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Kentucky Derby Maiden Watch: Rodriguez romps at Santa Anita
The two-year-old Thoroughbreds of 2024 turned three year olds on Jan. 1, barely more than four months before the 2025 Kentucky Derby (G1).
Features
Horses to follow in 2025: Raqiya
While Todd Pletcher has the likes of Fierceness, Locked, and Mindframe in his arsenal for 2025, the Hall of Fame trainer picked up a fascinating new turf recruit in Raqiya.
Horse
Kentucky Derby Roundup: Coal Battle, Cyclone State win first preps of 2025
The first week of January produced a bevy of notable updates on the Kentucky Derby (G1) trail.
Features
2024 in review: Travers Stakes left the biggest what-if
Imagine that the Travers (G1) post positions for Fierceness and Thorpedo Anna were reversed.
Analysis
Horses I’m looking forward to in 2025
As a memorable season of racing comes to an end it’s time for me to look ahead to what might be in store for 2025.
Features
Why I voted nay on Thorpedo Anna for Horse of the Year
When the 2024 Eclipse Award ceremony is held in late January, the most likely name to be pulled from the envelope containing the voters' choice as Horse of the Year is Thorpedo Anna.
Features
Exploring Famous Racehorse Names and Their Meanings
Scan the entries on a typical racecard and you'll see a wide assortment of ordinary nouns and phrases make up a significant portion of the names Thoroughbreds carry with them throughout their lives.
Features
2024 In Review: Monthly Highlights
James Scully reviews some monthly highlights from Thoroughbred racing in 2024
Analysis
Sierra Leone registers top Brisnet Speed rating of 2024
Here’s the list of the top two dozen winning Speed ratings of 2024, led by Sierra Leone's 114 in the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1).
Breeders Cup
Kentucky Derby Maiden Watch: 6 from Derby-winning trainers
Four Kentucky Derby (G1)-winning trainers combined to saddle six high-profile two-year-old maiden winners last week.
Triple Crown
Kentucky Derby Roundup: Jerome, Smarty Jones kick off 2025
The first two Road to the Kentucky Derby qualifiers of 2025 are coming up on Saturday at Aqueduct and Oaklawn Park.
Features
Monday Morning Message with Jason Beem Dec. 30, 2024
Jason discusses the past weekend of racing including the closing of Freehold Raceway and some things to learn from it.
Racing
2024 in review: 10 favorite horses
While the Eclipse Award champions of 2024 will get plenty of fanfare, I’d like to take a more subjective approach and highlight my own personal favorites over the past year.
International
Thursday Thoughts with Jason Beem for Dec. 26, 2024
Jason discusses his favorite opening day of the year. If you’ve never been there, I don’t think you can be prepared for the first time you see the view.
Racing
Kentucky Derby Roundup: Built impresses in the Gun Runner
As the year winds down and the holiday season hits its peak, let’s catch up on the latest news and notes from the 2025 Kentucky Derby (G1) trail:
Features
Kentucky Derby Maiden Watch: Amoss saddles two winners
Last Saturday, trainer Tom Amoss saddled a pair of juveniles to win maiden races at major tracks.
Features
At Long Last: Perseverance Pays Off at the Kentucky Derby
For names like Day and Pincay, Whittingham and Stephens, and Mellon and Genter, the road to Derby glory is long and winding, but their arrival is a celebration of the triumph of spirit and perseverance that finally brought them Kentucky Derby glory.
Kentucky Derby
Remembering the champions we lost in 2024
Through Dec. 19, si Eclipse Award-winning Thoroughbreds are known to have died in 2024. Here are short sketches of each one in chronological order according to the year their championships were attained.
Features
Thursday Thoughts with Jason Beem Dec. 19, 2024
Jason welcomes in some friends to talk about what they love about Turfway Park.
Racing
Horses to follow in 2025: Senza Parole
Remember Senza Parole, the sensational debut winner at Saratoga who was sure to be the red-hot favorite in the Frizette (G1)?
Horse
Kentucky Derby Roundup: Journalism among three prep winners
Last week, three Kentucky Derby (G1) qualifiers took place over the course of four days. Many new names emerged on the Road to the Kentucky Derby.
Los Alamitos Race Course
First-crop sires: Kale’s Angel heralds promise for Complexity
Complexity has furnished several additional stakes performers since our last installment, chief among them Kale’s Angel, who starred in the Advent S. on opening day at Oaklawn Park.
Features
Monday Morning Message with Jason Beem Dec. 16, 2024
Jason looks back at the season coming to an end at Woodbine Racetrack.
Racing
Tall Tales of the Track, Kentucky Derby Edition: One Horse, Two Women, and a Derby for the Show Me State
Bred by Emma Holt Prather, Elwood came east from California to contest the Kentucky Derby for his owner Lasca Durnell, not only giving Missouri its lone rosy victor but also becoming the first bred and owned by women.
Features
Kentucky Derby pedigree profile: Coal Battle
Sprints and short routes are clearly within the wheelhouse of Coal Battle. But can he handle the testing 1 1/4-mile distance of the 2025 Kentucky Derby (G1)?
Pedigree
Kentucky Derby pedigree profile: Myriad Love
A filly hasn’t contested the Kentucky Derby (G1) since Devil May Care finished 10th in 2010. That could potentially change in 2025.
International
Kentucky Derby Roundup: Poster stars in the Remsen
No fewer than five Kentucky Derby (G1) qualifiers are taking place in the U.S. and Japan this month. The first was contested last week, and three more are on the agenda this week.
International
Monday Morning Message with Jason Beem Dec. 9, 2024
Jason discusses some races from the weekend and talks about how he'd like to see more races at various distances.
Racing
Racing Roundtable: Thanksgiving weekend recap
The Roundtable this week looks back on an action-packed Thanksgiving holiday weekend, with emphasis on the two-year-old action at Churchill Downs and elsewhere.
Features
2024 Hong Kong Vase: Trends and storylines
Unlike the other three Hong Kong International Races, the about 1 1/2-mile Hong Kong Vase (G1) remains a happy hunting ground for invaders. The trend is expected to continue in Sunday’s renewal at Sha Tin.
Features
2024 Hong Kong Sprint: Trends and storylines
Breeders’ Cup winner Starlust will attract the notice of North American racing fans, but the center of gravity in Sunday’s Hong Kong Sprint (G1) lies with the locals led by Ka Ying Rising.
Features
Kentucky Derby pedigree profile: First Resort
A pace-tracking victory in the 1 1/16-mile Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) suggests running long on dirt is First Resort’s true strong suit.
Pedigree
Kentucky Derby Roundup: First Resort joins the leaderboard
We’re closing in on a milestone: Wednesday marks 150 days until the 2025 Kentucky Derby (G1) at Churchill Downs.
Features
Monday Morning Message with Jason Beem Dec. 2, 2024
Jason looks back at Churchill's final weekend of the year and the big season for trainer Kenny McPeek.
Racing
2024 Hong Kong Mile: Trends and storylines
The retirement of Golden Sixty has created a golden opportunity for a new star to emerge in the Dec. 8 Hong Kong Mile (G1), but it’s less obvious to predict his successor at Sha Tin.
Features
2024 Hong Kong Cup: Trends and storylines
Two-time defending champion Romantic Warrior furnishes the leading storyline going into the Hong Kong Cup (G1) while illustrating recent trends in the Sha Tin feature.
Analysis
Kentucky Derby Maiden Watch: Baffert, Cox unveil new winners
Last week, Baffert and Cox saddled flashy debut winners with the potential to make noise on the 2024-25 Road to the Kentucky Derby.
Features
Kentucky Derby Roundup: Natural Rise wins the Cattleya Stakes
The Road to the Kentucky Derby is heating back up, and the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby is officially underway.
Features
Monday Morning Message with Jason Beem Nov. 25, 2024
Jason discusses the Fall Highweight and talks about weight in horse racing.
Racing
Kentucky Derby pedigree profile: Natural Rise
A brief glance at Natural Rise’s pedigree suggests he’s cut out for success on turf rather than dirt. But dig deeper, and dirt influences become evident.
Triple Crown
Trying for Lilies and Roses: Fillies Who Ran in the Kentucky Derby and Won the Kentucky Oaks
In its 150 years, five fillies were able to win the Kentucky Oaks after their turn in the Kentucky Derby, putting these distaffers in a class of their own.
Features
Thursday Thoughts with Jason Beem Nov. 21, 2024
Jason looks back on Tampa Bay Downs opening day and other opening day cards.
Racing
Kentucky Derby Maiden Watch: Guns Loaded wins for D’Angelo
Trainer Jose D’Angelo has yet to saddle a Kentucky Derby (G1) starter, but that may change in 2025. Guns Loaded looks like the type who can factor on the Road to the Kentucky Derby.
Features
Kentucky Derby Roundup: Previewing the Cattleya Stakes
Let’s get up to speed on upcoming Kentucky Derby (G1) action and recount a few noteworthy developments from last week:
International
Monday Morning Message with Jason Beem Nov. 18, 2024
Jason talks about the Claiming Crown and remembers some of his favorite all-time claimers!
Racing
Tall Tales of the Track, Kentucky Derby Edition: One Winner, Two Sires?
Named for 1882 Kentucky Derby winner Apollo, this phenomenon commemorated the Bluegrass-bred colt’s extraordinary victory over a popular choice in Runnymede.
Features
Claim to Fame: Ex-claimers that made racing's Hall of Fame
Claiming race alumni through the years have taken their talents to levels that warranted induction into the sport's Hall of Fame.
Features
Kentucky Derby Maiden Watch: Admiral Dennis wins second try
The week after the Breeders’ Cup tends to be a quiet one in U.S. horse racing. But “quiet” is relative; there’s never a dull moment where the Kentucky Derby (G1) is concerned.
Features
Kentucky Derby Roundup: Giocoso gets a win on grass
The first Saturday in May is 173 days away and it’s anyone’s guess which horses will visit the winner’s circle.
Features
Kentucky Derby Maiden Watch: Thorpedo Anna's half McAfee wins; Speed King recalls Whitmore
Thorpedo Anna's half-brother McAfee wins on debut, and Speed King elicits comparisons to Whitmore in his unveiling for Ron Moquett.
Analysis
Breeders’ Cup Sires: Into Mischief, Dubawi, More Than Ready in tie with Curlin
Hovering in the background of the 14 Breeders’ Cup events is another race of sorts – among sires, for the most wins at the championships.
Features
Kentucky Derby Roundup: Citizen Bull tops the leaderboard
Our Kentucky Derby Roundup series is kicking off exactly 180 days out from the 2025 Kentucky Derby (G1) at Churchill Downs.
Analysis
2024 Breeders' Cup News and Notes
Come here to find updates all week including free handicapping selections, news, trends, analysis, contenders, Breeders' Cup picks for Friday, Saturday, and more. Find all your best horse racing bets here with our live Breeders' Cup odds and content to better understand how to bet on horse racing for Breeders' Cup Weekend.
Analysis
History's Top 10 Breeders' Cup Juvenile performances
Since its inaugural running in 1984, the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) has produced many impressive winners and exciting editions.
Breeders Cup
History's Top 10 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile performances
The Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) is one of the younger Breeders’ Cup races, dating back to 2007. But the past 15 years have produced an impressive roster of winners.
Breeders Cup
2024 Breeders’ Cup: Betting the Future Stars Friday Pick 5
James Scully analyzes and provides a ticket for the Breeders' Cup Future Stars Friday program
Analysis
2024 Breeders' Cup handicapping show - Picks, trends, and beyond
Breeders' Cup is almost here! Are you ready? Join us today on a special-edition video as our panel of experts preview six Breeders' Cup races to guide you during your 2024 Breeders' Cup handicapping.
Live
All Access Breeders' Cup coverage, picks, analysis, trends, and more
TwinSpires heads to the track to give you exclusive interviews with Breeders' Cup trainers and jockeys. Check in everyday for our All Access Breeders' Cup coverage, picks, analysis, trends, and more. Breeders' Cup weekend is quickly approaching. Don't miss this behind the scenes all access.
Wagering
Scully: Longshots to consider for 2024 Breeders’ Cup
James Scully picks five Breeders’ Cup race contenders at double-digit morning-line odds to consider at Del Mar this weekend.
Features
Breeders’ Cup betting handle: Charting the rise and fall since 1984
The Breeders’ Cup is one of the biggest annual betting days in horse racing, and that’s been the case since its inaugural running in 1984.
Analysis
Kentucky Derby Maiden Watch: Another winner from a key race
Just how many Kentucky Derby (G1) contenders will emerge from a six-furlong maiden special weight contested on Aug. 24 at Saratoga?
Features
The best horse racing movies of all time
The best racehorses are judged by the prizes they win and the dollars they earn. It’s only fair to hold the best horse racing movies to the same standard.
Features
The best horse racing books of all time
The following six volumes rank among the best horse racing books ever written:
Features
Kentucky Derby Maiden Watch: Cox, Dutrow send out winners
Kentucky Derby (G1)-winning trainers Brad Cox and Rick Dutrow both saddled winning juveniles last week.
Analysis
The best horse racing owners of all time
The history of Thoroughbred horse racing is long and storied. Racehorse owners, each with colorful silks to distinguish their horses from others, have helped chart that history.
Features
Top 10 best horse racing tracks in the USA
From coast to coast and everywhere in between, the United States is home to many top-tier Thoroughbred racetracks.
Features
Not Always the First Saturday in May: The Kentucky Derby’s Changing Calendar
Through war, pandemic, and the ever-evolving sport of horse racing, the Run for the Roses has rolled with the punches, finally settling into its familiar place on our calendar.
History
Monday Morning Message with Jason Beem Oct. 21, 2024
With two big Pick 6 carryovers later this week, Jason writes about the glory days of the old $2 Pick 6 and a big carryover.
Racing
Breeders’ Cup Rankings for Juvenile Races
A total of five massive contests for two-year-olds will be held during Breeders’ Cup weekend at Del Mar on November 1, as part of the much anticipated ‘Future Stars Friday’ card.
Features
Kentucky Derby Maiden Watch: Keewaydin impresses at Aqueduct
It’s increasingly apparent that a six-furlong maiden special weight contested on Aug. 24 at Saratoga was a key race with an above-average field.
Features
Racing Roundtable: A look ahead to the 2024 Breeders' Cup
This week, the Racing Roundtable convenes to talk about what caught their eye over the weekend and discuss who it's looking forward to supporting and fading in the Breeders' Cup at Del Mar.
Features
Tall Tales of the Track, Kentucky Derby Edition: ‘The Truck Horse’ Does Good
The 1918 Kentucky Derby brought the sport one of its most beloved figures, Exterminator, whose surprising victory in the Run for the Roses showed that great performances could come from the most unexpected places.
Features
Kentucky Derby Maiden Watch: Built, C K Wonder win at Keeneland
Did you know five of the last 15 Kentucky Derby (G1) winners raced as juveniles during the Keeneland fall meet?
Features
Kentucky Derby pedigree profile: East Avenue
A gate-to-wire victory by 5 1/4 lengths in the Breeders’ Futurity (G1) launched East Avenue onto the Road to the Kentucky Derby.
Analysis
Road to the Kentucky Derby day of stakes races: Keeneland, Aqueduct, and Santa Anita
We will be here throughout all the stakes races of the day at Keeneland, Aqueduct, and Santa Anita, bringing you live odds, promotion, entries, replays, expert picks, analysis, and live updates to make you feel like you're at the track celebrating with everyone else.
Live
2024 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe: Top storylines
Sunday’s 103rd Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (G1) lacks a standout on paper, making for a contentious renewal at ParisLongchamp.
Features
Kentucky Derby Maiden Watch: Chad Brown saddles two winners
Trainer Chad Brown has come close to winning the Kentucky Derby (G1), finishing second with Good Magic (2018) and Sierra Leone (2024). First prize has proven elusive, but that may change in 2025.
Analysis
Racing Roundtable: Breeders' Cup implications at Santa Anita, Churchill Downs, and Belmont at Aqueduct
This week, the Racing Roundtable talks about the racing action at Churchill Downs, Santa Anita, and Belmont at Aqueduct last weekend and some thoughts about Keeneland's opening weekend.
Features
Monday Morning Message with Jason Beem Sept. 30, 2024
Jason looks back at a few standout performances from this past weekend at Aqueduct.
Racing
Churchill Downs, Aqueduct, and Santa Anita stakes race coverage with live odds, results, replays, and more
Get set for an exhilarating night of thoroughbred action! We kick off with live racing today at Santa Anita and Aqueduct (Belmont at the Big A). Check out the Santa Anita entries, Aqueduct entries, and prepare for Santa Anita races today. As evening approaches, we'll transition to the Churchill Downs live racing schedule for full card coverage through the last stakes race.
Wagering
Kentucky Derby Maiden Watch: Optical stuns by 14 lengths
At Churchill Downs last Saturday, Keith Desormeaux’s Optical won a one-mile maiden special weight in a manner suggesting the Kentucky Derby (G1) is a viable goal.
Features
Breeders’ Cup Roundup: Soul of an Angel joins the fray
The 2024 Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar is 39 days away. Catch up on the latest news and developments with our weekly Breeders’ Cup Roundup:
Features
Mary Hirsch, father Max Hirsch and Jack Horner (Photo courtesy of Keeneland Library Cook Collection)
She Was the First: Mary Hirsch, No Sir, and the 1937 Kentucky Derby
In the 1930s, as racing grew from coast to coast, more women sought the chance to become a part of the country’s oldest sporting pastime. One of those was Mary Hirsch.
Kentucky Derby
The Jury: Expert Picks, Bets and Fades for Sept. 21 [Video]
Racing analysts James Scully and Darren Zoccali talk their best bets and fades for Parx’s biggest race day and Churchill Downs’ Saturday stakes action. James provides his thoughts in the written portion below. Be sure to check out Darin’s opinions in the on-camera portion!
Features
Kentucky Derby Maiden Watch: Handsome Pants wins for McPeek
Can trainer Kenny McPeek win back-to-back Kentucky Derbys? He took a step in that direction when sending out Handsome Pants to win on debut at Churchill Downs.
Triple Crown
Kentucky Derby pedigree profile: Jonathan’s Way
Jonathan’s Way became the first horse to earn points on the 2024-25 Road to the Kentucky Derby when wiring the one-mile Iroquois (G3) at Churchill Downs.
Triple Crown
Kentucky Derby Maiden Watch: Smash It finally breaks through
The wait is over. After a series of frustrating defeats to start his career, two-year-old gelding Smash It broke his maiden on closing weekend at Del Mar.
Analysis
Road to the 2025 Kentucky Derby: 12 to follow
If it’s too early to have confident opinions about a two-year-old crop that’s barely emerging, we’ve seen enough promising juveniles to cobble together an initial 12 to follow.
Analysis
Breeders’ Cup Roundup: Remake, Crown Pride qualify via Korea
For the first time, the Korea Cup (G3) and Korea Sprint (G3) at Seoul Racecourse in South Korea awarded “Win and You’re In” berths to the Breeders’ Cup.
International
Monday Morning Message with Jason Beem Sept. 9, 2024
Jason looks back at the recently concluded 2024 season at Colonial Downs.
Racing
Trackside: 2024 Kentucky Downs horse racing all access coverage
Join our group of experts as they race to the tracks to give you all access coverage of today's races at Kentucky Downs!
Analysis
Kentucky Derby Maiden Watch: Bullard impresses in debut
For the fifth straight year, TwinSpires Edge presents the Kentucky Derby Maiden Watch series. Each week, we’ll highlight recent maiden winners with possible 2024 Kentucky Derby (G1) aspirations.
Features
Catching My Eye at Colonial Downs Week 8
Colonial Downs track announcer Jason Beem looks back at some horses who caught his eye during Week 8 at Colonial Downs.
Racing
Breeders’ Cup Roundup: Mixto, Highland Falls join the fray
A pair of runners who weren’t previously heralded as Breeders’ Cup contenders qualified to the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) last weekend.
Features
First-crop sires: Authentic may still hit the mark
Authentic retired to Spendthrift Farm near Lexington, Kentucky, with earnings of more than $7.2 million from an 8-6-2-0 record. Let's review some of his runners to hit the track so far.
Features
Juvenile champion Game Winner a freshman sire to watch
Game Winner turned out to be one of those racehorses most owners dream about. Purchased for a relative bargain at the most notable yearling market in the world, Game Winner proved a champion on the racetrack and earned back his purchase price many times over.
Pedigree
First-crop sires: Black Forza, Mo Plex keep rolling for Complexity
Since the first installment of our TwinSpires.com series on first-crop sires, early leader Complexity continues to add to his portfolio.
Features
Breeders’ Cup Roundup: City of Troy qualifies to the Classic
The 2024 Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar is 67 days away. Catch up on the latest news and developments with our weekly Breeders’ Cup Roundup:
Features