Horse Racing News

Saturday's Grade 2, $200,000 Del Mar H. serves as a tantalizing appetizer with a contentious field of 13 entered for the 1 3/8-mile affair on turf.

Ballerina Stakes and Ballston Spa enhance a terrific undercard on Travers day.

If all goes well, two-time Horse of the Year Wise Dan will begin his road to the Breeders' Cup World Championships in the $250,000 Bernard Baruch Handicap at Saratoga Race Course on Aug. 30.

Upset-minded Balance of Power wore down Pants On Fire and won the $148,500 Philip H. Iselin Stakes with a smart last-to-first rally Aug. 17 at Monmouth Park.

Judy the Beauty, able to sit off a hot pace duel, swung into action in the stretch and inched away to a clear victory in the $147,000 Rancho Bernardo Handicap Aug. 17 at Del Mar.

Favored Main Sequence, slow out of the gate to trail the field, charged home on the outside to nip Imagining at the wire in the $500,000 Sword Dancer Invitational Aug. 17 on the inner lawn at Saratoga Race Course.

Lightly regarded Personal Diary took advantage of a hot pace with a sharp last-to-first move under Corey Nakatani to post a 9-1 surprise in the $300,000 Del Mar Oaks Aug. 23 on the Del Mar turf.

Rustlewood Farm's homebred Prudhoe Bay repelled a game bid from 6-5 choice Favorite Tale and won the $100,000 Jersey Shore Stakes Aug. 17 at Monmouth Park.

Few knew the story of Hardest Core, who scratched from the $400,000 American St. Leger at Arlington International Racecourse to run in the Arlington Million.

Even-money choice Stopchargingmaria, always prominent for jockey John Velazquez, prevailed in the $600,000 Alabama Stakes for her second top-level win in a row at the Saratoga Race Course meet Aug. 16.