There’s little in the world of Thoroughbred racing that Bob Baffert hasn’t accomplished. He’s won the Kentucky Derby—four times. He’s won the Preakness—six times. He’s won the Belmont—twice. He’s won the Triple Crown. He’s been voted the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer four times. He’s in the Hall of Fame. He’s won 14 Breeders’ Cup…
They don’t call him Big Money Mike for nothing. Of the 13 Grade 1 races that will be run this weekend in the Breeders’ Cup, Mike Smith is named on nine of them, three of them favorites. But no matter how he does, even if he goes winless, his Breeders’ Cup records are secure: 126…
Four years ago, London Bridge became the first New York-bred to win a Breeders’ Cup race when he won the $500,000 G2 Marathon at Santa Anita. Bred by Patricia S. Purdy and owned by Waratah Thoroughbreds, London Bridge raced in England and France, making his first and only start in the United States that day.…
Last weekend’s Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita was a triumph of sport and spectacle. The Distaff was a nail-biter between fan favorites Beholder and Songbird; the Saturday races offered storylines and close finishes, with both Tepin and Lady Eli in action, along with a headlining showdown between California Chrome and Arrogate. The spectacular backdrop of…
“There’s this nice boy next door,” trainer Paul Kelley remembers his mother-in-law, Mary Beninati, telling him a little more than 20 years ago. “He loves the horses. Can’t you give him a job?” Beninati lived in Mechanicville, New York, next door to Jerry and Patti Brown and their horse-crazy son, Chad, who’d grown up going…
In some ways, Breeders’ Cup is just another racing weekend for Curtis Linnell. Like many observers of Thoroughbred racing, he’ll be watching the races, from home or in his office in Fair Hill, Maryland. He’ll have multiple screens and feeds around him, as will his colleague Laura Horah. But unlike those observers, Linnell will be…
Before the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita Park on Saturday afternoon, plenty of people thought Bayern could win the race. But when it was over, and he crossed the finished line first, plenty of people thought he shouldn’t have. Breaking from post 7 in a field of 14 horses, Bayern swung sharply…
As an 89-pound high school freshman on the wrestling team, Kelly Breen dreamed about being a jockey. Growing up in Old Bridge, New Jersey, he went to nearby Monmouth Park with his family, and though small and light enough to think he’d have a shot, he realized that he’d unlikely be able to develop the…
Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup races kick off with the Juvenile Fillies at 3:05 pm, with the NBC Sports Network beginning coverage at 3:30 Eastern time. The broadcast switches to NBC at 8 pm for a one-hour telecast of the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic. We’ll hope your Friday wagers provide you with plenty of capital heading…
Saturday saw the final two major prep races for the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic: the Awesome Again was run at Santa Anita Park in southern California, the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park in New York. Both are “Win and You’re In” races, guaranteeing a berth in the Classic, along with paid fees…
Brooklyn Backstretch 