Breeders' Cup Win and You're In

Mysterious Night (Ire) (c, 2, Dark Angel {Ire}--Mistrusting {Ire}, by Shamardal) made it back-to-back victories for Godolphin in the GI Pattison Summer S. Saturday, careering away to score by 5 3/4 lengths in the finish from Klaravich Stables' Appraise (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) for an Irish-bred exacta. The Summer S., won last year by Albahr (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), is a 'Win and You're In' qualifier for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at Keeneland the first weekend of November. Tightening from 3-5 into 1-2 as the gates flew, the homebred--who wore...

On this week's episode of Bettor Things with Joe Bianca, the host welcomes Seth Merrow, a public handicapper for the industry-leading Capital OTB channel and administrator of Equidaily, a popular racing news aggregation and handicapping site. Merrow talks about growing up a half-hour from Saratoga and the way he's seen the track change over the years, the challenges of being a public handicapper, the current state of racing journalism and more. In his Breeders' Cup handicapping segment, Bianca lays out plays for Saturday's GII FanDuel Turf Sprint S. and GII Kentucky...

There is no such thing as a sure thing in horse racing, but 'TDN Rising Star' Flightline (Tapit) will be bet as if Saturday's GI TVG Pacific Classic--a 'Win and You're In' qualifier for the GI Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland Nov. 5--is already the proverbial fait accompli. And why not, really? His four towering victories in as many trips to the races have come by an average winning margin of better than 13 lengths. His lowest Beyer Speed Figure is a downright pedestrian 105 earned for his debut just...

Ballydoyle's Broome (Ire) (Australia {GB}), whose most recent trip across the Atlantic resulted in a strong runner-up effort behind Yibir (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) in last year's GI Breeders' Cup Turf, faces nine others--including defending champion Gufo (Declaration of War)--in Saturday's GI Resorts World Casino Sword Dancer Invitational S. at Saratoga. The 12-furlong event earns the winner a fees-paid berth into this year's Turf at Keeneland Nov. 5. The 6-year-old entire comes into the Sword Dancer a relatively fresh animal, as he will be making just his fourth start of the...

American Theorem (American Pharoah), a narrow last out winner of the GII Triple Bend S. at Santa Anita May 29, punched his ticket to the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint with an upset victory in the 'Win and You're In' GI Bing Crosby S. at Del Mar. Away at 7-1 while looking to provide trainer George Papaprodromou with a first Grade I victory, the runner-up in the 2019 GI American Pharoah S. kept the early leaders within his scope from his outside draw in sixth. He ranged up while five-wide rounding...

Registration for the Fourstardave Handicapping Challenge scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 13 at Saratoga officially opened July 29, announced officials at NYRA. Participants may register through Friday, Aug. 12 at 5 p.m. ET on the official webpage with an option to either play online via NYRA Bets or on-track at Saratoga, where seating and lunch is included as part of the entry fee. The contest will run in conjunction with the 38th running of the one-mile GI $500,000 Fourstardave H. over the inner turf, a "Win and You're In" qualifier for...

The fan's pick Titleholder (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}) lived up to his star billing with a facile two-length victory in Sunday's G1 Takarazuka Kinen at Hanshin, a 'Win and You're In' event to the GI Breeders' Cup Turf later this fall. With the top 10 runners in the 2200-meter event selected by fan voting, the 4-year-old was installed the 3-1 second choice behind Efforia (Jpn) (Epiphaneia {Jpn}). Titleholder vied for the early lead with Panthalassa (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) before settling in second. Inching closer to the pacesetter in the latter...

A total of 26 stakes--15 of them graded--will be offered during Santa Anita's 18-day Autumn Meet which opens Sept. 30. The stakes line-up will include five Breeders' Cup "Win & You're In" stakes over the first two weekends, Oct. 1 and 2 and Oct. 8 and 9. These include three Grade I events: the $300,000 Awesome Again S. Oct. 1; and the $300,000 American Pharoah S. and $300,000 Rodeo Drive S., both Oct. 8. The Awesome Again highlights an Oct. 1 card that also includes the $200,000 GII Eddie D...

Sent off at a fraction of the 10-1 mutuel he returned to his supporters 12 months ago, Lee Einsidler's LRE Racing and Mike Francesa's JEH Racing Stable's Casa Creed (Jimmy Creed) enjoyed a beautiful inside trip in defense of his title in the GI Jaipur S. Saturday afternoon and, once tipped out a furlong from home, ran down an alibi-free favorite Arrest Me Red (Pioneerof the Nile) to score at 4-1. Making his U.S. reappearance on the back of strong turf sprint efforts in Saudi Arabia and Dubai, Casa Creed...

Sunday Racing Co. Ltd.'s 4-year-old filly Songline (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}) bested Schnell Meister (Ger) (Kingman {GB}), also owned by Sunday Racing, by a neck to win the G1 Yasuda Kinen at Tokyo Racecourse Sunday. With this victory, Songline earned an automatic berth, including fees paid, to the $2-million GI FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile. In an 18-horse field, Songline settled behind Salios (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) and in front of Schnell Meister in midpack as the field cruised down the backstretch at a leisurely pace. Making headway while shifting to the...

Juvenile filly champion Sodashi (Jpn) (Kurofune) punched her ticket to this fall's GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf with a victory in Sunday's G1 Victoria Mile at Tokyo Racecourse. The top three finishers in Sunday's race also earned automatic berths in the G1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp as well as the G1 Prix Jacques le Marois. Breaking alertly from stall 5, the fourth betting choice settled in along the inside in a close-up fourth before moving slightly outward for the stretch run. Emerging from the pack passing the...

A deep and diverse field of 18 distaff turf milers will take to the Fuchu course at Toyko Sunday afternoon for the G1 Victoria Mile, a race won in its last three renewals by the outstanding Normcore (Jpn) (Harbinger {GB}, 2019), two-time Horse of the Year Almond Eye (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}, 2020) and treble champion Gran Alegria (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}, 2021). The Victoria Mile serves as a 'Win and You're In' event for the GI Breeders' Cup Mile at Keeneland this November. Several of Sunday's entrants are on...