LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Comparisons of Flightline to legendary Triple Crown champion Secretariat may initially sound like a stretch, though they offer a hint about his dominance.
The 4-year-old bay colt has yet to lose in five starts, and four of his wins have been by double-digit lengths.
Undefeated Flightline and Rich Strike, upset winner of the Kentucky Derby, head a field of nine for the Breeders' Cup Classic, with trainer Todd Pletcher pre-entering two horses for the $6 million race that also includes a horse from the barn of embattled trainer Bob Baffert.
ARCADIA, Calif. (AP) — Bob Baffert is headed to the Breeders' Cup in Kentucky next month with the likely favorite in the $2 million Juvenile.
Cave Rock romped to his third straight victory, and second in a Grade 1 race, winning the $300,000 American Pharoah Stakes by 5 1/4 lengths on Saturday at Santa Anita.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Churchill Downs Inc. has agreed to buy Ellis Park in Henderson, Kentucky, for $79 million in cash.
The deal announced Thursday with Enchantment Holdings LLC includes Churchill Downs assuming Ellis Park’s opportunity to build a track extension facility in Owensboro.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (AP) — Epicenter has been installed as the morning-line favorite for the $1.25 million Travers Stakes on Saturday at Saratoga Race Course as he prepares to face the rivals who beat him in the first two legs of the Triple Crown.
DEL MAR, Calif. (AP) — Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert had two victories on the opening weekend of Del Mar’s summer meet, three weeks after his 90-day suspension ended.
Havnameltdown won by 2 1/4 lengths in his first career start in Sunday's $80,000 fourth race at the seaside track north of San Diego.
OCEANPORT, N.J. (AP) — While trainer Bob Baffert isn't welcome at every thoroughbred track around the country, Monmouth Park has no problem letting the Hall of Famer bring his horses to New Jersey.
OCEANPORT, N.J. (AP) — Taiba is the slight 7-5 favorite over the undefeated Jack Christopher in the $1 million Haskell Stakes on Saturday, the first major race for 3-year-olds following the Triple Crown.
High Connection won the $125,000 Los Alamitos Derby by 1 3/4 lengths Saturday, giving trainer Bob Baffert his second victory on the card in his return to competition after serving a 90-day suspension.
NEW YORK (AP) — Triple Crown veteran Todd Pletcher had simple advice Saturday for jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. before the Belmont Stakes.
“Be patient,” Pletcher said. “I think you have the best last quarter of any horse in the race.”
There are few things that are certain in horse racing, and this is one of them: Rich Strike isn’t going to surprise anybody in the Belmont Stakes on Saturday.
His days of anonymity are over. Such is how it works after winning the Kentucky Derby.
After so many things went right for Rich Strike to win the Kentucky Derby, he’ll likely need even more good fortune at the Belmont Stakes with so much stacked against him.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — When Rich Strike bolted into horse racing's spotlight in a little over two minutes with his upset Kentucky Derby victory, he shared the stage with his handler, who has long toiled in the shadows constantly tending to the champion colt.
NEW YORK (AP) — Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike has arrived at Belmont Park for the final jewel of thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown.
The track announced Wednesday the long shot winner of the Derby arrived around 1 a.m.
Sarah Ramsey, who along with her husband Ken bred and raced multiple Breeders' Cup champions and won a leading 510 races at Churchill Downs, has died. She was 83.
She died Sunday at her home in Nicholasville, Kentucky, according to Churchill spokesman Darren Rogers, who was informed by Ken Ramsey.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike completed his final major workout in preparation for the Belmont Stakes on June 11.
The colt ran five furlongs in 59 seconds in between races Monday at Churchill Downs with exercise rider Gabe Lagunes aboard.
NEW YORK (AP) — Belmont Stakes contenders Mo Donegal, Next and We the People all worked out Friday in preparation for the third jewel of thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown in two weeks.
Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher had Mo Donegal and Nest work in company.
BALTIMORE (AP) — Twelve hours before Early Voting won the Preakness, Kentucky Derby champion Rich Strike was back on the track at Churchill Downs to begin preparations for the Belmont Stakes.
BALTIMORE (AP) — Maybe extra rest isn't such a bad thing for a racehorse after all.
In the Preakness Stakes that was run without the Kentucky Derby winner because Rich Strike's owner felt he needed more time off after his 80-1 upset, Early Voting validated a gutsy decision to skip the Derby and aim for the second leg of the Triple Crown.
BALTIMORE (AP) — Secret Oath made another impressive move from the back of the pack, but couldn't close the gap.
The filly who won the Kentucky Oaks a couple of weeks ago finished fourth in the Preakness Stakes on Saturday in a tough field featuring eight colts.
BALTIMORE (AP) — Epicenter was the horse closing strong at the end this time, making up ground on the leader in the final stage of a Triple Crown race.
It wasn't enough. The favorite finished second — again.
BALTIMORE (AP) — The Latest on the 147th running of the Preakness Stakes (all times local):
7:15 p.m.
Early Voting won the Preakness Stakes, holding off a late challenge from fast-closing favorite Epicenter, who was the runner-up in a second consecutive Triple Crown race.
If Epicenter runs his race, he’s going to win the Preakness.
It’s really that simple. By just about any measure, the Steve Asmussen-trained, Joel Rosario-ridden Epicenter is the clear class of the field for the second leg of the Triple Crown series.
BALTIMORE (AP) — Epicenter lost the Kentucky Derby because of a hot pace.
Now he'll face hot temperatures in the Preakness.
Two weeks after getting passed by 80-1 long shot Rich Strike just before the finish line at the Derby, Epicenter goes into Saturday's Preakness as the favorite and clearly the class of the nine-horse field.
BALTIMORE (AP) — The Black-Eyed Susan cocktails were flowing, D. Wayne Lukas was telling jokes and things finally felt fully back to normal at Old Hilltop.
While the Kentucky Derby winner isn't at the Preakness, the tradition of the Alibi Breakfast returned Thursday to Pimlico Race Course after a two-year absence because of the pandemic.
BALTIMORE (AP) — Rich Strike winning the Kentucky Derby at 80-1 may not be the only big upset this Triple Crown season.
Not if Fenwick has anything to do about it.
Two weeks after Rich Strike became the second-biggest long shot to win the Derby, Fenwick could join him in the record books at the Preakness Stakes.
BALTIMORE (AP) — D. Wayne Lukas sat atop his pony just after 6 a.m. and stared at Secret Oath while she got a bath following her first trip to the track at Pimlico Race Course.
“The whole time she was out there she never put her ears down — they were always up,” he said.
BALTIMORE (AP) — Graham Motion always wondered what it would be like to show up at the Preakness with the Kentucky Derby winner, and when that happened in 2011 with Animal Kingdom it was all he was hoping for and then some.
BALTIMORE (AP) — Kentucky Derby runner-up Epicenter was set Monday as the 6-5 morning line favorite for the Preakness Stakes, which will be run without Rich Strike.
The surprise Derby winner at 80-1 is not in the field of nine for Saturday's $1.65 million race.
Rich Strike will not run in the Preakness after his major upset to win the Kentucky Derby, keeping horse racing from having a Triple Crown winner for a fourth consecutive year.
Owner Rich Dawson made the stunning announcement Thursday, 10 days before the race in Maryland.
The jockey of Kentucky Derby upset winner Rich Strike is serving a four-day suspension handed down by Ohio racing stewards that his agent says won't prevent him from riding the horse in next week's Preakness.
NEW YORK (AP) — Perhaps trying to make sure it really happened, more people watched replays of 80-1 underdog Rich Strike winning the Kentucky Derby than watched it live.
NBC said some 36 million people watched the exciting finish of horseracing's premier event on NBC Sports' social media accounts, including 11.6 million on TikTok, the most ever achieved for a network sports presentation.