Topic: Horse Racing

The "Graveyard of Champions" claimed another one during the weekend as long shot Maracuja edged previously undefeated Kentucky Oaks winner Malathaat in the Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga.

Some excellent weekend horse racing around the globe features a crackerjack renewal of the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot in England.

Another nonstandard outcome of a major 3-year-old race found Mandaloun awarded victory in the $1 million Haskell -- potentially the second time the colt will be named winner of a race in which he finished second.

It's too early to say Saturday's Haskell Stakes at Monmouth Park is a key race for this year's 3-year-olds but, featuring some of the major players from all three Triple Crown events, it certainly is an important step.

They came, they saw, they conquered. In fact, Irish invaders Bolshoi Ballet and Santa Barbara embarrassed their American rivals in Saturday's Grade I Belmont Derby and Oaks at Belmont Park.

Belmont Park winds up its meeting with a bang this weekend, hosting a pair of turf races rich enough to lure some top trans-Atlantic talent before turning things over to Saratoga for more of the same.

A brilliant holiday weekend of racing ended in a burst of fireworks Monday, with Gamine and Gufo posting convincing wins and First Captain bidding to join the ranks of top 3-year-olds during the summer at Saratoga.

The international impact of the big-money, mid-winter races in Dubai and Saudi Arabia is outlined in fireworks and sparklers this weekend.

Maxfield and Letruska took star turns in weekend horse racing, winning the big events on closing weekend of the Churchill Downs meeting and earning Breeders' Cup berths for their efforts.

Four Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" races span the globe during the weekend, from Peru to Japan and back to Louisville, Ky., where Maxfield looms as the favorite in the Stephen Foster.