America's Best Racing

Trainer Roger Attfield made a lasting impression when he spoke during his induction into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame at Saratoga Springs, N.Y., in 2012. He used the occasion to make a heartfelt plea in behalf of the sport that means everything to him. “The best horse should be able to win,” he told those in attendance. “We’ve got to clean up some of the stu...

There was no shortage of superlatives tossed around before, during, and after the 1998 edition of the Breeders’ Cup Classic, and for good reason. “Best field I’ve ever seen,” Seth Hancock, president of Claiborne Farm on co-owner of one of the 10 Classic runners (Arch), told BloodHorse before the race. “You put up the money and you are going to get the best of the best.”

The Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series continues this weekend with the Christophe Clement Turf Stakes Saturday at Saratoga. The $750,000, Grade 1 stakes was previously named the Sword Dancer Stakes and this year is renamed after the late Hall of Fame trainer Christophe Clement.

Saturday is the biggest day of the year at Woodbine. The King’s Plate, Canada’s closest facsimile to the Kentucky Derby, headlines a 13-race program just outside Toronto, and we’ll go through the card looking for some value. We’ll focus on horses with odds of 6-1 or greater on the morning line, and this includes a price in the main event. Let’s get to it …

Ka Ying Rising, who has resumed training after a scheduled break, and Ombudsman, who is expected to run in the Juddmonte International Stakes, continue to lead the sixth edition of the 2026 Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings with a 131 rating, while reigning U.S. Horse of the Year Sovereignty improved his rating by three points.