The Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile was an afterthought when the series was created in 1984, but it’s become one of my favorite races since then. Here’s a look at the top middle distance horses headed for this year’s showdown.
Mike Brunker
Former Assistant City Editor/Horse Racing Columnist
Email: mbrunker@reviewjournal.com
Sensational 3-year-old Monomoy Girl and top 4-year-old filly Abel Tasmen have established themselves as leaders of the division with just six weeks remaining until the two-day World Thoroughbred Championships at Churchill Downs.
The Woodbine Mile on Saturday has produced five Breeders’ Cup Mile winners in its 22 runnings. That makes it a great yardstick to help handicappers assess that division seven weeks before the championship races.
The John Sadler-trained colt has asserted himself as the best horse in training at the classic distance on the dirt, but much could change in the eight weeks remaining until the World Thoroughbred Championship returns to Churchill Downs.
The gems of the American racing scene go dark after Monday’s Labor Day cards, but the unique turf-only racing offered at the track outside Franklin, Kentucky, will help fill the void.
Energy Secretary Rick Perry visited the Nevada National Security Site and met with employees during a two-day stopover this week that was not announced in advance.
While all attention is on Saratoga on this Travers Day weekend, the White Pine Races at the county fairgrounds in Ely last week reminded me about what I love about horse racing at its most basic.
While there appears to be a standout in the marquee race on Saturday, the wide-open Del Mar Handicap and Del Mar Oaks add wagering interest.
The multi-day $200,000-guaranteed summer tournament at Wynn Las Vegas had a relatively steep entry fee of $2,000, but offered players the chance to win big money.
A spokesman for City Racing, a partnership of four British companies, confirmed the partnership is interested in hosting a pop-up horse racing event in Las Vegas and said it has had preliminary discussions with local officials.
The Triple Crown winner’s untimely departure after he suffered an apparently minor ankle injury demonstrates the unhealthy sway that high-end thoroughbred breeders hold over the sport of horse racing.
Though the calendar claims that summer started on June 21, horseplayers know the season doesn’t really begin until Del Mar and Saratoga open their doors. Now we can break out the sun lotion and get the party started!
Kelsey Riley of Lexington, Kentucky, is one of 40 riders preparing for the world’s longest horse race at 1,000 kilometers (more than 620 miles). They will attempt to traverse the Steppe in 10 days aboard 25 “semi-wild” Mongolian horses.
The stellar card features five graded stakes races, topped by the $1.2 million Belmont Derby Invitational, a 1 1/4-mile inner turf tussle for 3-year-olds that has drawn a field of top sophomores from the U.S. and Europe.
Experiential Squared’s Myracehorse app enables those who want to speculate to buy into an active racehorse or a promising prospect for as little as $100.