The Derby Trail is open for business this weekend with three Kentucky Derby prep races. The winner in each of their respective races will earn twenty qualifying points in hopes of drawing a spot in the gate the first Saturday in May. These three contests are the feature events for Saturday: The Withers Stakes at Aqueduct Park. Inaugurated in 1874, one year before the Kentucky Derby, … Continue reading Road To The Kentucky Derby Getting Busier
Prior to 2013 the traditional qualifying factor for horses wanting to participate in the Kentucky Derby was total Graded Stakes purse earnings. The more money an eligible horse won, the increased chance of entering the starting gate on the first Saturday in May. But beginning in 2013 Churchill Downs scratched the classic earnings method in favor of a points-based system which totally revamped the traditional Prep Races. These Prep … Continue reading When ‘The Road’ Began
It appears the New York jockey colony and NYRA have, at least for the moment, reached an accord as racing resumed at Aqueduct Park on Thursday. Saturday at Aqueduct brings us the 2025 edition of the $500,000, Grade 2 Cigar Mile Handicap. Held around one turn, the Cigar Mile has long been an important race in the dirt mile division since its inaugural running in 1988 … Continue reading Who Wins The Cigar Mile?
If NYRA and the New York jockey colony can reach some form of an accord on Thursday, Aqueduct Park has a good card come Saturday. One of the feature races is the Grade 2, $250,000 dollar Remsen Stakes. 2-year-olds will be tested around two turns at a 1 1/8-mile distance with the top five finishers being awarded Kentucky Derby qualifying points. Here is a brief … Continue reading Who Wins The Remsen Stakes?
It was a short card at Aqueduct on Sunday. The New York jockey colony refused to ride after the first race because of a number of recent problems they have said they were having with NYRA management. The latest episode occurred around the time of the first race when the jockeys learned that NYRA Assistant Clerk of Scales Brian Pochman was told to leave work … Continue reading Another Blackeye For NYRA
The 2025 Belmont at The Big A fall meet is set to kick-off on Thursday (9/11) at Aqueduct Park. The top horses, jockeys, and trainers will converge on Belmont at the Big A for some of the season’s best turf racing, as well as a batch of top-notch 2-year-olds, with lots of prime wagering opportunities. East coast racing fans can expect nearly two months (32 racing … Continue reading Belmont @ The Big A
The Triple Crown races pretty-much dominate the headlines in regard to 3-year-old racehorses every spring. But cozied up between the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes is the Peter Pan Stakes. The 1 1/8-mile, $200,000 dollar Peter Pan warrants some attention as it’s an important race in the Stakes division and often acts as a pathway to the Belmont Stakes for the horses that did … Continue reading Who Wins The Peter Pan Stakes?
It’s been a bit of a dry spell since the Wood Memorial Stakes last produced a Kentucky Derby Winner. Some might even call it a drought. It was 2003 when FUNNY CIDE ran 2nd in the Wood, (to EMPIRE MAKER) and then went on to Win the Run for the Roses. That said, does Saturday’s Wood Memorial Winner- RODRIGUEZ have what it takes to make … Continue reading Can RODRIGUEZ Win The Derby?
The $750,000-dollar, Wood Memorial Stakes is Saturday at Aqueduct Park. The weather forecast calls for an 84% chance of rain with the precipitation expected to begin at about 10 a.m. The Wood is a 1 1/8-mile Kentucky Derby qualifying race that offers points to the top five finishers on a 100-50-25-15-10 scale. So, the results (on what might very well be a sloppy track) will dictate … Continue reading Is There A Mudder In The Wood?
The 100th running of the Grade 2, $750,000 dollar Wood Memorial is this Saturday at Aqueduct Park. Having begun in 1925, the Wood Memorial has long been an important proving ground for Kentucky Derby contenders. Originally contested at a mile and 70 yards (and later 1 1/16 miles) at Jamaica Race Course, the Wood Memorial is named in memory of the late Eugene D. Wood, … Continue reading Don’t Knock The Wood
