S9E40: Foster is cooking, Aqueduct is done

The best race yet this year for older horses and the closing of a historic racetrack are the big stories this week on the Ron Flatter Racing Pod.

The Grade 1, $2 million Stephen Foster Stakes at Churchill Downs has attracted the likes of reigning horse of the year Sovereignty and multimillionaire veteran White Abarrio. It also has Dubai World Cup (G1) winner Magnitude. Ron Winchell, his owner, takes time to talk about the 4-year-old colt and his campaign to be the champion older dirt male of 2026.

Aqueduct Racetrack, which opened in 1894, closes for the last time Sunday. Steve Haskin, a historian who writes for Secretariat.com, offers perspective on the course's place in the sport and stories about its more than 1 1/4 centuries as a hub for New York horseplayers.

Paddock Prince handicapper David Levitch has tips for the Stephen Foster and a high-profile juvenile race on the Churchill Downs undercard, and co-hosts John Cherwa of the Los Angeles Times and Keith Nelson of Fairmount Park offer their popular host chat.

The Ron Flatter Racing Pod via Horse Racing Nation is available via free subscription from Apple, Firefox, iHeart and Spotify as well as HorseRacingNation.com.