilkes said the Liam’s Map gelding will get the rest of the year off and point to a 2026 turf campaign. Burnham Square battled Wimbledon Hawkeye in the…
Star mare Treasurethe Moment showed she could provide champion Yulong teammate Via Sistina some stiff opposition if they clash in the spring by producing a breathtaking victory in a classic edition of the Memsie Stakes (G1) Aug. 31. This century, Victoria’s first group 1 of the season has showcased memorable first-up triumphs to three of this…
