Aqueduct

Legion Racing's Drexel Hill (Bolt d'Oro) overcame a stumble at the start to post a rallying score in Saturday's Listed Busher Invitational, a one-turn mile for sophomore fillies, at Aqueduct Racetrack. In victory, the Whit Beckman trainee secured 50 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points, joining stablemates Simply Joking (Practical Joke)--campaigned by Grantley Acres, Ryan Conner and Berkels0813--and Grantley Acres' homebred Her Laugh (Practical Joke) as contenders for the 'Lilies for the Fillies' on the first Friday in May at Churchill Downs. In Saturday's one-turn test, Drexel Hill was returning from a...

Purchased privately by Wathnan Racing and transferred to Brad Cox following a sharp maiden win at second asking at Gulfstream Park Jan. 4, Flood Zone (Frosted) posted a 17-1 upset for his new connections in Saturday's GIII Gotham S. going a one-turn mile at the Big A. Sent to the front by Reylu Gutierrez, the blinkered bay was content to slot back into a three-wide and pressing third through an opening quarter in :23.86. He hooked up with unbeaten New York-bred and favored 'TDN Rising Star' Sand Devil (Violence) on...

With the top five finishers receiving 50-25-15-10-5, respectively, on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks, Drexel Hill (Bolt d'Oro) proved best and took home the top prize in the Busher Stakes at Aqueduct on Saturday. Initially conditioned by Barbara Minshall, the filly broke out of the maiden ranks with a six-length score last fall in what was her fourth attempt at Woodbine. Drexel Hill was then sent to Whit Beckman. The filly finished a well-beaten fifth in the Untapable Stakes in New Orleans Dec. 21, but rebounded to run a...

Flood Zone (c, 3, Frosted--Curls for Girls, by Curlin) is heading straight into the deep end. Purchased privately by Wathnan Racing and transferred to Brad Cox following a flashy maiden win versus Florida-breds going 6 1/2 furlongs at second asking at Gulfstream Park Jan. 4, the bay will stretch to a one-turn mile for Saturday's GIII Gotham Stakes at the Big A. The Gotham, co-headlined by unbeaten New York-breds 'TDN Rising Star' Sand Devil (Violence) and Sacrosanct (Honest Mischief), offers 105 points (50-25-15-10-5) on the road to the GI Kentucky...

As the calendar turns to March, Derby fever kicks into high gear with no fewer than six races awarding points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby or the Kentucky Oaks respectively this weekend. Saturday features the return of the undefeated GII San Vincente Stakes winner Barnes (Into Mischief) for trainer Bob Baffert as one of a six-horse field in the GII DK Horse San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita. The $3.2m FTSAUG grad lines up with a pair of well-regarded stablemates in Mellencamp (Constitution) and 'TDN Rising Star' Rodriguez...

1st-Aqueduct, $77,600, Msw, 2-27, 3yo, f, 1m, 1:39.84, ft, 15 3/4 lengths. VANILLA SUNDAE (f, 3, Gun Runner--Vanilla Bean Back, by Empire Maker) finished sixth as the third wagering choice in her career debut sprinting six panels at the Spa last August before catching another off track in her next start--a mile test at the Big A Nov. 21--and faded late to finish a well-beaten fourth. Finally catching a fast track this time, the even-money second choice sprinted to the front, carving out a modest :24.18 quarter mile. Still on...

FanDuel TV's "Road to The Kentucky Derby" will feature live, expanded coverage of all the official Kentucky Derby points races, with in-depth coverage of Derby contenders and their human connections, feature stories, interviews and analysis from FanDuel TV's roster of racing experts and handicappers, including Todd Schrupp, Christina Blacker, Simon Bray, Larry Collmus, Caton Bredar, Joaquin Jaime, Michael Joyce, Scott Hazelton, Gabby Gaudet, Matt Bernier, Andie Biancone, Matt Carothers, Ashley Mailloux, Dave Weaver, Joe Talamo and Kurt Hoover. "The Kentucky Derby is one of the most anticipated races on the...

When Iowa-bred Cyclone State (McKinzie) breaks out of the starting gate for Saturday's $1.5-million G3 Saudi Derby, part of the Saudi Cup undercard at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh, odds are that the loudest cheers will be emanating from halfway across the world at the Iowa State University (ISU) Equine Farm. That is where the colt, bred by Allen Poindexter, was born on April 29, 2022. It's an evening foaling that Nikki Ferwerda, a faculty member of the ISU Animal Science department and manager of the university's equine facilities, still...

Mahoning Valley Race Course and Parx joined Aqueduct in cancelling live racing as winter weather continued to wreak havoc on the schedule Monday. Mahoning Valley in Ohio also canceled its Tuesday card, while Parx is scheduled to resume racing Tuesday with a first post time of 12:05 p.m. With strong winds and wintry precipitation, Aqueduct was forced to cancel racing both Sunday and Monday. Live racing is expected to resume at the New York oval Friday.

A power outage right before the sixth race Sunday afternoon forced Tampa Bay Downs to cancel the remainder of their card while Aqueduct pre-emptively abandoned the Monday fixture in advance of forecasted high winds. The first reported issues Sunday at Tampa Bay Downs occurred shortly before the start of the sixth race when the power went off as the horses were behind the gate. That contest was cancelled, according to a series of tweets from the official X account, about an hour later but the remaining races were still scheduled...

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) has canceled live racing on Sunday at Aqueduct Racetrack due to high winds associated with a strong winter storm forecast to impact the New York City metropolitan area throughout the day. Aqueduct Racetrack will remain open for simulcasting, and wagering is available via NYRABets.com. Live racing is scheduled to resume on Monday with a first post of 1:10 p.m. Eastern on the eight-race Presidents' Day card.

In 'TDN Rising Star' Colloquial (Vekoma), George Weaver trains what looks like the fastest 3-year-old male in the U.S. Last week at Aqueduct he won a maiden race by seven lengths while earning a Beyer figure of 106. The 106 is easily the fastest number run so far this year by a 3-year-old. For some owners, a race that good would have afflicted them with Derby Fever and their horses would wind up in traditional Derby preps. But owners Jack Wolf, Curtis Harrell and their partners have said that all...