Horse Racing News

John O'Neil of Huntington Station, N.Y., topped a field of 606 entries to win the $800,000 first-place prize and an Eclipse Award as Horseplayer of the Year at the Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship Jan. 23-25.

Horse of the Year California Chrome breezed one mile in 1:41 2/5 at his Los Alamitos Race Course headquarters Jan. 25 as he moves ever closer to his 4-year-old debut in the $500,000 San Antonio Stakes.

Longshot Mischief Clem won the $250,000 California Cup Derby for 3-year-olds by a head in a photo finish at Santa Anita.

Rocketing from far back, Forum Racing's Birdatthewire easily took the $200,000 Forward Gal Stakes from Gulfstream Park on Jan. 24.

Klaravich Stables and William Lawrence's Consumer Credit became a graded winner Jan. 24, closing on the outside with a solid run to capture the $100,000 Sweetest Chant Stakes at Gulfstream Park.

New York-bred Upstart proved his class Jan. 24 at Gulfstream Park, tracking pacesetter Bluegrass Singer to the final turn and then drawing away impressively to win the $400,000 Lambholm South Holy Bull Stakes by 5-1/2 lengths.

Suzanne Stables' Barbados became a graded stakes winner Jan. 24 with a hard fought victory over X Y Jet in the $150,000 Hutcheson Stakes at Gulfstream Park.

Lochte returned to his winning ways when fending off late-running Old Time Hockey and favored Sky Flight in a Tampa Bay Stakes thriller on the turf Jan. 24.

Eblouissante, a half sister to the legendary Zenyatta, has been retired from racing and will begin her breeding career, it was announced Jan. 23.

Mucho Macho Man S. winner Bluegrass Singer is expected to make his next start in Saturday's $400,000 Holy Bull S. at Gulfstream Park, trainer Marcus Vitali said Thursday morning.