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.
Shared Belief, the top handicap horse in the United States this year, is nearing a start in the $1.5 million Charles Town Classic in West Virginia on April 18 in peak form.
The first Maryland turf races of the season will be held at Pimlico Thursday, weather permitting. Turf racing had been scheduled to start last Thursday but was pushed back a week due to the late arrival of spring.
The field for the April 18 Charles Town Classic is coming together, with Shared Belief a heavy favorite in a short field. On Tuesday, Bob Baffert confirmed he would not be sending Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Bayern.
Last season’s Arlington Million winner, Hardest Core, is on target to make his 5-year-old debut in the Grade 1 Man o’ War at Belmont Park on May 9, according to trainer Eddie Graham.
The Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission has revoked the licenses of four racetrack veterinarians who entered guilty pleas last month to illegally administering substances to horses on race day, according to copies of the rulings provided by the commission.
The Maker’s 46 Mile lacks its superstar from the last couple of years, but at least the Grade 1 race has a more competitive look than it did for those two runnings.
The champion Untapable drew post 2 in a field of seven for the Grade 1, $600,000 Apple Blossom Handicap, to be run Friday at Oaklawn Park. The race is one of two stakes on the program. I Spent It, the winner of the Grade 2 Saratoga Special, makes his second start of the year in the $100,000 Bachelor. Entries were taken Tuesday.
