Tag: Racing

Digital Age Faces Off With Colonel Liam In Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic

Klaravich Stables' defending champion Digital Age and Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1) winner Colonel Liam headline a field of nine older runners entered Tuesday for Saturday's 35th running of the $1,000,000 Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic (G1) at Churchill Downs.

The 1 1/8-mile grass test will go as the 11th race on Saturday's 14-race Kentucky Derby Day program with a 5:27 p.m. (all times Eastern) post time. First post time Saturday is 10:30 a.m.

Trained by Chad Brown, Digital Age will be attempting to join Divisidero (2016-2017), Wise Dan (2013-2014) and Einstein (BRZ) (2008-2009) as a back-to-back winner of the Turf Classic.

Digital Age, who also won the American Turf (G2) here in 2019 in his only other start at Churchill Downs, will be ridden by Javier Castellano and exit post six.

Brown will saddle another Klaravich runner in Domestic Spending.

A winner of four of five career starts, Domestic Spending will be making his first start since taking the Hollywood Derby (G1) over Thanksgiving weekend last fall at Del Mar. Flavien Prat has the mount and will exit post five.

Robert and Lawana Low's Colonel Liam has won his past three starts on the grass, following his victory in the Pegasus with a score in the Muniz Memorial Classic (G2) at Fair Grounds. Trained by Todd Pletcher, Colonel Liam will be ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr. from post three.

The field for the Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic, with riders and weights from the rail out, is:

  1. Masteroffoxhounds (Joel Rosario, 120 pounds)
  2. Count Again (Luis Saez, 120)
  3. Colonel Liam (Irad Ortiz Jr., 124)
  4. Ivar (Joe Talamo, 122)
  5. Domestic Spending (Flavien Prat, 124)
  6. Digital Age (Javier Castellano, 120)
  7. Smooth Like Strait (Umberto Rispoli, 120)
  8. Cross Border (Ricardo Santana Jr., 120)
  9. Ride a Comet (Tyler Gaffalione, 118)

The post Digital Age Faces Off With Colonel Liam In Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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MATCH Series Set For 2021 Return On Preakness Weekend

Anticipation is building as the Mid-Atlantic Championships Series (MATCH) prepares for its return May 14-15 at Pimlico Race Course after a one-year hiatus.

This year's MATCH Series, to be run at racetracks in Maryland and Virginia only, will extend through Dec. 26, 2021. It will offer 24 stakes valued at $2.75 million and $282,000 in bonus money for owners and trainers.

There will be six races in each of four divisions: 3-Year-Olds and Up Sprint—Dirt; Fillies and Mares, 3-Year-Olds and Up Sprint—Dirt; 3-Year-Olds and Up Long—Dirt; and Fillies and Mares, 3-Year-Olds and Up Long—Dirt. The minimum purse for all the stakes is $100,000.

The first four stakes in the Series will be held Preakness weekend:

$150,000 (Grade 3) Allaire DuPont for fillies and mares at 1 1/8 miles (Friday, May 14)

$250,000 (Grade 3) Pimlico Special for 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/8 miles (Friday, May 14)

$100,000 Skipat Stakes for fillies and mares at six furlongs (Saturday, May 15)

$150,000 (Grade 3) Maryland Sprint Handicap for 3-year-olds and up at six furlongs (Saturday, May 15)

Please note that nominations for all the MATCH Series events at Pimlico close Tuesday, May 4. Horses are nominated to each Series stakes; there is no overall nomination process for the Series.

Owners and trainers will compete for $63,000 in divisional bonuses and the overall MATCH Series champion will net $30,000 in bonuses for its owner and trainer. In addition, the Maryland Horse Breeders Association will pay a $3,000 bonus to the breeder of the top points-earning Maryland-bred and $3,000 for the top points-earning Maryland-sired horse. If the top points-earner is both Maryland-bred and -sired, the breeder would get $6,000.

There will be three days with all four division stakes on the same program: Aug. 23 at Colonial Downs, Sept. 18 at Laurel Park and Dec. 26 at Laurel. The July 4 and July 31 programs at Laurel will each have three MATCH Series races. The remainder will be run on different days.

The complete schedule is available here.

The 2020 MATCH Series, which included eight racetracks in the region, was canceled because of the COVID-19 shutdown. The partners late last year opted not to participate in 2021 because of lingering issues but indicated a desire to offer a full schedule in 2022.

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