Curlin versus Zenyatta for Horse of the Year honors
December 7, 2008 by Jarrod Horak
Filed under Miscellaneous
The Eclipse awards ceremony will be held in January 2009 (Miami), and the race for Horse of the Year should be a tight contest between reigning champ Curlin and the undefeated Zenyatta.
Kentucky Derby hero Big Brown has his fans, but his Horse of the Year hopes went up in flames with his Belmont Stakes debacle.
Curlin, a daunting physical specimen, had a fantastic four-year-old campaign with five wins in seven starts, including victories in the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup, Woodward, Stephen Foster, and Dubai World Cup.
His two losses occurred in the Breeders’ Cup Classic over synthetic …read more
Breeders’ Cup review (October 24th): Stardom Bound, Zenyatta win
October 24, 2008 by Jarrod Horak
Filed under Breeders' Cup, California Racing, Horses, Jockeys, Miscellaneous, Racetracks, Stakes Races, Synthetic Tracks, Trainers
BC Filly & Mare Sprint
Ventura ($7.60) made a powerful wide move to sweep past Baffert fav Indian Blessing en route to a good looking tally to kick off the Friday Cup festivities. The Robert Frankel trainee won by four lengths and completed the seven panels in 1:19.90. Zaftig came off a layoff to finish a fine 3rd.
BC Juvenile Fillies Turf
Laragh set the pace throughout, but Maram and Heart Shaped flew down the lane and were tough to separate at the finish. Maram got the bob and paid $24.20 for Lezcano/Chad Brown. Fellow longshot Heart Shaped, an overseas invader trained …read more
Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic news (October 24th)
October 24, 2008 by Jarrod Horak
Filed under California Racing, Handicapping, Horses, Jockeys, Miscellaneous, Racetracks, Stakes Races, Synthetic Tracks, Trainers
Below are the morning line odds with notes for the Grade 1 Ladies’ Classic, to be run on Friday, October 24th.
Race 7: BC Ladies’ Classic – 9 furlongs (Pro-Ride)
(1) Zenyatta (3-5) – 8 for 8 miss packs a big stretch punch. Mike Smith rides.
(2) Hystericalady (15-1) – Deadly on dirt but 0-5 on synthetic. 2nd in this race last year.
(3) Cocoa Beach (8-1) – 8 for 10 lifetime and on the improve. Godolphin owns.
(4) Music Note (6-1) – Loves Belmont Park. Talented 3yo tries synthetic. Stablemate to Cocoa Beach.
(5) …read more
Breeders’ Cup news (October 23rd): Ladies day is upon us
October 23, 2008 by Jarrod Horak
Filed under Breeders' Cup, California Racing, Handicapping, Horses, Jockeys, Miscellaneous, Racetracks, Stakes Races, Synthetic Tracks, Trainers
The 2008 Breeders’ Cup has arrived, and first up is Ladies Day on October 24th. Five Cup races will be run on Friday’s 10-race card at Santa Anita…
BC Filly & Mare Sprint – seven furlongs
Indian Blessing is riding a 3-race win streak, and her lone synthetic start was a diminishing head victory in a graded 7f race at Santa Anita in January. The Bob Baffert trainee, ridden by John Velasquez, figures to stalk the pace. The fleet Indyanne has been scratched due to a fever, so Lady Sprinter, Dream Rush, and Dearest Trickski are expected to carve out the fractions. …read more
