Latest news with #TurfRacing
Yahoo
07-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Seasoned Traveler' Cairo Trains On Colonial Turf For Arlington Million
'Seasoned Traveler' Cairo Trains On Colonial Turf For Arlington Million originally appeared on Paulick Report. After arriving at Colonial Downs in New Kent, Va., on Sunday, Refai Alghraiban's classy globetrotter Cairo was on the track Aug. 6 ahead of his run in Saturday's Grade 1 Arlington Million on Festival of Racing Day (Aug. 9). Trainer Alice Haynes was on hand for the Irish-bred's move over the turf course.'He's fit coming here,' Haynes said. 'We just gave him a two-furlong blow and let him have a look at the track so he's all set for Saturday.'Having raced at top tracks across Ireland and England, Meydan in Dubai, and Sha Tin in Hong Kong, the Million will be Cairo's first start in the United States.'We took off from England, landed at JFK and quarantined there before (coming to Colonial Downs),' Haynes said. 'He's a seasoned traveler–he loves it. Another stamp for his passport.' Exiting an impressive third last out in the Queen Anne Stakes (G1) at Royal Ascot on June 17, Cairo has made six starts since Dec. 20, 2024, when he finished second in the Al Rashidiya (G2), one of four events he participated in over the winter at in Ireland by Coolmore, Cairo banged out three wins in his first five starts. The 5-year-old's career record includes six group placings and a win in the 2022 Killavullan Stakes (G3).Going 1¼ miles over the turf, the Arlington Million attracted a field of eight older males. Made 7-2 in the morning line, Cairo will take on an accomplished group, which includes last year's Million runner-up, Integration; Mystik Dan, whose resume includes a win in Kentucky Derby 150 and $4,467,120 lifetime earnings; and multiple graded stakes winner Grand Sonata who has amassed $2,244,935 in lifetime earnings for trainer Todd Pletcher.'Look, you've got the Kentucky Derby winner who has never been on the turf, so you never know,' Haynes said. 'The favorite, Integration, looks a tough one to beat but we're here to take our chance.' Known for putting himself into the race soon out of the gate, in the Queen Anne Cairo waited patiently near the rear before making one run.'It looks like there will be a nice pace set, so we'll plan to sit behind the leaders,' Haynes Downs' reigning titleholder and current meet-leading jockey Ben Curtis takes the call and will guide Cairo from post 5. This story was originally reported by Paulick Report on Aug 6, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
03-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Millionaire Be Your Best Headlines Beverly D.
Millionaire Be Your Best Headlines Beverly D. originally appeared on Paulick Report. With more than $1 million in lifetime earnings, Michael J. Ryan's Irish-bred Be Your Best headlines the $500,000 Beverly D. (G2), one of three graded turf stakes slated for Colonial Downs' Festival of Racing Day on Saturday. Since joining the barn of Saffie Joseph Jr., Be Your Best has won four of her six starts, all graded stakes, the Gamely (G1) gate-to-wire May 25 at Santa Anita Park in her most recent start. She kicked off her 5-year-old campaign with an impressive stalk-and-pounce score in the Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf Invitational (G2) at Gulfstream Park. Tabbed as the 9-5 morning line favorite in a field of six, Be Your Best will be guided from post 2 by Tyler Gaffalione. Chief among her competition for the 1 3/16-mile test is Jane Bacharach, William De Burgh, and Richard Schatz's Duvet Day. The Irish-bred trained by Mike McCarthy concluded her 5-year-old campaign with a win in the Cardinal (G3) at Churchill Downs last November. After getting her 6-year-old campaign going in the Mint Julep (G3), Duvet Day ran a strong second to Pin Up Betty going nine furlongs in the Anchorage at Churchill Downs. 'She seems to be in the best form of her career, numbers-wise,' McCarthy said. 'It's a big ask to run in a prestigious race like (the Beverly D.), but it's always nice to be able to participate in those kinds of races.' Drawing post 6, Duvet Day will have Hall of Fame jockey john Velazquez in the irons. Also exiting the Mint Julep and Anchorage, Domeyko Taylor's Charlene's Dream looms as a serious threat to win the Beverly D. Trained by Ed Moger Jr., Charlene's Dream earned her fourth added-money score this spring at Pimlico in the Gallorette (G3) on the Preakness undercard. Javier Castellano takes the call aboard the 4-year-old who drew post 4. Another logical contender is Cayton Park Stud's South Africa-bred Beach Bomb, who ran second to She Feels Pretty last out in the New York Stakes (G1) at Saratoga for trainer Graham Motion. Here is the complete field for the $500,000 Beverly D. (G2) from the rail out with jockey, trainer and morning line odds: Chick's Shadow (Jose E. Lopez, Angel Rodriguez, 15-1); Be Your Best (Gaffalione, Joseph Jr., 9-5); Beach Bomb (Luis Saez, Motion, 4-1); Charlene's Dream (Castellano, Moger Jr., 7-2); Spanish Eyes (Ben Curtis, Brendan Walsh, 9-2); and Duvet Day (Velazquez, McCarthy, 3-1). This story was originally reported by Paulick Report on Aug 3, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
27-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Hotazhell, Juwelier, Tiberius Thunder Ship In For Saratoga Derby Invitational
Hotazhell, Juwelier, Tiberius Thunder Ship In For Saratoga Derby Invitational originally appeared on Paulick Report. A trio of top contenders for Saturday's $750,000 Saratoga Derby Invitational (G1) – Hotazhell (GB), Juwelier (IRE), and Tiberius Thunder (Ire) – arrived at the Spa on Friday and cleared quarantine to stretch their legs over the Oklahoma dirt training track on Sunday. The three colts took their first steps onto a sloppy Oklahoma track a little after 10:30 a.m. (ET) on a rainy Saratoga morning. The Saratoga Derby is run at 1 3/16 miles on turf. The Jessica Harrington-conditioned Hotazhell kicked off his career with a fourth to subsequent Group 1 winner Scorthy Champ at Leopardstown before graduating at The Curragh and being kept busy in four more group stakes, including ladder-ascending victories in the Group 3 Tyros at Leopardstown, Group 2 Beresford at The Curragh, and Group 1 Futurity Trophy at Doncaster, as well as a good second to subsequent Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) winner Henri Matisse (IRE) in the Group 2 Futurity at The Curragh. The Too Darn Hot bay has raced twice this year, finishing third to Europe's top-rated sophomore Field of Gold in the Group 1 Irish 2000 Guineas in May at The Curragh and then fifth in the star-studded Group 1 Eclipse on July 5 at Doncaster behind Delacroix, a foe he previously defeated. Eadaoin Byrne was aboard Hotazhell for his morning visit to the Oklahoma training track with regular pilot Shane Foley slated to travel to Saratoga for the mount. 'He traveled really well,' Byrne said. 'He's eating great – calm and relaxed. He can be spicy sometimes when we bring him to ride out, but that's just how he is. We're very happy with him. It was great to get him out today and let him stretch his legs.' Hotazhell was a tenacious winner of the Futurity Trophy traveling a straight mile over soft going at Doncaster, battling furiously to the wire with Delacroix and prevailing by the narrowest of margins. 'He was out of the gates well. Shane Foley had him very relaxed and he traveled really well,' recalled Byrne. 'This fellow grows another leg on that ground – he loves the soft ground. It looked like he was flat out, but he found more with a furlong to go and took off again. 'It looked like he was actually off the bridle, but he was just fine,' Byrne added. 'It just takes him a while to get going, stepping him up in trip will probably help him, too.' Hotazhell, out of the Danehill Dancer mare Azenzar, was purchased for $261,362 at the 2024 Tattersalls Craven Breeze Up Sale. His second dam, Dashing, is a half-sister to Alexander Goldrun, who won five Group 1 races in four countries. 'He's strong and a lovely mover – very well balanced. Everything you would want in a colt,' Byrne said. The Alessandro Botti-trained Juwelier, by Wootton Bassett and out of a full-sister to French Derby winner Intello, kicked off his career with a fourth at Deauville behind subsequent multiple Group 1 performer Frankly Good Cen. Victorious in April at Fountainebleau, he was then fifth in the Prix de Suresnes (L) at Chantilly before a breakthrough victory in the Group 3 German Derby Trial at Baden-Baden. Umberto Rispoli will ship in from the West Coast to pilot Juwelier. Trainer Adrian Murray's Irish-bred Tiberius Thunder carries the colors of rising power AMO Racing and enters off a fourth-of-12 in Royal Ascot's Group 3 Hampton Court behind Trinity College, who would lose the Group 1 Grand Prix de Paris by a nose four weeks later. Earlier this year, he was third to one of Europe's top horses, the aforementioned Delacroix, in the Group 3 Ballysax in late March, which was followed by a fourth in the Listed Blue Riband Trial at Epsom and a fifth in the Group 3 Gallinule. Frankie Dettori will have the call on Tiberius Thunder. For the third consecutive year, per a partnership between the New York Racing Association Inc. (NYRA) and Moonee Valley Racing Club, the winner of the Saratoga Derby will receive an exclusive invitation into the prestigious AUD$6 million Ladbrokes Cox Plate (G1), set to take place on October 25. This story was originally reported by Paulick Report on Jul 27, 2025, where it first appeared.
Washington Post
27-05-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
Be Your Best and Skippylongstocking give Ortiz and Joseph a stakes double at Santa Anita
ARCADIA, Calif. — Be Your Best led all the way to earn her first Grade 1 victory in the $300,000 Gamely Stakes by 2 3/4 lengths Monday at Santa Anita. Ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., Be Your Best ran 1 1/8 miles on turf in 1:46.26, the fastest time in the race for fillies and mares since 2017, when Lady Eli won in 1:45.29.
