On Tuesday, November 1, 2011 at 3:00 p.m. (Monday, 12 midnight U.S. Eastern), millions of Australians will tune in for the 151st running of the Melbourne Cup—a race so entrenched in Aussie culture that even those who rarely give horse racing a second thought will partake in the obligatory wager.

For Aussie racing fans (not to mention breeders), it will also be a day of much lamenting, as the field of 24 this year is dominated by European-bred and/or raced horses; just three entries (The Verminator, Niwot, Older Than Time) were bred in Australia, and the usual “go-to” country for … Read More >

Betting on horses is a funny business. Even when one can identify that vulnerable favorite to bet against, there’s still that little bit of business of finding the actual winner. So it went in the Queen Elizabeth II at Keeneland on Saturday (replay). The chatter before the race was near universal among respected handicappers that Winter Memories wasn’t just … Read More >

Happy Belmont Stakes day! We’ve asked our contributors to share their thoughts on the graded races on the Belmont Stakes card along with the replays and links to the results charts.

G1 Acorn Stakes
1 Mile 3-year-old Fillies
Race 6 | 2:34 PM ET
By Teresa Genaro

On paper, the Acorn looks like a veritable walkover for Turbulent Descent. She’s the only Grade 1 winner in the field; she’s won two at that level and finished second in a third, while only one other starter, Her Smile, has even started in a Grade 1, and she finished 11th in the Kentucky Oaks.

But … Read More >

First contested in 1780, the 1 1/2 miles Epsom (now Investec) Derby has produced some of the greatest sires in racing history, including Blenheim II, Hyperion, Mahmoud, Sir Ivor, Nijinsky, Mill Reef, Roberto, and Galileo. In 2009, Sea the Stars became the second Derby winner produced by the great mare Urban Sea, herself winner of the prestigious Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. Last year, Workforce captured the Derby-Arc double, the former in course record time.

This year’s field of 13 colts features a clear favorite, Carlton House (Street Cry), owned by The Queen. Already a winner over 10 furlongs, Carlton … Read More >

Happy Preakness Day! We’ve asked our contributors to share their thoughts on the graded races on the Preakness card. We’ll add replays as they become available (Dixie and Preakness replays are available below).

G3 Allaire DuPont Distaff Stakes (8.5F)
Race 4 | 12:16 PM ET
By Dana Byerly

As is the case with several other graded races on the card, there is an overwhelming favorite that towers over the competition. Life At Ten plays that role here. She came off the bench last month in an allowance race at Gulfstream Park, making her first start since the Breeders’ Cup fiasco in which she should … Read More >

Happy Kentucky Derby day! We’ve asked our contributors to share their thoughts on the graded races on the Kentucky Derby card. We’ll add replays as they become available.

Roundup of links, quotes, photos and videos

2011 Kentucky Derby Replay

2011 Kentucky Derby Results Chart courtesy of Brisnet.com (pdf)

G3 Twinspires Turf Sprint Stakes (5F)
Race 6 | 1:19 PM ET
By Adam Wiener

If you like speed, this is your race.

Obvious favorite Chamberlain Bridge (2-1) is just three races removed from his impressive BC Turf Sprint win last November. In a G3 prep last time out, he was … Read More >

Are you looking for 2012 Kentucky Oaks card picks? Try our sister site, Hello Race Fans!

Happy Kentucky Oaks day! We’ve asked our contributors to share their thoughts on the graded races on the Kentucky Oaks cards. We’ll add replays as they become available after the races and be back tomorrow with the Derby card.

Kentucky Oaks replay in HD on NBC

2011 Kentucky Oaks Replay

We’ll post the rest of the replays as they become available

G2 La Troienne Stakes (8.5F)
Race 6 | 1:26 PM ET
By Dana Byerly

At first glance, the La Troienne looks strictly … Read More >

On the Friday morning after the draw for the 2011 Florida Derby, I walked around Gulfstream to get a sense of which horses the folks on the backstretch were favoring. The task was more difficult than you might imagine; a surprisingly high number of people were not inclined to talk about it. One jockey who doesn’t have a mount in the race said, “What do I care who wins?” and a lot of other people – grooms, trainers, and exercise riders – said that they didn’t even know who was running.

But a few intrepid souls were willing to go on … Read More >

While the Breeders’ Cup may bill itself as the “World Championships” of thoroughbred racing, the Dubai World Cup Night highlights a significantly more diverse group of international competitors with representatives entered from all six continents where horse racing is contested. This year’s event, held for the second time at the new Meydan Racecourse, features seven Group stakes worth a total of $26 million, including the world’s richest race, the $10 million Dubai World Cup.

First held in 1996 at Nad Al Sheba, these races have seen some terrific American performers over the years, especially in dirt races such the Godolphin … Read More >

Now that Breeders’ Cup 2010 is in the books, you can watch all the replays at Hello Race Fans!

 
Are you already suffering from Breeders’ Cup information overload? We can help!

We’ve compiled a list of resources to help you keep up with the barrage of information.

At Raceday 360 / Hello Race Fans!
Here’s what we’ve put together to help make your Breeders’ Cup a little more manageable.

Here are our most popular Breeders’ Cup related tags the Wire:
Raceday 360 Wire > Blame
Raceday 360 Wire > Breeders’ Cup
Raceday 360 Wire > Goldikova
Raceday 360 Wire > Handicapping … Read More >