The Breeders’ Cup, Thoroughbred racing’s year-end global championship event, today announced the 2024 World Championships will take place at Del Mar in Del Mar, Calif., on Friday, Nov. 1 and Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, where fans from around the world will gather to witness the best horses, trainers, and jockeys compete over two days. The Breeders’ Cup World Championships consists of 14 Grade 1 races with purses and awards totaling more than $31 million.
Tag: Racing
Champion Wonder Wheel Tops 103 Early Nominees To Kentucky Oaks
D. J. Stable's multiple Grade 1 winner and champion filly Wonder Wheel highlights a cast of 103 3-year-old fillies that were made eligible during the early nomination phase to compete in the $1.25 million Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1).
The 103 fillies became eligible to compete in the 149th Longines Kentucky Oaks with a $200 payment that was due Feb. 18. Three-year-old fillies that were not made eligible at the early nomination deadline can become eligible through a $1,500 payment due by Saturday, April 15. The 1 1/8-mile Kentucky Oaks will be staged Friday, May 5.
Wonder Wheel, trained by Mark Casse, made her 3-year-old debut in the $150,000 Suncoast Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs where she was narrowly defeated by 38-1 longshot Dreaming of Snow. Previously, Wonder Wheel dominated her competition as a 2-year-old with victories in the $175,000 Debutante at Churchill Downs and the $500,000 Alcibiades (G1) and $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) at Keeneland.
Other top fillies nominated to the Kentucky Oaks include Peter Redekop's $300,000 Del Mar Debutante (G1) winner And Tell Me Nolies; Team Equistaff and Winning Stable's Suncoast winner Dreaming of Snow; Lucky Seven Stable's $300,000 Pocahontas (G3) winner Fun and Feisty; Gold Standard Racing Stable's $400,000 Golden Rod (G2) winner Hoosier Philly; Stonestreet Stables' $250,000 Demoiselle (G2) winner Julia Shining; Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum's $150,000 UAE Oaks (G3) winner Mimi Kakushi; Godolphin's $300,000 Rachel Alexandra (G2) winner Pretty Mischievous; and Ashbrook Farm and Upland Flats Racing's $125,000 Forward Gal (G3) winner Red Carpet Ready.
A complete list of nominations will be available at https://www.churchilldowns.com/horsemen/stakes/nominations/.
Like the $3 million Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) on May 6, the Longines Kentucky Oaks has been run each year since 1875. The lucrative race is the centerpiece of a spectacular day of racing and entertainment at Churchill Downs that celebrates fashion, food, celebrity and fun with a focus on women's health issues and outreach.
ABOUT CHURCHILL DOWNS RACETRACK
Churchill Downs Racetrack (“CDRT”), the world's most legendary racetrack, has been the home of The Kentucky Derby, the longest continually held annual sporting event in the United States, since 1875. Located in Louisville, CDRT features a series of themed race days during Derby Week, including the Kentucky Oaks, and conducts Thoroughbred horse racing during three race meets in the Spring, September, and the Fall. CDRT is located on 175 acres and has a one-mile dirt track, a 7/8-mile turf track, a stabling area, and provides seating for approximately 60,000 guests. The saddling paddock and the stable area has barns sufficient to accommodate 1,400 horses and a 114-room dormitory for backstretch personnel. CDRT also has a year-round simulcast wagering facility. www.ChurchillDowns.com.
The post Champion Wonder Wheel Tops 103 Early Nominees To Kentucky Oaks appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
Country Grammer, Taiba Headline 2023 Saudi Cup
The fourth running of the $20 million Saudi Cup Feb. 25 at King Abdulaziz Racecourse features a rematch of the first two finishers from 2022 plus a potent sextet from Japan and a few wild card possibilities.
Gulfstream Park Sprint: Big Effort Could Lead To Bigger Things For Chilean Import Super Ocho
Well-traveled Super Ocho is scheduled to make his local debut in Saturday's $125,000 Gulfstream Park Sprint. Since arriving from Chile is early 2022, Matriarca's 5-year-old Chilean-bred has raced from coast to coast with stops in the Midwest.
The Gulfstream Park Sprint headlines a 12-race program at Gulfstream Park, where trainer Amador Sanchez is scheduled to saddle Super Ocho for a talent-deep edition of the six-furlong dash for older horses.
“It's a favorable race for Super Ocho. The field is tough but Super Ocho likes Gulfstream Park's dirt track,” said Sanchez through an interpreter. “He was trained at Gulfstream before his campaign.”
Super Ocho's connections are hoping Super Ocho brings his 'A' Game into the Gulfstream Park Sprint.
“If he wins or runs a big one, we are exploring a possible trip to Dubai,” Sanchez said. “If not, he will stay here and we will be evaluating a possible campaign in the U.S. in the short term.
“If he continues performing strong, an ultimate goal would be trying again the Breeders' Cup Sprint.”
A multiple Group 2 stakes winner in Chile, Super Ocho has held his own against some of the top sprinters in the U.S. since winning his stateside debut by 10 ¼ lengths at Mountaineer Park June 22. The son of Dubai Sky, a three-time winner on turf in Chile, shipped to Del Mar for the Green Fish Handicap (G3) to make an unsuccessful U.S. grass debut, in which he was bumped early before making a bid into the stretch, only to fade out of the money.
Super Ocho experienced a very troubled trip Oct. 1 while finishing a solid third in the Santa Anita Sprint Championship (G2), encouraging his connections to give the Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) at Keeneland a try. Super Ocho set the pace into the stretch before faltering to sixth, four lengths behind victorious Elite Power.
Super Ocho has made two starts in 2023, both at Delta Downs, where he finished second in the Sam's Town Stakes before registering an impressive 5 ¾-length front-running optional claiming allowance romp Jan. 27.
Super Ocho tuned up for Saturday's local debut with a sharp half-mile workout last Saturday in 47.48 seconds, the second fastest clocking of 117 workouts recorded at the distance.
“Super Ocho worked as we expected. Edgar Perez, who rode him, said he was fantastic,” Sanchez said. “He came out of the work very well.”
Emisael Jaramillo has been named to ride Super Ocho for the first time Saturday.
“Emisael is an outstanding rider on horses with speed,” Sanchez said. “We are expecting a solid performance.”
Frank Fletcher Racing Operations Inc.'s Candy Man Rocket enters the Gulfstream Park Sprint in sharp form for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott. The 5-year-old son of Candy Ride, who was on the 2021 Triple Crown trail after winning the Sam Davis (G3) at Tampa Bay Downs, returned from an eight-month layoff to capture a seven-furlong optional claiming allowance at Gulfstream by 3 ½ lengths on the frontend Feb. 5, 2022 before going back to the sidelines. He came off a year layoff to score a 2 ¼-length front-running victory in a six-furlong optional claiming allowance at Gulfstream Jan. 21.
Junior Alvarado has the return mount on Candy Man Rocket.
Lea Farms LLC's Lightening Larry, one of four graded-stakes winners in a field of seven, is also in winning form, coming off a front-running 2 ½-length victory in the six-furlong Sunshine Sprint at Gulfstream Jan. 14. The 4-year-old son of Uncaptured captured the Chick Lang (G3) on the Preakness undercard at Pimlico in May.
Jose Morelos has the return call on Lightening Larry.
Nicholas Cammarano Jr.'s Scaramouche is set for his 2023 debut after concluding his last campaign with a disappointing performance in his turf debut in the Janus at Gulfstream Park Dec. 24. Two starts earlier, the Guadalupe Preciado-trained 4-year-old son of Munnings captured the Gallant Bob (G2) at Parx with Lightening Larry one of his victims.
Paco Lopez is named to ride Scaramouche for the first time since guiding the 4-year-old gelding to a dominating allowance win at Parx last August.
Russell Stagg's Doc Amster, who finished fifth in the Alfred G. Vanderbilt (G1) at Saratoga last summer; Stonehedge LLC's Cajun's Magic, runner-up to Lightening Larry in the Sunshine Sprint; and Gilman Hallenbeck's Uncle Ernie, who finished fourth in the Mr. Prospector (G3) at Gulfstream last time out; round out the field.
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