Horse Racing News

On Saturday, the vastly improved Soaring Empire turned the tables when holding off a late bid from Rule to register a 1 1/4-length victory in Gulfstream Park's $100,000 Hal's Hope. Morning Line finished third as the 3-5 favorite.

Stakes with $100,000 purses come in all degrees of difficulty, but it would be hard to find one much tougher or deeper than what Gulfstream Park will offer Sunday with the Grade 3 Marshua's River.

A strategic miscalculation that contributed to the defeat of May Day Rose one month ago in the Grade 1 Hollywood Starlet will not be repeated Sunday in the Grade 3 Santa Ysabel Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Santa Anita.

This is a new year and Zito is upbeat about both his prospects in 2011 and those of Morning Line, the probable favorite and horse to beat in Saturday's $100,000 Hal's Hope Handicap at Gulfstream Park.

One day after being named a finalist for champion 3-year-old filly of 2010, Blind Luck moved a step closer to her 2011 debut by working a sharp seven furlongs at Santa Anita on Friday morning.

The three brightest lights in racing in North America in 2010 -- Blame, Goldikova, and Zenyatta -- on Thursday were announced as finalists for 2010 Horse of the Year by the three sponsoring organizations of the awards.

Final Mesa proved much the best following a five-month layoff Wednesday when dominating the opening-day feature of the 2011 Gulfstream Park meet, the Grade 3, $100,000 Old Hat Stakes.

Storied Claiborne Farm, those associated with Zenyatta, and Marylou Whitney, for decades one of racing's shining beacons, were announced on Wednesday as Eclipse Award winners, according to the awards' three sponsoring organizations.

When trainer Bob Baffert realized that Saturday's $150,000 San Pasqual Stakes at Santa Anita may have only four starters, he had a quick opinion of the chances of his starter, Spurrier.

Drosselmeyer, unraced since winning the Belmont Stakes last June, has had two easy three-furlong breezes at Payson Park and could make his return to racing within a couple of months, said trainer Bill Mott.