A colt by leading California sire Idiot Proof sold for $72,000 at Tuesday’s California Thoroughbred Breeders Association Northern California yearling sale in Pleasanton., Calif., the leading hip of the one-day sale of yearlings and horses of racing age.
Ron Paolucci has been known to make some unconventional decisions as a racehorse owner. Now he’s sending a longshot to Chicago with hopes of upsetting the prestigious Beverly D.
Lakeside Sunset will be switching from turf to dirt for the $50,000 Niagara Stakes at Finger Lakes on Friday but still looks like the horse to beat in the six-furlong sprint for New York-bred 3-year-old fillies.
Blue Dancer will break from post No. 2 with leading rider Rico Walcott aboard in the $200,000, Grade 3 Canadian Derby at Northlands Park on Saturday. Post positions were chosen by the connections of the 12 horses entered in the 1 3/8-mile race for 3-year-olds at a brunch held at Northlands on Wednesday.
Gabriel Charles, a Grade 1 winner in July who underwent colic surgery last Saturday, remains under care at a veterinary clinic in Bonsall, Calif., and will remain there until at least late August, said trainer Jeff Mullins.
Churchill Downs on Wednesday released the schedule of points races that will determine eligibility for the 2016 Kentucky Derby, with the lone change being a doubling in points for the winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile from 10 to 20.
The Maryland Jockey Club has started construction on the second of three new 150-stall barns at Laurel Park.
Rattataptap lost all chance for a win in the Grade 3 Senorita Stakes at a mile on turf June 27 at Del Mar when she was stuck in traffic with a quarter-mile to go. She finished fourth, a performance good enough to merit a start in the $300,000 Del Mar Oaks for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/8 miles on turf Saturday.
Jockey Alex Thomas, who was badly injured in a spill at Charles Town on July 25, has made substantial progress in his recovery and expects to soon be released from Inova Fairfax Hospital in Falls Church, Va.
Catch a Flight has won three graded stakes in Southern California since early May, the most recent being the Grade 2 San Diego Handicap at Del Mar on July 25. Despite those accomplishments, Catch a Flight may not be favored in the track’s richest race, the $1 million Pacific Classic at 1 1/4 miles Aug. 22. Catch a Flight may not even rank as the best chance for trainer Richard Mandella, a role that will go to Beholder, the 5-year-old mare and two-time champion.
