Thursday’s $500,000, Grade 2 Flower Bowl Stakes at Belmont Park is an important stop on the road to the Oct. 30-31 Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Keeneland Race Course.
Every spring, sports fans and much of the general public know the Kentucky Derby is coming up on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs. In addition to the 120,000-plus attending the Derby in person, folks across the country throw Derby parties, put money in their betting accounts, learn about the horses, and tune in to the national TV broadcast to watch “the most exciting two minutes in sports.”
Bricks and Mortar had vaulted into the Horse of the Year debate with five wins in as many starts in 2019 entering the Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Santa Anita Park.
The Longines Turf, which usually lures a robust, powerful international contingent, drew four European invaders but lacked the star power of 2018 winner Enable, leaving Bricks and Mortar a true standout for the 1 ½-mile race.
Just like every sport, horse racing has its superstars, up-and-comers, veterans, comeback stories, and underdogs. Some horses simply dominate, others rely on speed, consistency, or toughness, and a few seem to find another level when people least expect it.
There were a whopping 34 graded stakes races run throughout North America last week, including 10 Grade 1 stakes and 17 Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” races. Not surprisingly, the results reshaped the Equibase overall leaderboard for 2026 North American earnings, particularly in the juvenile and older divisions. For this roundup, we’ll focus on the races that shuffled earnings standings for 2-year-olds pointing toward the Oct.
