The Road, presented by Gainesway and Darby Dan FarmView the full article

It wouldn't quite be fair to say that the team around Facteur Cheval (IRE), who is owned by Team Valor International and Gary Barber, were anonymous in the week building up to the 2024 Dubai Turf (G1T). View the full article

ABR's Mike Curry previews the field for the Santa Anita Oaks (G2).View the full article

In a week where the world’s best horses, jockeys, and trainers are on show, few have attracted more attention than James McDonald, whose partnership with Romantic Warrior has brought him to the Dubai World Cup meeting for the first time. View the full article

Bob Ehalt previews the field for the April 7 Ashland Stakes (G1) at Keeneland.View the full article

The Jockey Club announced that the 2025 edition of the Fact Book is available in the Resources section at jockeyclub.com.View the full article

Stellenbosch and Sixpense look to make a mark for the 4-year-old generation in the Osaka Hai (G1) April 6 at Hanshin Racecourse.View the full article

By Michael Guerin It was worth the wait. It may have taken Leap To Fame a little longer to get to New Zealand than harness racing fans would have liked but it took him a lot less time to get around Cambridge than his rivals would have liked in Friday night’s Race by Betcha. The magnificent Queensland pacer was supposed to make his New Zealand debut in the New Zealand Cup back in November but missed that iconic race with a blood complaint. He came to Cambridge on Friday night and turned the $1million Race by Betcha into something iconic instead. The six-year-old and his trainer-driver Grant Dixon were on a mission, a mission to turn the 2200m race into a fight, survival of the fittest, or bravest or greatest. “Larry” as he is known, was all three. Dixon had to take his medicine early as every horse drawn inside him wanted to head forward and he was forced back to last but with cover as first Republican Party, then Don’t Stop Dreaming and eventually Merlin worked to sit parked outside Don Hugo, who had led effortlessly from the start. While they were all happy to hand up the dreaded park position, when Dixon got there he saw it as a launching pad for a one-lap attack on the leader. Dixon, usually quiet in the cart, was all motion and motivation, asking Leap To Fame to go faster. And then a bit faster. He wanted to know, maybe wanted us all to know, who could go the fastest for the longest. At the 500m Don Hugo looked for a few seconds as if he was sneaking away. Larry reeled him back in on a string made of sheer guts. Once they were eyeball to eyeball at the top of the straight it was Don Hugo who blinked first, Larry set sail for the post and Chase A Dream and Merlin chased. They did not gain. At the line Australia’s best pacer has recorded one of the most stunning wins of any code in this country, a thing of beauty by the beast. It was win 50 for Leap To Fame from 63 starts, he heads home with the promise to return for this year’s New Zealand Cup, a promise rival trainers hope he will break. “That was a great relief,” said Dixon, who was driving his first ever winner in New Zealand. “I had a lot of people telling me how to drive him and I just wanted to turn it into a staying race. “I got up in his [Don Hugo’s] face and it paid dividends.” Leap To Fame’s national record time of 2:33.6 was 1.5 seconds inside the previous record, a 1:52.4 mile rate on a wet night when the Australians emphatically continued their recent domination of New Zealand’s best horses. That put a smile on owner and slot holder Kevin Seymour’s face. “I was thrilled he could come here and beat the very good local horses and show everybody here how good he is,” said Seymour. While there were no excuses for those beaten behind the harness hero, Chase A Dream was brave in second and has put his career back on track in the last week while Merlin was excellent in third, probably performing to at least the same level as when he won The Race last season. Don Hugo punctured to run fourth after being Larry’s punching bag for the second lap after setting the record speed for the first. And as is so often the case in big races, one horse has its moment of arrival and on Friday night that was Pinseeker, flashing late into fifth, beating home five horses he wouldn’t have been considered as good as just a month ago.  He was by his standards he was a star. At this level they are all stars. But they are stars who on Friday night found themselves trapped in the Larryverse.   View the full article

By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk  The legend of “Larry” went next level in tonight’s $1m The Race by betcha at Cambridge’s Night of Champions. Leap To Fame, affectionately known as Larry, had to go three wide and then sit parked before overwhelming arch rival Don Hugo in a new track record. Trainer Grant Dixon wouldn’t let Don Hugo out of his sight and the pair went to war with 600 to go. Despite getting a tough trip Leap To Fame was too tough when it mattered. It was an incredible performance.  Don Hugo just couldn’t stay with the champ with Chase A Dream second and defending champion Merlin third. Remarkably it was Leap To Fame’s 50th career win from just 63 starts including the Inter-Dominions and the Miracle Mile.  First out first home. That was the way Australian visitor Arcee Phoenix won tonight’s $600,000 TAB Trot on Cambridge’s Night of Champions. Arcee Phoenix was fourth in the race last year and tonight Chris Svanosio, known as Snooze to his mates, wasn’t mucking around at the start. He went to the lead as leading Kiwi Oscar Bonavena sensationally galloped out of contention. Not As Promised did the same. Arcee Phoenix then dictated the tempo, and never really looked like getting beaten.  “It’s great to come here and win,” said Svanosio. Queen Elida was a huge improver in finishing second. Her earnings took her past the million dollar mark, as did fourth placed Muscle Mountain. Favourite The Locomotive sat parked throughout and was brave in finishing third. It was the second consecutive Australian win in the big race, following Just Believe’s triumph last year.  In the support races, Kimberly Butt won the second edition of the Dorothy Cutts Invitational. She got the perfect passing lane trip with 18-to-one shot Ohoka Achilles to down favourite Iron Brigade. Trained by Owen Gillies it was the Art Major 10-year-old’s ninth win. Dorothy Cutts was on course to make the presentation. She made history when she became the first woman ever to win a full totalisator race in this country, at Cambridge in 1979. The night also featured an extra special moment for Cambridge Raceway Chief Executive Dave Branch. The Night of Champions has been a huge undertaking for Branch and his team but he was trackside with a big group of supporters as the eight-year-old gelding went to the front and starved off the challenge of Castana and favourite High Energy. He is in the ownership group that races Romeo Foxtrot. The gelding, who is trained by Dave’s mother Susan Branch, made it career win number 12 in the Charlie Hunter Northern Championship Final Handicap Trot. Without You upset hot favourite Beside Me in the Magness Benrow Sires’ Stakes 3YO Semi final while Bettors Anvil got home, paying $20, as he led and held on the 3YO Colts and Geldings Semi Final from Greased Lightnin and hot favourite Got The Chocolates.                               More to come  View the full article