IEAH Stables and Paul Pompa Jr.’s Big Brown, on cruise control until asked to go by jockey Kent Desormeaux, exploded away from his 11 rivals at the top of the Pimlico homestretch to notch a dominating victory in the 133rd running of the $1,000,000 Preakness Stakes (G I) Saturday. Thus the results of the Preakness 2008 are already in and the Big Brown is the winner of Preakness horse racing.

Vinery Stables and Tom Ludt’s Lantana Mob had to tie the track record in order to win the $100,000 Hirsch Jacobs Stakes (G III) for 3-year-olds, a $100,000 race that starts a $1 million guaranteed pick four that ends with the Preakness.

Ben McElroy’s Roshani won a stirring stretch duel to take top prize in the $100,000 Gallorette Handicap (G III) for fillies and mares. Roshani carried jockey John Velazquez to his second win on today’s thirteen race card.

Trainer Richard Dutrow Jr. said Friday that he is nearly as confident that the Boundary colt will win the Preakness on Saturday as he was before his dominating win in the Kentucky Derby.

Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin appears to be in good shape to sweep the two richest races on the undercard for Saturday, which will climax a weekend of 16 stakes races completed by the 133rd running of the Grade I, $1 million Preakness Stakes, the middle jewel of racing’s Triple Crown. Friday’s card is topped by the Grade I, $250,000 Maryland Lottery Pimlico Special and the Grade II, $200,000 Black-Eyed Susan.

Today we witnessed one of the saddest Kentucky Derby results that the horse race lovers watched today. The favorite of the Kentucky Derby Big Brown became the winner of the race, but the runner-up Eight Belles fell, injured her front ankles and later was euthanized. Eight Belles finished the second, the horse made it, but then collapsed with two broken front ankles.

While most sports fans will be fretting over the Final Four today (bracketeers, bracketologists, or bracket-people as I’ve sometimes heard they prefer to be called), I’ve decided to direct my spectating angst toward a small simulcast wager on the grade I, $750,000 Santa Anita Derby.

The Dubai horse racing club assembled a real humdinger for the Saturday evening Dubai World Cup card horse racing tournament. Rarely will a card have over 10 Group/Grade winners and this card has 59 grade/group stakes winners. The class is being dealt out often and in spades.

Zaina Alsabah, formerly known as Jane Felix-Brown and her husband Omar Osama Bin Laden, son of Osama bin Laden, are planning a 4800 km horse race that will span across North Africa. Zaina and Omar hope to bring attention to the cause of peace.

Panelists to include agriculture industry representatives, government and UC experts

Penn National Gaming Inc., the owner of 18 casinos and horse racing courses in the US, agreed to be acquired by Fortress Investment Group LLC and Centerbridge Partners LP for $6.1 billion.

A near-record crowd, which included royal visitors, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness Prince Philip, watched James Tafel's Street Sense power home to win Churchill Downs' 133rd Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands by 2 ¼ lengths, while total on-track and all-sources wagering on the "Run for the Roses" matched the record levels set one year ago.