Friday, April 17, 2015, at Santa Anita, Race 2, post time about 1:30 p.m. PDT
Cozmic One (Mary Ellet)
Cozmic One (Mary Ellet)
UPDATE: Coz is last in first time out, but there were some positives that came out of the experience.
Coz posed in front of the grandstand, a la his famous mom
The day before he raced, fans watched training videos of him acting up in the gate, lashing out at John Shirreffs, his trainer. Everyone was very concerned as to whether he was really ready to race. John spent several hours Thursday before he raced "schooling" in the gate, and those lessons evidently paid off, because on race day, while he was fractious in the saddling area, once Victor Espinoza, his jockey, climbed on his back, he settled down and was as good as can be. The stewards gave him permission to have the rider up from the paddock, and he proceeded nicely to the starting gate, loading and then waiting for the rest of the field to complete the lineup in the gate. Read BloodHorse write up hereHorse Racing Nation write upRace Replay here Several people who posted reminded us that Coz' daddy and his granddaddy both finished 4th in their first time out, with chart comments that gave no indication as to their talent they displayed later on. He is now expected to be shipped with John to Belmont in New York for the upcoming season there. View race chartBrisnet write-up
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When the dark bay colt first arrived at Belmont Park to begin training, his endless, pent-up energy could not be subdued.
"In order for us to even handle him, we had to put a lot of miles on him," Shirreffs said. "I never had a 2-year-old I trained more than Cozmic One and that was just to handle him. That wasn't even beginning to think about the lessons he would have to learn (to race him). It was in order to just hot walk him to get the edge off." Read moreCozmic One Facebook Page - click here
It’s a big weekend this week at Nakayama racecourse, following on from Saturday’s Grade 1 Nakayama Grand Jump, the 75th running of the first colts’ Classic, the Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas), will take place on Sunday (April 19th) over 2000 meters on turf at the Chiba track. There are nineteen nominations, and the race is shaping up to be a real competitive one, as a number of colts get to take each other on here, coming into the race from different trial races held earlier in the year. Read moreCARD
Note: This blog is non-commercial and was developed for my own personal use to organize my racing viewing activity. Your comments as to its usefulness to you are welcomed & would be appreciated. Thanks!
JOCKEY CLUB ON FOX SPORTS 1 FOR SATURDAY, 4:30-5:30 EDT. Televising the G1 $300,000 Jenny Wiley and the G3 $250,000 Coolmore Lexington both at Keeneland.
United States
In the U.S., the last of the Derby Preps at Oaklawn with AMERICAN PHAROAH expected to take the Arkansas Derby, with the rest of the field running for second-fourth for points to get in the gate on May 2.
SUMMER FRONT looking to get that elusive Grade 1 win in the Makers 46 Mile at Keeneland, Friday.
APRIL 11, 2015 - AINTREE - 2015 GRAND NATIONAL Saturday, April 11, 4:15 p.m. London time or 11:15 EDT (New York) $800,000+ USD in purses, 4.5 miles, 30 jumps, 40 horses CARD
Another history This history leaves out an important chapter, the one where the American horse, BATTLESHIP, a son of Man O'War, had won the American Grand National in 1934. Then, in 1938, he won the Grand National and became not only the first dual American/British winner, but also, was the last "entire" horse to win the fabled race. While he was not prolific, he did sire several champions, in addition to an American Grand National winner. He was raced by Marion duPont, and after racing returned to her Montpelier estate, where he lived to the ripe old age of 31. He is in the US Racing Hall of Fame. Battleship wiki page
Red Rum, the greatest Grand National racehorse of all time When Red Rum and Tommy Stack came home alone in the 1977 Grand National, he established beyond all possible dispute his right to the title of the greatest chaser in Grand National history.
In five successive years he had jumped the course five times without making a single serious mistake. No other horse had ever won three Nationals, no other horse ever covered those 4 miles as fast as Red Rum did to beat Crisp in 1973.
*************************************************** Australia - The Championships Day Two
In Australia, Day Two of The Championships at Sydney's Randwick racecourse will feature Grade 1 races Australian Oaks. Saturday's Group 1 races, in addition to the Oaks, are the Longines Queen Elizabeth Stakes at 1 1/4 miles, the Schwepps 150th Sydney Cup at 2 miles and the Cellarbrations Queen of the Turf Stakes at 1 mile.
Four-time Melbourne Cup runner-up Red Cadeaux will make his Sydney debut in Saturday's $4 million Group I Queen Elizabeth Stakes rather than the Sydney Cup.
Red Cadeaux's trainer Ed Dunlop informed Racing NSW stewards by email at around 1.30am Sydney time on Wednesday morning.
"The decision has been made to run Red Cadeaux in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes, as opposed to the Sydney Cup, at Randwick on Saturday," Dunlop wrote on his website. "The excellent Kerrin McEvoy will ride as Hugh Bowman is set to partner Lucia Valentina.
"The weather has been the overriding factor in our decision, with Sydney having experienced an extremely wet week." Read more
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Rouge Buck
In Japan, the OKA SHO will feature three year old fillies in a run for the Japan 1000 Guineas on Sunday. The Oka Sho gained G1 status in Japan in 1984 and received international Grade 1 status in 2010. The top four finishers from a full field of 18 will automatically qualify for the second leg of the filly’s Triple Crown -- the 2,400-meter Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) on May 24 at Tokyo.
Favorite ROUGE BUCK (Manhattan Café [Sunday Silence] ex. Ginger Punch x Awesome Again. First three starts she has won against the boys, so she should have no problem with the fillies. This girl can race from a forward position or the rear. She’s shown she can handle a clockwise track or a counterclockwise one. She has also handled the long trip from her home-base Miho to the west without a hitch. Having run over distances of 1,800 and 2,000 meters, the only question that remains is whether she can handle her first mile with equal aplomb. With the pace of this year’s Oka Sho expected to be a leisurely one, Rouge Buck shouldn’t have a problem. Neither should she have a problem with the haul to Hanshin, according to her trainer. Rouge Buck winning the G3 Kisaragi Sho 2-18-15: Race Replay - Rouge is #3 - Kisaragi Sho
The Oka Sho is open only to 3-year-old females and carries a first-place bounty of 89 million yen, a total purse of nearly 185 million yen. The race is run over the Hanshin 1,600-meter outer course and is the shortest of the Triple Crown trio. Preview for the Oka Sho
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Jon and Joel talk about last week's Derby preps and this week's Arkansas Derby
The CARDS links below will take you to replays once race is completed.
North American races are listed first below. Japan and Australia races are below NA races, although you should be aware that Japan and Australia are run in the early morning hours U.S. time.
Note: This blog is non-commercial and was developed for my own personal use to organize my racing viewing activity. Your comments as to its usefulness to you are welcomed & would be appreciated. Thanks!
MAJOR PREPS ON TV - NBC SPORTS 5-7 PM EDT
The Road to the Kentucky Derby shifts into high gear this week with key prep races from coast to coast on NBC Sports Network from 5-7 p.m. ET. The $1-million Twinspires.com Wood Memorial Stakes, the key New York Kentucky Derby prep race, will be contested at Aqueduct; the $1-million Toyota Blue Grass Stakes will be featured from Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky.; and Santa Anita Park in Southern California will host the $1-million Santa Anita Derby.
If you think this past Saturday was overflowing with racing action, you ain't seen nothin' yet!
Saturday, April 4 has SEVEN GRADE 1 RACES, seven that have Derby/Oaks implications, and a couple of handicap races for older horses. The Derby/Oaks preps will confer 100-40-20-10 points on the first four finishers. For some, this will just be gravy, and for others, it could make the difference in getting in the starting gate on May 1 or 2.
Ann Maree's 'longshot": Here's an "underdog" to take a look at in the Blue Grass (12-1). 'Unrivaled' (Super Saver) a former claimer ($30,000 Oct '14), now owned by Team Valor. His record 5-3-3-2-1-1 (Six starts, 2 wins, 2 seconds and 1 third). Interview with trainer: Marya Montoya, trainer for UnrivaledKeeneland, 6:00 p.m. EDT
Watch his last race, an Allowance which he won by 5L 3-15-15 Race 7 Parx Allowance Unrivaled is the #1 horse that is off the screen for most of the race, coming from the clouds to win by 5. I like that Team Valor left the horse with his trainer, who has had to help him work out some "issues", since the October 2014 claim.
Longshot #2: BloodHorse - Former claimer chases greatness in SA Oaks. Another 'underdog' to take a look at., SINGING KITTY (12-1). She seems to be able to run on grass, synthetic, and dirt. Her maiden which she won at first asking was on the dirt at Santa Anita last June. She was claimed in December for $32,000. In the SA Oaks, she will face one of the favorites, Stellar Wind (9-5), who Singing Kitty beat in the China Doll on the Turf in March. Can she put it all together in the SA Oaks to rise in class to make it to the KY Oaks in May? As the article points out, she will be the sentimental favorite in the SA Oaks, however, the betting money will likely go to Stellar Wind (9-5). Should be a fun race to watch, though! Unfortunately, the Keeneland Blue Grass and the SA Oaks are scheduled at the same time, 6:00 p.m. EDT
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The Championships 2015: Global appeal grows for racing’s “Grand Finals”
FLASH: Day One of the Championships was postponed due to heavy rain. Re-scheduled for Monday, April 6
Also, this Saturday will see the first leg of the Australia Sydney Championships. With the 15 hours time difference, we probably will have to settle for replays. However, for those on the West Coast, it would just be a "late night" for you, so I have included the entries in my printable time ordered list, and I have posted links below to catch up on the action Down Under.
The G1 $2.5 million Darley T.J. Smith Stakes features a showdown between three of the best sprinters in the world, LANKAN RUPEE, TERRAVISTA, and CHAUTAUQUA.
The $2 million BMW ATC Australian Derby is a classic trans-Tasman clash. The local stayers are headed by Victoria Derby hero PREFERMENT and last week’s stunning Tulloch Stakes winner HAURAKI.
The $3 million The Star Doncaster Mile field contains no fewer than 11 individual Group 1 winners. The Doncaster includes two international runners for the first time in the race’s 150-year history, Japanese duo REAL IMPACT and WORLD ACE. Read more
3:28 EDT Madison S G1Kee$350,000 4+ f/m7f D R6 CARD
4:00 ET Echo Eddie SSA$200,000 3yo S6.5f D R3 CARD
4:05 ET Commonwealth S G3Kee$300,000 4+7f D R7 CARD 4:20 ET Gazelle S G2Aqu$300,000 3yo f9f D # R8 CARD
4:42 ET Shakertown S G3Kee$125,000 4&up5.5f T R8 CARD
4:52 ET Bay Shore S G3Aqu$300,000 3yo7f D R 9 CARD 5:20 ET Ashland S G1Kee$500,000 3yo f8.5f D# R9 CARD 5:30 ET Wood Memorial S G1Aqu$1,000,000 3yo 9f
D* R10 CARD 6:00 ET Santa Anita Oaks G1SA$400,000 3yo f8.5f D# R7 CARD-Replay
6:00 ET Blue Grass S G1Kee$1,000,000 3yo 9f
D * R10 CARD 6:04 ET Carter H G1Aqu$400,000 4&up7f D R11 CARD 6:09 ET Fantasy S G3OP$400,000 3yo
f8.5f D # R9 CARD 6:30 ET Santa Anita Derby G1SA$1,000,000 3yo 9f D* R8 CARD
7:00 ET Providencia S G3SA$150,000 3yo f9f T R9 CARD
7:30 ET Evening Jewel S SA$200,000 3yo f S6.5f D R10 CARD * or # = KY Derby or KY Oaks qualifying races 100-40-20-10 points
These races take place in the early morning hours of Saturday, Apr 4. Sydney is 15 hours ahead of New York time. On the West Coast, 12:10 EDT = 9:10 p.m. PDT Friday evening.
Star Doncaster MileGR1 $A3,000,000 1600m for 3YO & Upwards
Real Impact, Japanese star main attraction
Long established Australia'smile championship, 2015 150th year ResultTeofilo's Kermadec Takes the Doncaster MileVIDEO
Second leg of the Sydney Championships will take place
on April 11
Courier-Journal's national media Kentucky Derby poll
