Jockey Jose Ortiz rode Owen Almighty in his maiden victory last summer. Now, he reunites with the Tampa Bay Derby (G3) winner in the April 8 Blue Grass Stakes (G1) at Keeneland. The rider also discusses his Arkansas Derby (G1) victory aboard Sandman.
It’s hardly a shock to the system to see an unbeaten New York State-bred step into a wintertime open stakes. To see two of them in the same graded race? Welcome to the Gotham Stakes (G3). While a win in the $300,000 Gotham could lock up a spot in the Kentucky Derby (G1) for the…
The Japanese classics season kicks off April 13 at the newly renovated Hanshin Racecourse with last year’s champion 2-year-old filly Arma Veloce as the star in the Oka Sho (Japanese One Thousand Guineas, G1). Arma Veloce, a Harbinger filly, won two of three starts in 2024, winding up with a victory in the Hanshin Juvenile…
With many of Japan’s stars currently in Dubai, the April 6 renewal of the Osaka Hai (G1) at Hanshin Racecourse looks like an opportunity for some up-and-coming relative youngsters. High on that list is Stellenbosch. The 4-year-old Epiphaneia filly has never been worse than third in any of her eight starts. She finished second in…
Multiple grade 1-winning trainer Mark Glatt is prepared to fight the results of an equine drug test that was posted March 13 on the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit website. The case is pending and has not been fully adjudicated. The ruling states that Glatt-trained Vanzzy showed the presence of metformin and gabapentin, or their…
On the second and final day of the Magic Millions Gold Coast March Yearling Sale March 25, a colt from the first Southern Hemisphere crop of 2019 champion European juvenile male Pinatubo topped the sale when selling for AU$290,000 (US$182,700, US$1=AU$0.63). The sale, delayed by two weeks because of weather, saw similar numbers to 2024 as…
The Road to the Kentucky Derby continues April 5—topped by the Santa Anita Derby (G1), Wood Memorial Stakes (G2), and UAE Derby (G2)—before the series makes a weekday stop April 8 for the postponed Blue Grass Stakes (G1) at Keeneland. Initially scheduled for Saturday, the Blue Grass and the full programs for the first two days…
