LEADERS

Tomorrow begins a worldwide tour of races for fans to watch that could very well add to the list of great Thoroughbreds.

The EPSOM DERBY goes Saturday morning Eastern time at Epsom and all eyes are on SAXON WARRIOR (more below).

Saturday afternoon, watch the NBC documentary on the Sunday Silence/Easy Goer Rivalry from 1989. Sunday at Woodbine, PINK LLOYD goes for 11 straight stakes while at Ajax Downs, two-time Horse of the Year COUNTRY BOY 123 looks to continue his reign with another win in the Picov Maturity.

And of course next Saturday, the WOODBINE OAKS locally and JUSTIFY’S Belmont Stakes wrap up a wild 7 days:

 

FOREVER TOGETHER WINS MAIDEN IN EPSOM OAKS

For the first time since 1983 a maiden took the 1 1/2 mile Epsom Oaks. FOREVER TOGETHER, making her 5th career start for the Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith and John Magnier ownership group and trainer Aidan O’Brien, posted a mild upset in the Epsom Oaks at Epsom.

The Galileo filly allowed one of the other four O’Brien trainees, Bye Bye Baby, to set a strong pace before she darted to the lead just over one furlong out, fending out favoured Wild Illusion.

The Oaks, regarded by experts as a modest group this year, had a field of 9. The winner is from the Theatrical mare GREEN ROOM, unraced but dam of Group 1 winners LORD SHANAKILL and TOGETHER FOREVER.

 

 

NBC SPORTS PRESENT “DARK HORSES”

The rivalry of Easy Goer and Sunday Silence

Who did you cheer for? The sleek black upstart SUNDAY SILENCE or the gorgeous block of colt name EASY GOER? Relive the amazing rivalry on NBC on SATURDAY!

NBC Sports presents the broadcast debut of Dark Horses, the story of the most unlikely rivalry in Triple Crown history, this Saturday, June 2 at 5 p.m. ET on NBC. Dark Horses brings viewers back to 1989 and the thrilling showdown between Easy Goer and Sunday Silence. With Justify racing for Triple Crown history 10 days from today in the 150th Belmont Stakes (Sat. June 9 at 4 p.m. ET on NBC), the horse’s trainer and jockey both referenced these 1989 races following this year’s Preakness Stakes:

“Good Magic, he really put it to us. It was almost like the Sunday Silence-Easy Goer type [race]. They didn’t give it away. He was going to make us earn it…This is what makes horseracing…and these great horses. They just define themselves when they get in that situation.” – Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert

“Justify reminds me a lot of Easy Goer. He was a big, strong, beautiful horse like this one.” – Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith

Narrated by actress and Kentucky-native Ashley Judd, Dark Horses chronicles the competition between Easy Goer, who descended from racing royalty and one of the most powerful farms in the sport, and a relatively unheralded colt named Sunday Silence. The 60-minute documentary looks back at the 1989 racing season during which the two horses – who each had members of the well-known Hancock family on opposing sides – competing head-to-head in all three Triple Crown races, and the Breeders’ Cup Classic. The competition provided some of the most dynamic and compelling races in thoroughbred history.

The film features interviews with Arthur Hancock, the owner of Sunday Silence, host Al Michaels, race caller Tom Durkin, jockey Pat Valenzuela, who rode Sunday Silence during the Triple Crown races, Easy Goer’s jockey Pat Day, jockey Chris McCarron, who rode Sunday Silence at the 1989 Breeders’ Cup, and Shug McGaughey, Easy Goer’s trainer. Dark Horses was directed by Castor Fernandez (ESPN 30 for 30: “Brothers in Exile”).

Leading into the Belmont Stakes, NBCSN will air encore presentations on Wednesday, June 6 at 8 p.m. ET, Friday, June 8 at 7 p.m. ET, and Saturday, June 9 at 8 a.m. ET.

NBCSN PRESENTS LIVE CHAMPIONSHIP HORSE RACING WITH THE EPSOM DERBY THIS SAT., JUNE 2, AT 10 AM ET

The Epsom Derby, Britain’s richest horse race and the second leg of the English Triple Crown, airs this Saturday, June 2 at 10 a.m. ET on NBCSN.

Presented live from the Epsom Downs Racecourse in Surrey, England, the race serves as the middle leg of the English Triple Crown, which began with the 2000 Guineas and is followed by the St Leger. The Epsom Derby is also the U.K.’s richest horse race, with a purse of more than 1.5 million British pounds (approx. $2 million USD). Saturday’s race features a field of 14 entries, including the undefeated favorite Saxon Warrior.

239th EPSOM DERBY

Saxon Warrior aims for 2nd leg of English Triple Crown

NIJINSKY II. 1970. That was the last horse to sweep the European Triple Crown of the 2000 guaines, Epsom Derby and St Leger, a classic and gruelling series.

SAXON WARRIOR, owned by the powerhouse group of John Magnier (son in law of Nijinsky’s trainer Vincent O’Brien), Derrick Smith and Michael Tabor, is the only horse with a chance to do it in 2018 and some think he can. Saxon Warrior is a Japanese bred by long distance runner and Japanese Triple Crown winner Deep Impact.

Horse by Horse Analysis by The Guardian

Watch Saxon Warrior win in the 2000 Guineas:

 

GOOD LLOYD!

Going for 11 straight stakes

We are running out of clever headlines, superlatives and basic descriptions for PINK LLOYD, the reigning Canadian Horse of the Year (TB) who has won 10 straight stakes races.

Currently, the sleek and narrow gelding owned by Entourage Stable and trained by Robert Tiller is beating up on over-matched guys at Woodbine in small fields, biding his time until the races begin to open up.

Sunday’s Achievement Stakes, for Ontario breds will likely be Lloyd’s 11th consecutive stakes score and a win puts him over the $1 million mark in earnings.

John Carey of Shelburne ON bred the son of Old Forester at his T C Westmeath Stud and sold him for $30,000 as a yearling.

 

TELEKINESIS DRAGS HUSBANDS IN RAPID WORKOUT

Video courtesy Casse Stables:

Queen’s Plate winterbook favourite TELEKINESIS (Ghostzapper) was pumped up and a wee bit rank working four furlongs at Woodbine on Friday morning.

Barbara Banke’s lightly raced colt, a one-time winner in 3 races, was pulling hard on jockey Patrick Husbands in the main track workout and sizzled in company in 45 2/5 for the  half mile.

It appears his workmate was optional claiming runner Timeiseverything (46 flat)

Trained by Mark Casse, Telekinesis is expected to race in the Plate Trial next Saturday. Following the work, Casse emphasized what he has been letting us know all along, “He’s extremely talented”.

TELEKINESIS was bred by Caldeon’s Bill Graham.

Two of the last 3 Plate winners were sired by Ghostzapper.

Meanwhile, Woodbine Oaks favourite WONDER  GADOT sauntered through her half mile in 48 seconds in company as she merely tries to hold her form from her narrow loss in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks in early May. Mark Casse trains  her for Gary Barber.

PREVIEW ASSININIBOIA DOWNS

Recent Woodbine winner Zack Ridge Road heads Balooga Bull

 

AJAX DOWNS-COUNTRY BOY 123

Competition gets tougher

An elite field of 10 of the best older Quarter Horses in Canada goes postward Sunday, June 3 for the $55,600 Picov Maturity at Ajax Downs.

Headlining the field is the popular Country Boy 123, the Horse of the Year of 2016 and 2017, who won the fastest of two trials for the Maturity on May 20 by only a neck over a very tough Fiesty Icon, the 2015 Horse of the Year.

Fiesty Icon, owned by Mt. Albert’s Rick Kennedy, loves the 300 yard distance of the Picov Maturity and that makes the 6-year-old gelding one of the main dangers to Country Boy 123.

Also in the field is the venerable old timer One Famous Glass, the only Ajax horse to have beaten Country Boy 123 since the summer of 2016, and the improving pair of speedsters Countrys Comin Bac and Albertt.

The Picov Maturity is carded as race seven on Sunday, the fifth day of the 2018 Ajax Downs Quarter Horse season. Post time for race one is 12:55 p.m. following the Talking Quarters Handicapping Show that begins at 12:15 p.m