Kentucky Derby Blog

Derby Trial winner Macho Again pulled a major upset in Sunday’s $500,000 Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga Race Course. The 1 1/8 mile Jim Dandy is the traditional local prep race for the $1 million Travers Stakes on Saturday, August 23. A field of seven three-year-olds went postward for the Jim Dandy, including Belmont Stakes champ Da’ Tara and Louisiana Derby winner Pyro. Pyro went off as the 3-2 favorite and Da’ Tara was the 7-2 second choice.

After winning the Derby Trial, Macho Again was held out of the Kentucky Derby to train for the Preakness Stakes. He finished second to Big Brown in the middle jewel of the Triple Crown as a 39-1 longshot.

Horses By Earnings

from equibase through 07/21/2008

This is from Betting On The 2008 Breeders’ Cup World Championships , Articledashboard.com. This article gives a good outlook of 2008 Breeders’ Cup and betting tips. I hope you enjoy!

The 2007 Breeders’ Cup Classic turned out to be a tight race between favorite Street Sense, who won the 2007 Kentucky Derby, and Curlin, who won the 2007 Preakness Stakes.

2008 Breeders’ Cup is the highly anticipated race between 2007 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner, Big Brown, and Curlin, who was rumored to run in the Arc de Triomphe in place of the Breeders’ Cup Classic. However, a second-place finish at the Man O’ War Stakes at Belmont Park in early July has left that trip to Paris up in the air; but neither Big Brown nor Curlin have been inked to meet up at Santa Anita Park – as of yet.

That being said, at this point in the race it’s more important that you understand how to bet on the Breeders’ Cup rather than who to bet on the Breeders’ Cup. Read the details.

Curlin finished second in his first test on a grass course. Red Rocks, who won the 2006 Breeders’ Cup Turf, took the lead in the stretch and defeated Curlin by 2 lengths in the $500,000 Man o’ War Stakes at Belmont Park on Saturday.

Curlin has dominated on dirt, winning nine times in 12 starts.

The Man o’ War was a chance for the connections to see if the 4-year-old colt could compete with top turf horses, with an eye on running in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, Europe’s premier race, at Longchamp in Paris on Oct. 5.

Those plans are less certain now.

“We just didn’t see that late kick from him today,” majority owner Jess Jackson said. “I don’t know if that was because he is still getting used to the turf, or what. My feeling right now is that he needs another turf test. We know what he can do on dirt, and that is always an option.”

Steve Asmussen, Curlin’s trainer, said, “I don’t want to rush to judgment.”

Man o' War Stakes Results and Payouts
Pgm Horse         Win   Place Show
6 Red Rocks (IRE) 14.40 4.00  2.90
7 Curlin                2.50  2.10
1 Better Talk Now             2.70
$2 Exacta (6-7) Paid $32.00, $2 Trifecta (6-7-1) Paid $76.00

Curlin will run in the $500,000 Man o’War Stakes over the turf at Belmont Park on July 12th, part of a plan by the owners that would make him the sport’s all-time leading money winner. Curlin has won nine of 12 career races on the dirt, including the Preakness and the Breeders’ Cup Classic last year and the Dubai World Cup in March. After his last victory, in the Stephen Foster Handicap on June 14, trainer Steve Asmussen said the 4-year-old colt would be pointed to the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in Paris on Oct 5.

2008 Del Mar Meeting begins on July 16th and goes til Sept 3, 2008. Here is the schedule of Del Mar races.

RACE NAME              DATE   AGE/SEX     PURSE
Oceanside Stakes       07/16  3 yr       $100,000
CTBA Stakes            07/18  F, 2yr     $125,000
OSUNITAS H.            07/19  F/M, 3yr+   $85,000
San Diego H.           07/19  3 yr+      $300,000
Fleet Treat Stakes     07/20  F, 3yr     $100,000
Eddie Read H.          07/20  3yr+       $400,000
Graduation Stakes      07/23  2yr        $125,000
Wickerr H.             07/25  3yr+        $85,000
San Clemente H.        07/26  F, 3yr     $150,000
Bing Crosby H.         07/27  3yr+       $300,000
Cougar II H.           07/30  3yr+       $150,000
C.E.R.F. H.            08/01  F/M, 3yr+   $85,000
California Dreamin' H. 08/02  3yr+       $125,000
Clement L. Hirsch H.   08/02  F/M, 3yr+  $300,000
JOHN C. MABEE H.       08/03  F/M, 3yr+  $400,000
Sorrento Stakes        08/06  F, 2yr     $150,000
Real Good Deal Stakes  08/08  3yr        $100,000
La Jolla H.            08/09  3yr        $150,000
Best Pal Stakes        08/10  2yr        $150,000
Green Flash H.         08/13  3yr +       $85,000
Sandy Blue H.          08/15  F, 3yr      $85,000
Del Mar Oaks           08/16  F, 3yr     $400,000
Solana Beach H.        08/17  F/M, 3yr+  $125,000
HARRY F. BRUBAKER H.   08/20  3yr+        $85,000
CTT and TOC H.         08/22  F/M, 3yr+   $85,000
Del Mar H.             08/23  3yr+       $250,000
RANCHO BERNARDO H.     08/24  F/M, 3yr+  $200,000
PAT O'BRIEN H.         08/24  3 yr+      $300,000
Del Mar MILE           08/24  3 yr+      $400,000
Pacific Classic        08/24  3 yr+    $1,000,000
Generous Portion Stakes08/27  F, 2yr     $100,000
Adoration H.           08/28  F/M, 3yr+   $85,000
EL CAJON Stakes        08/29  3yr        $125,000
PALOMAR H.             08/30  F/M, 3yr+  $200,000
Torrey Pines Stakes    08/31  F, 3yr     $125,000
Del Mar Derby          08/31  3yr        $400,000
Windy Sands H.         09/01  3yr +       $85,000
I'm Smokin Stakes      09/01  2yr        $100,000
Del Mar Debutante      09/01  F, 2yr     $250,000
Daisycutter H.         09/03  F/M, 3yr+   $85,000
Pirate's Bounty H.     09/03  3yr+        $85,000
Del Mar Futurity       09/03  2yr        $250,000

Trained by Rick Dutrow, Frost Giant entered the 122nd running of the Suburban Handicap off a half-length defeat in a $45,000 allowance-optional claiming race May 29 on the Monmouth Park turf. He ran in that company four of his five starts this season, winning just once – Feb. 11 on the Gulfstream Park dirt. A son of Giant’s Causeway, Frost Giant tried the March 15 Skip Away Handicap at Gulfstream, finishing 5 1/4 lengths back in fourth place. Frost Giant covered the 1 1/4 miles in 2:01.58 and returned $82 as the longest shot on the board.

2 Frost Giant       82.00    29.20 10.40
4 Solar Flare (ARG)           7.00  4.30
5 Rising Moon                       4.00

Mast Track, a 10-1 longshot, led gate to wire to pull off a stunning victory in the 69th running of the Hollywood Gold Cup at Hollywood Park. A 4-year-old colt by Mizzen Mast, Mast Track had finished fifth in the Grade 3 Sir Beaufort Stakes last December and fifth in the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile on turf on May 26. The Gold Cup was his first start at 1 1/4 miles.
Here are the winners and payouts.

1 Mast Track       23.60 11.20 7.40
7 Go Between              3.40 3.00
6 Student Council              4.00