Weekend racing was all about turf and 2-year-olds, as Del Mar, Colonial Downs and Kentucky Downs hosted important grass heats and Delmar ended the season.

Ole Crazy Bone wins Saturday's Kentucky Cup Turf, earning a "Win and You're In" spot in the Breeders' Cup Turf. Photo by Coady Media, courtesy of Kentucky Downs UPI Brant wins Sunday's Del Mar Futurity. Photo by Benoit Photography, courtesy of Del Mar Turf Club UPI Ka Ying Rising wins Sunday's HKSAR Chief Executive's Cup Handicap on the opening day of Hong Kong's 2025-26 season. Photo courtesy of Hong Kong Jockey Club UPI

Sept. 8 (UPI) -- Weekend racing was all about turf and 2-year-olds, as Del Mar, Colonial Downs and Kentucky Downs hosted important grass heats and California's top juveniles helped close out the Del Mar meeting.

It was a busy weekend on the global scene, too, with Arc preview day in France, Hong Kong firing up the new season and two Breeders' Cup spots on offer in Korea.

Away we go.

Turf

Ole Crazy Bone, claimed two starts back for $100,000, earned $1,446,300 by winning Saturday's $2.5 million Grade II Kentucky Cup Invitational at Kentucky Downs.

The 5-year-old Ghostzapper gelding stuck close to the early pace made by Corruption, moved to the fore when asked by jockey Flavien Prat and scooted home first by 3 3/4 lengths. Tawny Port was along to take second over Corruption.

The race was a "Win and You're In" for the Longines Breeders' Cup Turf on Nov. 1 at Del Mar and trainer Mike Maker indicated that's a go for Ole Crazy Bone.

World Beater, the odds-on favorite, came from off the pace to win Saturday's $500,000 Grade III Old Dominion Derby at Colonial Downs by 1 3/4 lengths. The Oscar Performance colt added to a record that also includes a second in the Grade I Belmont Derby and a victory in the Grade I Saratoga Derby.

Turf Mile

Epic Ride shot quickly to the front in Saturday's $2.5 million FanDuel Mint Millions at Kentucky Downs and held the lead all the way to a 2-length victory. Lagynos, winner of the Tapit Stakes over the course Aug. 28, was second as the favorite and Beach Gold was third.

Plensa rallied from far back in the field to win Saturday's $2 million Exacta Systems Gun Runner Stakes for 3-year-olds at Kentucky Downs by 1 length from Giocoso. Namaron, visiting from Germany, was third. Plensa scored his second win from six career starts.

Also: Safe Trip Home won Saturday's $150,000 Colonial Cup at Colonial Downs by 2 1/4 lengths and Haunted Dream triumphed in Saturday's $150,000 (Canadian) Grade III HBIBet Singspiel Stakes.

Filly & Mare Turf

Stellify won her fourth straight race and second in nine days' time at Kentucky Downs, taking Saturday's $2 million Grade III Light & Wonder Ladies Marathon in a gate-to-wire romp, reporting 2 3/4 lengths to the good of late-closing Way to Be Marie.

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Miwa, who also won over the course nine days earlier, lost second place in the closing strides. South African import Beach Bomb finished sixth after stalking the pace.

Gimme a Nother, meantime, added to the successes of South African imports with a 1 1/4-length victory over the favorite, Medoro, in Saturday's $250,000 Grade II John C. Mabee Stakes at Del Mar.

Also: As Catch Can won Saturday's $250,000 Old Dominion Oaks at Colonial Downs by 3/4 length and Aristella took Saturday's $250,000 (Canadian) Wonder Where Stakes for Canadian-bred 3-year-old fillies at Woodbine.

Turf Sprint

Troubleshooting came with a late run to win Saturday's $2 million Grade I Ainsworth Franklin-Simpson Stakes for 3-year-olds at Kentucky Downs by 1/2 length.

Shisospicy, last seen finishing a fading 15th at Royal Ascot, got back on track with a stretch-running, 3-length victory in Saturday's $2 million Grade II Music City Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Kentucky Downs.

Classic

Instant Replay was all out to catch pacesetting Perry County at the end of Saturday's $250,000 Super Derby at Louisiana Downs, finally getting the nod by a head while completing 1 1/8 miles on a fast track in 1:50.78.

Juvenile

Brant led from the start in Sunday's $300,000 Grade I Del Mar Futurity and prevailed by 1 length over Desert Gate -- both trained by Bob Baffert.

Brant, a Gun Runner colt, finished 7 furlongs in 1:21.92. The $3 million purchase in March at the Ocala sales now is 2-for-2. Baffert won the race for the 19th time.

Fourth and Central led from gate to wire in Saturday's $100,000 Dr. Fager Division of the Florida Sire Stakes at Gulfstream Park on his way to a 1 3/4-length upset victory. The corner of Fourth and Central also is the approximate address of the Churchill Downs stable area in Louisville.

Juvenile Fillies

Bottle of Rouge came and caught pacesetting favorite Explora in the stretch run of Saturday's $300,000 Grade I Del Mar Debutante, winning by 1 length. Both are trained by Baffert, and Bottle of Rouge is owned by his wife, Jill.

Lennilu, back from a third-place finish in the Group 3 Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot, picked up where she left off in her domestic campaign with a hard-fought victory in Saturday's $100,000 Desert Vixen Division of the Florida Sire Stakes at Gulfstream Park.

Juvenile Turf

Street Beast won Sunday's $1 million Global Tote Juvenile Mile at Kentucky Downs by 7 lengths. Hey Nay Nay won Sunday's $100,000 Grade III Del Mar Juvenile Turf by 1 1/2 lengths. And Casa Cielo won Saturday's $125,000 Kitten's Joy at Colonial Downs.

Juvenile Turf Sprint

Quiet Street, a Godolphin homebred filly by Street Boss, won Sunday's $1 million Untapable Stakes for 2-year-old fillies at Kentucky Downs. Royal Testament took Saturday's $125,000 Exacta Systems Rosie's Stakes at Colonial Downs.

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Around the world, around the clock

Arc Preps

Make of it what you will, but the favorites won exactly none of Sunday's four Longchamp previews for the Oct. 5 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe card. Only one of them even made the frame.

Japanese raider Byzantine Dream turned out to be the star of the show, overcoming an awkward start to win the Group 2 Qatar Prix Foy by 1/2 length over the favorite, Sosie. Coolmore's hope, Los Angeles, finished fourth. Byzantine Dream, a 4-year-old Epiphaneia colt, also won the Group 2 Red Sea Handicap in Saudi Arabia in February and has inflated hopes Japan can finally lift its decades-long Arc hoodoo.

Aventure, a locally trained Sea the Star filly, won the Group 1 Qatar Prix Vermille for fillies and mares in a parade of long shots with the favorite, Coolmore's Whirl, reporting last of six. And French-trained Godolphin homebred Cualificar edged British invader Bay City Roller by a neck in the Group 2 Prix Niel for 3-year olds. The favorite in that, Leffard, finished sixth.

Hong Kong

Ka Ying Rising ended the 2024-25 Hong Kong season as winner of 12 straight races and "Horse of the Year" title. He showed in Sunday's HKSAR Chief Executive's Cup Handicap he's even better in the new season. With Zac Purton up, the New Zealand-bred won by a comfortable 2 1/2 lengths over Lucky Sweynesse.

Ka Ying Rising now is headed to the AUS$20 million The Everest on Oct. 18 at Royal Randwick. Lucky Sweynesse, apparently recovered from a serious injury, now is targeted for the Grade 1 Sprint Cup in Japan on Sept 28.

England

Big Mojo romped home first in Saturday's Group 1 Sprint Cup at Haydock, leading fellow long shot Kind of Blue by 1 1/4 lengths and longer shot Flora of Bermuda by another nose. The even-money favorite, Lazzat, ran out of steam a furlong out and finished fifth. The Breeders' Cup could be in the cards for Big Mojo.

Korea

Japan's Diktaean, with Takayauki Yano riding for trainer Katsunori Arayama, rallied quickly through the stretch to win Sunday's Group 3 Korea Cup by 1 length over Iowa-bred and Hong Kong-trained Chancheng Glory. The victory earned Diktaean a "Win and You're In" spot in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile on Nov. 1 at Del Mar.

Two races earlier, Hong Kong's Self Improvement won the Korea Sprint by 1/2 length over Japan's Chikappa. The two battled down the stretch before determining the verdict in the final yards. That victory carried a "Win and You're In" bid to the CyGames Breeders' Cup Sprint.