Horse Racing News

After closing her 2013 season with a third-place finish in the Long Island Handicap on the Aqueduct Racetrack turf, Left a Message will try to nail down her first graded stakes victory Jan. 25 in the Endeavour Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs.

The last time racing fans saw Grade 2 winner Cairo Prince, he was ding-donging down the stretch with highly regarded Honor Code in a thrilling edition of the Nov. 30 Remsen Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Veteran trainer Thomas H. Voss, known for both his success in the steeplechase world and with runners on the flat, died Jan. 21 of an apparent heart attack at his home in Monkton, Md. He was 63.

The Big Bad Kittens are invading Texas, as grade I winner Admiral Kitten faces seven opponents in the $200,000 John B. Connally Turf Cup at Sam Houston Race Park Jan. 25.

James and Ywachetta Driver's Tanzanite Cat gave up the lead on the backstretch but took it back in mid-stretch and went on to a smooth victory in the $150,000 Smarty Jones Stakes for 3-year-olds at Oaklawn Park Jan. 20.

In five Grade 1 races and a pair of Grade 2 events, the only male in North America to take home four Grade 1 victories, Wise Dan galloped his way through the most consistent season delivered by a racehorse in 2013 -- year-end honors firmly in his sights.

Todd Pletcher's deep bench of top quality runners sometimes make it difficult to gauge his accomplishments when compared to those of other trainers. But in 2013, he was in a league of his own, and voters awarded him with his record sixth Eclipse Award.

For Ken and Sarah Ramsey, 2013 was a year when almost everything went as planned on the racetrack, and as a result the couple earned their third Eclipse Award as outstanding owner. The Ramseys previously collected Eclipse trophies in 2004 and 2011.

He never backed down from a fight, and wherever they entered him, he ran.

Malibu Stakes winner Shakin It Up answered doubts about his ability around two turns when he overpowered stablemate Govenor Charlie to give trainer Bob Baffert the exacta in the $200,000 Strub Stakes Jan. 18 at Santa Anita Park.