Horse Racing News

After landing a one-two punch in last week's Grade 1 Arkansas Derby with Bodemeister and Secret Circle, Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert will attempt to do the same in Saturday's $200,000 Jerome at Aqueduct with California shippers Stirred Up and Brigand.

With just two weeks remaining until the Kentucky Derby, there is still some graded earnings jostling left for the final spots remaining in what promises to be a full field of 20.

Secret Circle will be given a rest in coming weeks and will not start in the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 5, trainer Bob Baffert said on Thursday.

A proposal to ban an anti-bleeding drug on race days in Kentucky lost by a nose on Monday in a hotly-contested thoroughbred industry debate.

Trainer Todd Pletcher capped a roller-coaster of a day on a high Saturday night when Caixa Eletronica blew past Duke of Mischief in the stretch and drew clear to win the Grade 2, $1 million Charles Town Classic by three lengths.

Weekend rains forced Saturday's $98,000 Las Cienegas Handicap at Santa Anita from the turf course to the main track, but it made no difference to 3-10 favorite Mizdirection, who was along in time to take the race by a half-length over pacesetting Teroda.

The raw talent of Bodemeister was too much for his rivals on Saturday in the Grade 1, $1 million Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park.

Dullahan, with big strides down the center of the racetrack, ran down champion Hansen in the late stages to win the $750,000 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes by 1 1/4 lengths April 14 at Keeneland.

In a virtual replay of his performance in the Grade 3 Razorback Handicap on March 10, Pin Oak Stable's homebred Alternation led throughout to take Saturday's $400,000 Oaklawn Handicap under Luis Quinonez on Arkansas Derby Day.

Outta Tune entered Saturday's Grade 3, $250,000 Count Fleet Handicap in career-best form, reeling off three straight impressive wins at Oaklawn Park for trainer Chris Richard, but the former $4,000 claimer was stepping up to make his graded stakes debut.