Far Right has a diverse cast of people working behind the scenes to bring out the best in the multiple stakes winner, who could start as the second choice to Southern California shipper American Pharoah in the Grade 1, $1 million Arkansas Derby on Saturday.
Speed is the game Thursday in the Grade 3, $300,000 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap, with starters Ivan Fallunovalot and Gentlemen’s Bet each having put up a 108 Beyer Figure during the Oaklawn meet.
(1)_0.JPG)
Dress For Success looks for three straight in the Weiss series at Mohegan Sun Pocono Downs.
Enchanting Lady is likely to start in the $200,000 Eight Belles Stakes at Churchill Downs on May 1 after winning the second stakes of her career in Sunday’s $77,050 Santa Paula Stakes
Earlier this year Texas racing lost its bid in the court for historical racing – the electronic parimutuel game that plays like a slot machine – but for one night at least, Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas, has hit a jackpot. For opening night on Thursday, riding at the track is Hall of Famer Russell Baze, the winningest jockey in North American racing history.
Jockey Joe Talamo will miss a week of riding after bruising a shoulder in a spill after the Santa Paula Stakes.
Midnight Hawk, who would have been a top contender in Saturday’s Grade 2, $600,000 Oaklawn Handicap, will miss the race with a foot issue, according to trainer Bob Baffert.
Oaklawn welcomed an old friend back to the winner’s circle last week when 98-year-old former jockey and trainer Frank A. Kurinec was part of a race presentation April 1. Kurinec has resided at an assisted-living facility in Hot Springs in the seven years since a car accident forced him to give up his position working one of the gaps as a spotter for clockers during morning training hours at Oaklawn.
Colonial Downs in New Kent, Va., on Tuesday abruptly shuttered its sole wagering business in the state, an account-wagering operation, in protest of horsemen’s support for an amendment to legislation designed to pave the way for live racing in Virginia to resume.
Spendthrift Farm, one of the key players in the North American Thoroughbred breeding and racing industry, has acquired Yallambee Stud in Victoria, Australia as the home of its new Australian Thoroughbred operation. The farm, which will be known as Spendthrift Australia, will be involved in breeding, racing, the stallion market, and local sales. The farm’s stallion roster for the upcoming 2015 Southern Hemisphere season will be announced at a later date.
