Contender

By Margaret Ransom Dismissed at 11-1 odds a year ago in the Hollywood Turf Cup (G2), Oscar Dominguez came through for his backers with a neck victory over even-money favorite United and returned $24.20 on a $2 win bet. Fast forward to Friday, and Oscar Dominguez is back for another long-shot go at it when the 7-year-old gelding takes on the likes of 5-2 favorite Arklow and 3-1 second choice Laccario in a full field of 12 going 1 ½ miles on the turf at Del Mar. The odds seem appropriate since the Richard Baltas-trained Oscar Dominguez is 0-for-5 in

The post Hollywood Turf Cup: Can Oscar Dominguez Pull Off a Repeat? appeared first on Daily Racing News | Horse Racing News.

By Mike Farrell Brad Cox, fresh from his four-victory Breeders’ Cup weekend earlier this month, looks to deepen his bench of promising juveniles on the “Stars of Tomorrow II” program on Saturday at Churchill Downs. Cox is already in the early driver’s seat for next season’s 3-year-old campaign thanks to Essential Quality, the rallying winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) at Keeneland on Nov. 6. That victory clinched the division title, and stamped the colt as the long-range favorite for the Kentucky Derby (G1). Essential Quality is 10-1 in the first of Churchill’s Kentucky Derby Future Pools that runs

The post Trainer Brad Cox Doubles Up in 2-Year-Old Races at Churchill Downs appeared first on Daily Racing News | Horse Racing News.

By Margaret Ransom Closing weekend at Del Mar will be packed with stakes races from start to finish, beginning with the $100,000 Red Carpet Stakes (G3) on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 26). The seventh running of the 1 3/8-mile race on the grass drew a field of 10 fillies and mares, including a pair from East Coast-based trainers, Chad Brown’s Orglandes (the 5-2 favorite) and Graham Motion’s Blame Debbie (the 3-1 second choice). Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Michael Cloonan and Timothy Thornton’s Blame Debbie is a 3-year-old daughter of Blame riding a three-race win streak that includes the 1 ½-mile Dowager Stakes

The post Del Mar Thanksgiving: East Coast Presence for Red Carpet Stakes appeared first on Daily Racing News | Horse Racing News.

By Ed McNamara If you’re like me, you cut back dramatically on wagering after the pari-mutuel frenzy of the Breeders’ Cup. Although my handicapping was good, my betting was sloppy, and I should have made more than $50 on the year’s two best cards. For the past few weeks, I haven’t had much desire to look at past performances, but I’m over my hangover. There’s not much high-quality racing in December until Santa Anita opens on the 26th, and Thanksgiving weekend offers a chance to put money on good horses. I’m interested in five stakes at Churchill Downs, Aqueduct and

The post Eddie Mac’s Book: Pickin’ Stakes Winners from Coast to Coast appeared first on Daily Racing News | Horse Racing News.

By Richard Rosenblatt With the holiday season fast approaching – along with the end of 2020 — it seems like an appropriate time to sit back, take a deep breath, and think about … the Kentucky Derby (G1)! And why not? After all, the Run for the Roses is just over five months away – for now scheduled on its traditional date, the first Saturday in May — and back as the first leg of the Triple Crown. Churchill Downs on Monday (Nov. 23) announced that its first Derby Future Wager opens Thursday (Nov. 26), with Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1)

The post Wanna Bet? A Peek at the Current 2021 Kentucky Derby Contenders appeared first on Daily Racing News | Horse Racing News.