Author Archives: Peter Applebee

Happy Wood Memorial Day! The end is nigh for Aqueduct and today marks the final Carter and Wood Memorial at the Big A. The on track experience at Aqueduct will be missed. The crowd there is comprised of the most passionate racing fans you’ll find anywhere. Sharp opinions abound, and no one is afraid to share them. It’s a pure horseplayers environment. But life moves on and the new Belmont Park is a great source of optimism for the long term health of horse racing in New York. The new Belmont will have an all-weather Tapeta track surface (along with dirt and turf courses) which hopefully expands the…

Happy Florida Derby Day! The Florida Derby card is loaded with 10 … yes, count ‘em …10 stakes races! The day is headlined by the $1 million Grade I Florida Derby with the Grade II Florida Oaks for three year old fillies highlighting the undercard. The top two finishers in those races will make the Kentucky Oaks/Derby fields as both award 100-50-25-15-10 points. Trivia Question: Which filly won the Gulfstream Park Oaks and then went on to win a Triple Crown race? Race 9 – The Gulfstream Park Oaks – Grade II One Mile and a Sixteenth on the Dirt for Three Year Old Fillies 1. Betty’s Pearl:…

Happy Louisiana Derby Day! Fair Grounds takes the stage today with seven stakes races headlined by the Louisiana Derby and Fair Ground Oaks, both of which award 100-50-25-15-10 Kentucky Oaks/Derby points. The top two finishers in both of these races will earn enough points to make the Kentucky Oaks/Derby fields respectively. Trivia Question: Surprisingly, only two winners of Louisiana Derby have gone on to win the Kentucky Derby – who was the most recent? Race 11 – The Fair Grounds Oaks – Grade II One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Dirt for Three Year Old Fillies 1. Miss Metoyer: Demolished optional claimers at Delta Downs last month…

Happy Fountain of Youth Day!  There are eight graded stakes at Gulfstream Park card led by the Fountain of Youth and Davona Dale as the Kentucky Derby/Oaks preps continue to ramp up. The 50 points awarded to the winners of these two races should be sufficient to qualify for the Kentucky Oaks/Derby fields.  Trivia question: Who was Davona Dale?  Gulfstream Park Race 11 – The Davona Dale – Grade II  One Mile on the Dirt for Three Year Old Fillies   My Miss Mo:Won a state bred maiden race at 1/10 then moved to the Sandpiper Stakes where she was off the pace but did make up some ground late (54 Beyer). This is too tough.  Blazing Brat:Cross entered in the Busher Stakes for a new barn. Ran on the poly and turf until a start in the Sandpiper at Tampa. In that effort she was kept in…

Happy Risen Star Day! The Fair Grounds card is co-headlined by the Risen Star Stakes for three year old colts and the Rachel Alexandra Stakes for three year old fillies. The winners of these races will qualify for the Derby/Oaks field as both races award 50-25-15-10-5 points. Speaking of Rachel we should always remember her magical three year old campaign in 2009. She demolished fillies in the Kentucky Oaks by twenty lengths and then defeated three year old colts in the Preakness and the Haskell. But all of that was prelude to the Woodward Stakes where Rachel produced an all-time performance versus older males. She went fast early…

Happy Holy Bull Day! Derby preps are cranking up and Gulfstream Park hosts the Holy Bull for the three year old colts along with the Grade III Forward Gal for three year old fillies. Both award 20-10-6-4-2 points for the Kentucky Derby/Oaks. Trivia question: Who won the 2025 Holy Bull Stakes?   Gulfstream Park Race 10  The Forward Gal – Grade III Seven Furlongs on the Dirt for Three Year Old Fillies Music Burt: Broke her maiden at Churchill sprinting (69 Beyer) then moved to optional claimers and got the place money at Turfway on the poly (76 Beyer). Passing. Tessellate: Has hit the board in all five…

Happy Pegasus Day!  Gulfstream Park hosts the first big day of racing of the year headlined by the $3 million Pegasus Invitational. Also on the card is the former Le Prevoyante Stakes which has been renamed for the late, great Christophe Clement. It’s a fitting honor given that Clement won the race six times. He should already be in the Hall of Fame – hopefully that honor comes soon, albeit posthumously.   Trivia Question: Which jockey has won the most Pegasus World Cups Invitational Stakes?  Race 12  The Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational  Stakes – Grade I  One Mile and a Furlong on the Turf for Four Year Olds and Upward   Test Score:Was consistent against three year olds hitting the board in seven of eight starts with three stakes wins including the Grade I Belmont Derby. Last out in the Hollywood Derby he finished third after being blocked (85 Beyer). Water is too deep today.  Program Trading:First off a year plus layoff he just missed…

Happy Cigar Mile Day! And a Nod to the Fall Highweight This is the last big card of the year in New York with six stakes headlined by the Cigar Mile. The Remsen and the Demoiselle for two year colts and fillies respectively lead the undercard. While it’s a great card today we should acknowledge the loss of the Fall Highweight from the New York stakes calendar. The Highweight was a Grade III until 2023 and was contested as an ungraded event in 2024. Sadly, it was not on the stakes schedule this Fall. For a long time, the Highweight was the feature race on Aqueduct’s Thanksgiving Day…

Happy Mother Goose Day! This is a very strong card at the Big A today with five stakes races. The Grade II Mother Goose headlines the day but there are also two Grade IIIs on the turf – the Long Island and the Hill Prince along with the Pumpkin Pie and Dwyer Stakes. Trivia Question: Why is there a stakes race at Aqueduct named for a character in a nursery rhyme (Mother Goose)?   Race 9 – The Mother Goose – Grade II One Mile and One Furlong on the Dirt for Three Year Old for Fillies Being Myself: Curlin filly broke her maiden going a mile at…

Happy Breeders’ Cup Day! Nine Grade 1s today at Del Mar and many of these will determine divisional honors. History might be made this afternoon as Rebel’s Romance goes for his third Breeders’ Cup Turf win. Only Goldikova has won the same Breeders’ Cup race three times (the Mile in her case). Trivia Question: European based horses have won nine of the last ten renewals of the Breeders’ Cup Turf. Who is the only North American based horse to win the BC Turf since 2015? Race 8 – Breeders’ Cup Turf– Grade I One Mile and One Half on the Turf for Three Year Olds and Upward Rebel’s…