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Godolphin’s Pacific Avenue is out of the Aug. 8 Saratoga Derby after sustaining a right foreleg injury in routine exercise. Charlie Appleby’s Dubawi colt was coming off a run in the Belmont Derby.
Pacific Avenue Scratched From Saratoga Derby
The Charlie Appleby-trained Pacific Avenue sustained an injury to his right foreleg.
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Fortitudine, a full brother to Rebel’s Romance, opened his career with a 21-length win Aug. 5 at Kempton Park in a 1 3/8-mile novice on the all-weather.
Rebel's Romance's full brother Fortitudine made a striking start to his career Aug. 5 at Kempton Park, demolishing his rivals by 21 lengths in the 1 3/8-mile novice. Read more:
The 3-year-old gelding wins a novice event at Kempton Park by 21 lengths.
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Deterministic goes back to the Fourstardave Stakes on Aug. 8 at Saratoga looking for a second straight win in the grade 1 turf mile and a sixth consecutive victory. The $750,000 race drew a deep field.
Deterministic aims to win his second consecutive Fourstardave Stakes (G1T) and extend his win streak to six Aug. 8 in the $750,000 contest at @Saratoga1863. @clementstable Read more:
Mark Casse enters pair of runners, but said will likely not start both.
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Explora cuts back to seven furlongs for the Aug. 8 Test Stakes at Saratoga, seeking her first grade 1 win after taking the Leslie’s Lady. Brad Cox trains the Kentucky Oaks alum for Will Walden.
After being a leading contender throughout the Road to the Kentucky Oaks, Explora could earn her first grade 1 victory sprinting if she wins the Test Stakes (G1) Aug. 8 at @Saratoga1863.
Leslie's Lady Stakes runner-up On Time Girl aims to turn the tables on Explora.
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Take A Breath returns to her home course at Del Mar seeking a third stakes win this year in the Aug. 8 Yellow Ribbon Stakes (G2T). She meets a field that includes eastern shippers in the 1 1/16-mile turf test.
Take A Breath heads the home team contingent against an eastern invasion in the $200,000 Yellow Ribbon Stakes (G2T) Aug. 8, going 1 1/16 miles on the Del Mar turf course. Read more:
Take A Breath shoots for her third major win of 2026 in the Yellow Ribbon (G2T).
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ALERT: The Maryland Jockey Club will move the Preakness Stakes (G1) to the fourth Sunday in May starting in 2027 and has extended NBC Sports rights through 2032. The announcement also outlines Pimlico's community approach. ##TC2026
A landmark week for the Triple Crown continues. Get the latest as the Maryland Jockey Club announces a date change for its most important race, the @PreaknessStakes (G1). Read more:
MJC also extends Preakness (G1) television rights with NBC Sports through 2032.
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Touch of Fire is the 5-2 favorite for Friday’s $400,000 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Stakes (G2T) at Saratoga. All nine entrants cut back to 1 mile.
All nine entrants in the 1-mile National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Stakes (G2T) are cutting back in distance Aug. 7 at @Saratoga1863. Read more:
All nine entrants in the 1-mile race are cutting back in distance.
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Smart Uncle won the $150,000 A. P. Smithwick Memorial at Saratoga, giving Hall of Fame trainer Jack Fisher a 1-3 finish in the NSA-1 steeplechase. Jamie Bargary rode the winner for Mrs. S. K. Johnston Jr.
Hall of Fame trainer Jack Fisher finished first and third in the $150,000 A. P. Smithwick Memorial (NSA-1) Aug. 5 at Saratoga Race Course, taking the triumph with Smart Uncle. Read more:
Hall of Fame trainer finishes first and third in top-level steeplechase.
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John Velazquez was named Jockey of the Week for July 27-Aug. 2 after his 800th North American graded stakes win in the Amsterdam Stakes (G2) at Saratoga Race Course.
Velazquez Named Jockey of the Week
The panel of racing experts voted John Velazquez Jockey of the Week July 27-Aug. 2.
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ALERT: NBC Sports will continue to present the Preakness Stakes and Black-Eyed Susan Stakes through 2032 under a new agreement with the Maryland Jockey Club. The races will remain on NBC and Peacock. ##TC2026
NBC Sports will continue to present the Preakness (G1) through 2032, as the Maryland Jockey Club and NBC Sports announced Aug. 5 a multi-year extension of their partnership. Read more:
Extension to 32 years will make NBC Sports longest-running TV host of Preakness (G1).
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ALERT: The Maryland Jockey Club will move the 2027 Preakness Stakes to Sunday, May 23. The race will be run 22 days after the Kentucky Derby and on Memorial Day weekend. ##TC2026
Preakness Stakes Date to Move to Fourth Sunday of May
Maryland Jockey Club hopes shift will attract more Kentucky Derby (G1) runners.
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Railway Stakes winner Celeron heads to the Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh on Aug. 9. Michael O’Callaghan said the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Keeneland remains the target.
Impressive Railway Stakes (G2) winner Celeron is set for three big assignments in the coming months as Michael O'Callaghan gears him up for the Phoenix Stakes (G1) at the Curragh Aug. 9.
Michael O'Callaghan said the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T) remains a target.
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The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance returns to Saratoga with NYRA and Fasig-Tipton for Whitney weekend and The Saratoga Sale. The lineup includes fan outreach, buyer engagement, and a VIP experience auction tied to aftercare. ##OTTB
@TBaftercare partners with @TheNYRA and @FasigTiptonCo for community outreach during the Saratoga Sale and @Saratoga1863's Whitney Weekend in support of Thoroughbred aftercare initiatives.
The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance partners with NYRA and Fasig-Tipton on aftercare.
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The Aug. 8 Fourstardave (G1T) at Saratoga drew seven turf milers, led by defending winner Deterministic and fellow grade 1 winner Zulu Kingdom (IRE).
The Fourstardave Stakes (G1T) Aug. 8 at @Saratoga1863 features a competitive field of seven entries, including the clash of grade 1 winners Deterministic and Zulu Kingdom (IRE). @ABRLive
The 1 mile turf race with is scheduled for Aug. 8 at Saratoga Race Course.
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Flutter Entertainment has named Dan Taylor its next group CEO, effective Oct. 1, succeeding Peter Jackson at the FanDuel parent company. The company announced the change with its second-quarter fiscal 2026 results.
Leadership changes at Flutter, owner of the FanDuel sports and horse race betting app. Read more:
Flutter CEO Peter Jackson will step down. Dan Taylor to take over that position.
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BloodHorse will livestream The Jockey Club Round Table on Aug. 6 and the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale on Aug. 10-11. FOX carries the Whitney Stakes card Aug. 8, with other Saratoga coverage also on the schedule.
Radio/TV/Streaming: Coverage expands in as BloodHorse and other outlets plan livestreams of big industry events. On racing side, FOX will cover a strong edition of the Whitney Stakes Aug. 8.
BloodHorse plans to livestream the Jockey Club Round Table.
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Twinkle Town's Saratoga Special Stakes (G2) win gives Take Charge Indy a new pedigree talking point. Alan Porter examines the colt's page and the renewed focus on WinStar Farm's repatriated sire.
In this week's #PorterOnPedigrees, Saratoga Special Stakes (G2) winner Twinkle Town brings attention to @WinStarFarm's repatriated sire Take Charge Indy. Read more:
Porter on Pedigrees
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Podcast Playback this week includes Jon Green on the 2027 Thoroughbred Championship Series and tributes to Monty Roberts, who died Aug. 1 at 91. It’s a concise roundup of the week’s notable racing quotes. ##TC2026
Check out Podcast Playback, where The Thoroughbred Championship Series is a hot topic this week; as well as the death of Horse Whisperer Monty Roberts.
Some top quotes from the past seven days of racing podcasts.
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Magnitude enters the Aug. 8 Whitney Stakes at Saratoga off a 1 1/4-length win in the Stephen Foster (G1). The $1 million race drew a field of eight, with seven other grade 1 winners entered. ##BC2026
Magnitude is coming off an impressive 1 1/4-length victory in the June 27 Stephen Foster Stakes (G1) at Churchill Downs and now heads into the Aug. 8 Whitney Stakes at Saratoga Race Course.
Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty, filly Nitrogen among 6 grade 1 winners in field.
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ALERT: Jockey Robby Albarado, the regular rider on Curlin and Mineshaft, died Aug. 4 in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. He was 52. A two-time Preakness Stakes winner, he rode two Horses of the Year in top campaigns.
Jockey Robby Albarado, the regular rider on Horses of the Year Curlin and Mineshaft, died Aug. 4 in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. He was 52. Read more:
Jockey has died at age 52 following recent heart problems.
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The PTHA will pay owners $750 and trainers $250 per overnight start at Parx Racing from Aug. 17-Sept. 18 under its Per Start Bonus Initiative Program.
The @PTHA17 announces a Per Start Bonus Initiative Program, a new incentive designed to encourage more participation in overnight races at @parxracing during the late summer racing schedule.
It will run from Aug. 17 through Sept. 18.
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Hawthorne Race Course has applied for 2027 live racing dates while the Illinois Racing Board reviews deficiencies in the filing tied to the track’s bankruptcy and pending sale.
Hawthorne Race Course, bankrupt and one deadline away from being sold for demolition and redevelopment, has applied for 2027 live racing dates. Read more:
The Illinois Racing Board said it will check the application for any "deficiencies."
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Life Changing and Voyager joined BloodHorse Maiden Watch after Aug. 1 maiden wins at Saratoga. The juveniles from the barns of Todd Pletcher and Mark Casse made strong first impressions at the Spa.
@RepoleStable's Life Changing and @DJ_Stable's Voyager graduate as BloodHorse Maiden Watch Hot Prospects for their impressive victories at @Saratoga1863 last week.
BloodHorse Maiden Watch: Week of July 27-Aug. 2
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Tattersalls has cataloged 469 yearlings for Book 1 of the October Yearling Sale, led by an Equinox filly out of group 2 winner Waldlied. Frankel, Dubawi, Wootton Bassett, Sea The Stars, and Blue Point are also in the book.
A filly by 2023 Longines @worldsbesthorse Equinox is among the blockbuster 469 lots cataloged for Book 1 of the @Tattersalls1766 October Yearling Sale. Read more:
She is one of 469 blockbuster lots cataloged for Book 1 of the yearling sale.
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Burnham Square moved from 12th to sixth in this week's NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll after his Arlington Million (G1T) win. White Abarrio remains No. 1, with Nysos, Baeza, Magnitude, and Nitrogen also in the top 10.
Arlington Million (G1T) winner Burnham Square rises to sixth place in the @NTRA weekly Top Thoroughbred Poll. Read more:
Burnham Square is sixth in the weekly NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll.
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Nominations for the 2026 RTCA White Horse Award are open through Aug. 21 at noon ET. Race Track Chaplaincy of America is accepting submissions now.
Nominations for the 2026 RTCA White Horse Award are open through Aug. 21. Read more:
The deadline to submit a nomination is Aug. 21 at Noon ET.
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Churchill Downs has added a ninth race to the Nov. 14 Claiming Crown: the $100,000 Claiming Crown Empress at six furlongs for filly and mare sprinters that have raced for a $16,000 claiming tag or less in 2025-26.
The Claiming Crown will add a ninth race this year with the $100,000 Empress contested for filly and mare sprinters that have raced for a $16,000 claiming price or less in 2025-26. Read more:
The Claiming Crown is back at Churchill Downs for the third straight year.
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Qatar Racing will become the new title sponsor of British Champions Day in a three-year transfer from QIPCO. The deal covers all seven races on the Ascot card.
@Qatar_Racing will become the new title sponsor of British @Champions_Day after succeeding parent company QIPCO in a sponsorship transfer that will last for the next three years. Read more:
Qatar Racing has succeeded its parent company, QIPCO, as title sponsor.
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Bella Rodrigues sold five 2-year-olds from her first draft in her own name at the OBS Spring Sale, led by a $230,000 Girvin colt and a $200,000 Drain the Clock filly. The 22-year-old consignor is this week’s On the Rise profile.
In this latest edition of #OntheRise, consignor @rodriguestbs makes a splash with her first draft of horses in her own name to reach the sales ring @obssales. Read more:
In this monthly BH interview, Karen M. Johnson profiles young racing personalities.
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A Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling against illegal skill games stands to boost racino revenue that supports purses, breeding, and backstretch benefits. The decision could aid racing programs tied to legal gaming in the state.
In enforcing gaming laws, states protect legal gaming including outlets that benefit horse racing. A Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision figures to benefit the industry. Read Dollars & Sense:
Dollars & Sense with Frank Angst, presented by the NTRA.
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