Each week members of the media around the country vote on the nation's top contenders on the Triple Crown and Kentucky Oaks trails in the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll. Find out the latest 2020 top 3-year-old rankings below. AMERICA'S TOP THOROUGHBREDS as of June 22
Tag: Racing
Oleksandra To Point For Troy, Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint Before She Is Offered At Auction
Team Valor International's Oleksandra came out of her Grade 1 victory over males in the Grade 1 Jaipur Stakes in good shape, except for a nick on a lower front limb as a result of runner-up Kanthaka bearing into her at the break.
Trainer Neil Drysdale has decided to leave her at Belmont Park instead of returning her to Southern California. She will point for the Grade 3 Troy Stakes going 5 1/2 furlongs on grass for a $200,000 purse on the Travers Stakes undercard on Aug. 8 at Saratoga.
The 6-year-old daughter of Animal Kingdom may have one more race before contesting the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint at Keeneland.
“That will be her last race for Team Valor,” said Barry Irwin of Team Valor International. “She will be offered for sale after the BC at an auction in Kentucky with an as-yet undetermined agent.”
William Nader of the Hong Kong Racing Club tendered an invitation to the mare for “the world's richest turf sprint on December 13” so it is possible the mare's new owner could race her there or in Dubai over the winter before sending her off to the breeding shed.
Oleksandra became the first Australian-bred to win a Grade 1 in North America since the Pattern Race scheme went into being in 1974.
Her 101 Beyer Speed Figure was bettered on Saturday's Belmont Stakes card only by runaway Grade 1 Acorn Stakes winner Gamine.
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Nine Things to Know About the 2020 Stephen Foster Stakes
Churchill Downs features a great day of racing this Saturday, highlighted by the $500,000 Stephen Foster Stakes, a race that has attracted some of the best older horses in training including Tom’s d’Etat and By My Standards.
Live Racing At Emerald Downs Resumes Wednesday; Superfecta Takeout Reduced To 15 Percent
Live racing returns as Emerald Downs in Auburn, Wash. begins its 25th season with a 10-race program on Wednesday, June 24. First post is 2:15 p.m.
Racing will be conducted with no fans or spectators at this time.
Eighty-six horses are entered on opening day (8.6 per race) and will perform under ideal weather conditions. The forecast calls for sunshine and a high of 77 degrees.
Wednesday's opener also marks the region's first live sporting event in the state of Washington since the Covid-19 pandemic shutdown in March. Spectators will not be allowed on-track, but wagering is available via various advance deposit wagering (ADW) companies.
“It's exciting to get going,” said Emerald Downs' President Phil Ziegler. “It certainly isn't the opening day we were planning for, but it will be special in its own way as it marks the return of pro sports in Washington.”
The updated schedule calls for a 44-day season through Sunday, October 4, with racing every Wednesday and Thursday (5 p.m.)
Emerald Downs also has announced an industry low 15% takeout on all superfecta wagers with a minimum bet of 10 cents.
A revised stakes schedule includes 16 stakes worth an aggregate $720,000, tentatively beginning with the $40,000 Angie C Stakes and $40,000 King County Express on Aug. 2. The 85th renewal of the $100,000 Longacres Mile (G3) is tentatively set for Sept. 13.
In the jockey colony, defending riding champion Gary Wales has nine mounts opening day. A 34-year-old Scotsman, Wales rode 99 winners last year while finishing 33 wins clear of runner-up Kevin Orozco. A top newcomer is Alex Cruz, a 27-year-old native of Puerto Rico who was the leading rider with 77 wins this winter at Turf Paradise. Juan Gutierrez, begins the season needing 46 wins to tie Gallyn Mitchell's all-time Emerald Downs' record of 1,419 wins.
On the trainers' side, Frank Lucarelli comes off a remarkable season in which he shattered the single-season mark with 81 wins. Lucarelli has finished first or second in 16 of the last 20 seasons and ranks No. 1 all-time in Emerald Downs wins (1,025) and earnings ($11,164,219). Blaine Wright, the leading stakes trainer each of the last four years, also returns in 2020, along with Washington Hall of Fame trainers Howard Belvoir, Doris Harwood, Sharon Ross and Tim McCanna. Belvoir and Lucarelli are both busy opening day, with seven and six horses entered respectively.
The opening day feature is a $13,600 allowance/optional claimer for 3-year-olds and up at six furlongs. The 11-horse field includes Wine At Nine, an 8-year-old gelding with 17 career Emerald Downs' wins, along with local stakes winners This Great Nation, Makah Lane and Muncey.
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