Horse News
Adding distance, blinkers and a new jockey, First Captain pieced it all together for a game victory Friday in the $300,000 Pimlico Special (G3). Luis Saez took the reins on the 4-year-old Curlin colt and delivered a superb ride to rally home behind a slow early pace, producing First Captain from mid-pack at the top […]
First Captain, Jaxon Traveler and B Dawk will represent West Point Thoroughbreds in stakes action during Preakness weekend at Pimlico. First Captain leads things off Friday in the $300,000 Pimlico Special (G3), shooting for his second graded stakes triumph. Luis Saez will take the reins on First Captain for the first time for Hall of […]
Flightline continued building up to his 2022 debut by working a sharp five furlongs with jockey Flavien Prat on board Monday morning at Santa Anita. Prat flew in from New York to get a leg up on the colt for the first time since their victory together in the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes on December […]
Late spring will bring several exciting horses to the limelight: B Dawk, Elector and Got Thunder are all scheduled for their first stakes assignments. B Dawk, an eye-popping winner at Keeneland, is slated for the Sir Barton Stakes on the Preakness Stakes undercard on Saturday, May 21 at Pimlico. He worked six furlongs in 1:11.80 […]
West Point Thoroughbreds partners gathered from near and far at Churchill Downs, some with runners over the big weekend, all with a passion for the sport and the great event that is the Kentucky Derby. Partner-only events included: Backstretch access to see WPT horses as well as the special training session for Derby and Oaks […]
Your horse has a race date but then, nothing happens. No entry notification, and then word comes that the race has been pushed back, that it “didn’t go.” What’s going on here, and what happens next? Stakes races are a planner’s dream in racing. Unless weather or something unusual comes into play, the date is […]
Cavalry Charge, a 5-year-old gelding who has gradually, step-by-step, ascended the American turf ranks, will reach the elite level and on a grand stage Saturday in the $1-million Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic Stakes (G1T) on Kentucky Derby Day at Churchill Downs. Trained by Dallas Stewart, Cavalry Charge has racked up five wins in 10 […]
West Point’s Jason Blewitt, hearkening back to his days as a racing analyst for Gulfstream Park and the New York Racing Association, shares some handicapping nuggets for Kentucky Derby weekend:
Returning from a freshening, England’s Rose will break from the outside post in a competitive edition of the one-mile Wilshire Stakes (G3T) on Sunday at Santa Anita. The 6-year-old mare captured the Swingtime Stakes over this course and distance last October, capping a 3-win season for trainer John Shirreffs. Regular rider Victor Espinoza has the […]
B Dawk shipped in from California and, boy, did he announce his presence on Sunday, drawing off to an 11 1/4-length win at Keeneland in a $100,000 maiden special weight. The chestnut son of Gormley stalked just off the pace for leading rider Tyler Gaffalione and took command in the turn. Acquired last spring at […]
As Flightline begins to rev back up after a brief timeout, his stablemates Elector and Got Thunder came through with a double for trainer John Sadler over Easter weekend at Santa Anita. It was two in a row for Elector, guided by Ricky Gonzalez to a front-running allowance score Saturday, negotiating the rail post and […]
Brigadier General marched to a sharp victory at Keeneland on Thursday, putting the pieces together for jockey Tyler Gaffalione and trainer Dallas Stewart. The 3-year-old Street Sense colt followed up on a second-place finish against older horses at Fair Grounds last month when he added blinkers and stretched out around two turns for the first […]
Kodama came through with a sharp maiden win Thursday in her first start of the year, acing a turf sprint for 3-year-old fillies at Gulfstream Park. Junior Alvarado and the spirited Irish-bred filly both displayed patience: she is quick, but she was content to settle off a pacesetter and kick home on cue for Junior […]
Cavalry Charge and Sequist both have Graded stakes chances among four West Point entries on the Louisiana Derby card at Fair Grounds card on Saturday. Cavalry Charge and Brian Hernandez Jr. aim for the $300,000 Mervin Muniz Memorial (G2T), looking to double up on their big upset in the Grade 3 Fair Grounds Stakes a […]
West Point Thoroughbreds CEO Terry Finley was this week’s guest on the TDN Writers’ Room podcast. Weighing in from Ocala, just before the first horse went through the ring at the OBS March sale, Terry discussed WPT’s approach to the 2-year-old sales market, as well as the latest on Flightline, the meteoric colt who is […]
Chestertown will line up for stakes a New York-bred stakes assignment Sunday at Aqueduct. Coming off a 4-length win in the fog at Aqueduct, Chestertown is 7-to-2 on the morning-line for Sunday’s $100,000 Haynesfield Stakes. An OBS March purchase in 2019, the stakes-winning Chestertown is 4-for-8 lifetime at the Big A.
West Point’s Jason Blewitt, hearkening back to his days as a racing analyst for Gulfstream Park and the New York Racing Association, shares some handicapping nuggets for tomorrow’s Wood Memorial Day:
Seven furlongs, big pots and prestigious stakes will be the order of the day for First Captain and O Besos on Saturday in New York and Kentucky. First Captain will step up to the Grade 1 level for the first time in the $300,000 Carter Handicap at Aqueduct, looking to keep on winning: he is […]
Magnolia Midnight will kick off a surge of WPT runners, igniting spring action at Keeneland when he lines up on opening day in the $400,000 Lafayette Stakes for 3-year-old sprinters. Dallas Stewart trains Magnolia Midnight, who is coming off an allowance victory at Oaklawn on January 15. Nothing suitable materialized for him in February or […]
West Point runners put a bow around the month of February with four wins over the weekend, with two coming at Gulfstream Park and two at Santa Anita in a memorable Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Unbridled Mary and Elector both scored for trainer John Sadler out west. Unbridled Mary flashed through the final furlong to […]