Tag: Racing

Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile and Pegasus World Cup winner Life is Good is on target for his engagement in the Dubai World Cup on March 26, co-owner Elliott Walden of WinStar Farm told the Daily Racing Form on Monday.

The 4-year-old son of Into Mischief breezed five furlongs at Palm Beach Downs in a bullet 59.23 seconds on Friday, his fifth workout since the Pegasus triumph.

“He's doing super,” Walden told DRF. “His work the other day was phenomenal. He came out of the Pegasus in great shape, and we're really looking forward to running him in Dubai.”

Life is Good is expected to breeze again on Friday before shipping overseas on Monday, March 14.

Trained by Todd Pletcher on behalf of WinStar and the China Horse Club, Life is Good has won six of his seven career starts for earnings of $2,814,200.

Bred in Kentucky by Gary and Mary West, the colt is out of the Distorted Humor mare Beach Walk. Life is Good commanded $525,000 as a yearling at the Keeneland September sale, and began his career under the care of trainer Bob Baffert in California, for whom he won the G3 Sham and G2 San Felipe before being sidelined. Returning in the barn of Todd Pletcher five months later, Life is Good ran second in the G1 Allen Jerkens Memorial, then won the G2 Kelso in his final prep for the Breeders' Cup.

In Dubai, Life is Good is expected to face challengers from several additional American runners, including Hot Rod Charlie, Midnight Bourbon, and Country Grammer.

Read more at the Daily Racing Form.

The post Life Is Good Puts In ‘Phenomenal’ Workout, Will Ship To Dubai On March 14 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

The highly popular Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred Championships Series (MATCH), the only one of its kind in racing, returns for 2022 with additional partner racetracks, a $2.2 million stakes schedule that spans April 16 through Oct. 3 and more than $400,000 in bonus money for owners, trainers and breeders.

After a successful 2021 Series concentrated in Maryland and Virginia and designed to serve as a bridge to the future given the cancellation of MATCH in 2020 due to widespread COVID-19 restrictions and the suspension of live racing for several months, Parx Racing and Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course return to the lineup. They will join Laurel Park in Maryland and Colonial Downs in Virginia for 2022.

Turf racing also returns to the schedule this year. The four divisions are 3-Year-Olds and Up Sprint—Dirt; Filly and Mare Sprint—Dirt; 3-Year-Olds and Up Long—Turf; and Filly and Mare Long—Turf. There will be five stakes in each division for a total of 20.

The 2022 schedule, which includes multiple events on weekdays, is as follows: Saturday, April 16, and Saturday, April 23, at Laurel; Tuesday, June 14, at Parx; Friday, June 17, at Penn National; Saturday, July 16, at Laurel; Tuesday, Aug. 16, at Colonial; and the championship day, Monday, Oct. 3, at Parx.

The bonus money distribution for 2022 offers up to $92,500 per division and $30,000 for the overall champion by points. For each division, first place pays $30,000 to the owner and $15,000 to the trainer; for second, $20,000/$10,000; and for third, $10,000/$7,500. For the overall champion, the owner receives an additional $20,000 and the trainer $10,000.

The Maryland Horse Breeders Association, Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association and Virginia Thoroughbred Association have each agreed to offer $5,000 bonuses to the breeders of the top male and female Maryland-bred, Pennsylvania-bred and Virginia-bred points-earners in the overall standings for a potential total of $30,000.

The 2022 participating organizations are the Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, Pennsylvania THA, Pennsylvania Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, Parx Racing, Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course, Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association, 1/ST Racing, Maryland THA, Laurel Park, Maryland Horse Breeders Association, Colonial Downs, Virginia HBPA and Virginia Thoroughbred Association.

The post MATCH Series Returns In 2022 With Additional Races At Parx, Penn National appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Fresh off the bench, Baoma Corporation's Eda, idle since Dec. 4, sped to the lead under Juan Hernandez and had plenty left in the tank late as she held off her heavily favored stablemate Under the Stars by a half length in Sunday's Grade 3, $100,000 Santa Ysabel Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif.  Trained by Bob Baffert, Eda got 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in 1:44.31.

Breaking sharply from the number seven post position, Eda made the lead with her ears up and dictated terms with Hernandez sitting still to the quarter pole.  At that point, he held his position in the two path as Ain't Easy challenged from the inside and Under the Stars loomed on her outside.

“She was comfortable the whole race, she broke really sharp today and I got a good position,” said Hernandez, who had ridden the filly to victory in the G1Santa Ysabel Starlet Stakes at Los Alamitos on Dec. 4.  “I was outside and when she broke like that, I just came to the rail and just let her run.  I asked her around the quarter pole when I felt the inside horse and the outside horse closing in.  I told her it was time to go and she picked it up pretty good.”

A three-time stakes winner coming into today, Eda was off as the third choice in the wagering at 3-1 and paid $8.60, $4.00 and $2.60.

A $550,000 March 2021 2-year-old in training sale purchase, Eda is by Munnings out of the Lemon Drop Kid mare Show Me.  With the winner's share of $60,000, she increased her earnings to $430,000 and her overall mark to 7-5-1-0.

“Both of my fillies were training really well and I was debating whether to run her, there was another spot,” said Baffert.  “It was either run here or go to Sunland Park.  I thought, well, we'll keep her here.  She worked well coming into this and I'm happy both of my horses ran well…I don't know where I'm going to run them next.  We'll definitely be in the Santa Anita Oaks (G2, April 9) with someone, but I don't know yet.”

Off at even money with Flavien Prat, Under the Stars didn't appear to have any excuses as she finished second, 3 ¾ lengths in front of Ain't Easy to return $2.60 and $2.10.

Ridden by John Velazquez, Ain't Easy checked in a length clear of fourth-place finisher Desert Dawn.  The actual second choice at 3-1, Ain't Easy paid $2.40 to show.

Fractions on the race were 23.62, 48.05, 1:12.48 and 1:37.75.

With Baffert horses not eligible to earn qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby or Kentucky Oaks due to the Churchill Downs ban on the trainer due to the Medina Spirit positive in the 2021 Kentucky Derby,  the only horses earning points were  the third- and fourth-place finishers, who earned 10 and five points, respectively.

Updated Kentucky Derby/Oaks Leaderboard

The post Eda Outruns Favored Baffert Stablemate To Win Santa Ysabel appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post