Horse Racing News

Saturday evening's concluding night of the Iowa Festival of Racing stages the Thoroughbred meet's trio of Grade 3 stakes -- the $200,000 Iowa Oaks, the $250,000 Iowa Derby, and the track's signature event, the $300,000 Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap.

Until a few days ago, the $250,000 Mother Goose (Grade 1) was shaping up to be one of the highlights of Belmont Park's spring/summer meet.

Kentucky Oaks winner Plum Pretty will miss a start in Saturday's $250,000 Mother Goose Stakes at Belmont Park after a brief illness earlier this week, trainer Bob Baffert said from Santa Anita on Tuesday.

An injury and key defections at the top of California turf mile division may lead trainer Mike Machowsky to start Caracortado in the $250,000 Shoemaker Mile on July 2.

Midway through Saturday's $250,000 Vanity Handicap at Hollywood Park, jockey Garrett Gomez glanced in front of him to check the margins between his mount, Blind Luck, and Switch, the 3-2 favorite.

Unrivaled Belle broke her withers when she fell backward waiting to be saddled for Saturday's Grade 1 Ogden Phipps Handicap at Belmont Park and was subsequently retired from racing, her connections announced early Saturday evening.

And you thought the older-horse division was muddled before the Stephen Foster Handicap was run Saturday at Churchill Downs.

Trainer Ken McPeek didn't have a starter in Saturday's Grade 1 Stephen Foster Stakes - lucky for those owners and trainers who did have horses compete in the race.

Another Saturday, another 3-year-old stakes win for owners George and Lori Hall and trainer Kelly Breen.

Awesome Maria continued her ascent up the ladder in the extremely deep older filly and mare division with a three-length victory over Payton d'Oro in Saturday's Grade 1, $250,000 Ogden Phipps Handicap at Belmont Park.