Archive for the ‘Featured Articles’ Category

By ROBERT KIECKHEFER UPI Racing Writer Wit the Kentucky Derby in “calm before the storm” mode, a battle of international titans in Hong Kong took center stage in weekend racing. Churchill Downs, meanwhile, got Derby Week proceedings under way successfully with a new sprint for 3-year-olds. Some of the aspirants to contention in the Classic […]

By ROBERT KIECKHEFER UPI Racing Writer An apparently minor injury cost top-rated American horse Shared Belief his second career loss Saturday while 3-year-olds were on display from Japan to Illinois to Maryland to England. Graded stakes in many divisions around North America provided diversion. And a trio of old guys went 1-for-3 on the East […]

By ROBERT KIECKHEFER UPI Racing Writer With American Pharoah’s romping win in Saturday’s Arkansas Derby, the Kentucky Derby field is just about set. More about that in a minute, though, because there was a lot more going on during a busy weekend of Thoroughbred racing. Two races run within minutes of each other on Friday […]

By ROBERT KIECKHEFER UPI Racing Writer Carpe Diem and Frosted ran their way toward the top of the Kentucky Derby list with weekend victories but it was Dortmund’s dominant win in the Santa Anita Derby that had tongues wagging. Meanwhile, Lovely Maria, Stellar Wind and Condo Commando stamped their tickets to the Kentucky Oaks with […]

By ROBERT KIECKHEFER UPI Racing Writer A weekend of world-class racing from Dubai to the Louisiana bayous and from Japan to Florida set the stage for much of the year to come. California Chrome came up a few lengths short in the Dubai World Cup, losing to a veteran with experience over the track. But […]

By ROBERT KIECKHEFER UPI Racing Writer Firing Line fired on all cylinders in the Sunland Derby on Sunday, emerging from the shadow of his California rival, Dortmund, among the elite Kentucky Derby contenders. In Kentucky, Dubai Sky moved off the turf to win the Spiral Stakes on the Turfway Park all-weather track, causing his owners […]

By ROBERT KIECKHEFER UPI Racing Writer Victories by the veteran Able Friend in Hong Kong and budding star American Pharoah in Arkansas highlighted a diverse weekend of racing action. American Pharoah’s win — off a long layoff and over a wet track — gives trainer Bob Baffert two top Kentucky Derby contenders. Able Friend’s win […]

By ROBERT KIECKHEFER UPI Racing Writer There were no major surprises on the Kentucky Derby trail during the weekend but there was a bit of a shock in Dubai amid a big weekend for the home folks there. Meanwhile, Shared Belief looked ready to take full command among older horses — at least until we […]

By ROBERT KIECKHEFER UPI RACING WRITER The Kentucky Derby trail developed another pothole Saturday as Gulfstream Park canceled most of its card because of heavy rain. The postponement of the Grade II Fasig Tipton Swale Stakes and the Grade III Palm Beach Stakes follows last week’s rescheduling of the Grade III Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn […]

By ROBERT KIECKHEFER UPI Racing Writer Itsaknockout, International Star and Far Right advanced along the Kentucky Derby trail with weekend victories though none scored anything like a knockout. Meanwhile, Main Sequence continued his domination in the turf ranks and heads off to Dubai undefeated in five U.S. starts. A cloudy Kentucky Oaks picture cleared a […]