Last year, Kiaran McLaughlin captured one of the four graded stakes run at Aqueduct on the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend. He came within a nose and a neck of winning two more. That was with three horses. This year, McLaughlin is planning a full-out assault on the four graded stakes held on the final Saturday of November at Aqueduct.
Beholder, the two-time champion who missed this year’s Breeders’ Cup Distaff after becoming ill, has recovered and now will be turned out before coming back to race next year, trainer Richard Mandella said Thursday at Del Mar.
Art Sherman was at Del Mar on Thursday morning, setting up the few stalls he’ll use to run out of during the fall meeting here. Like most trainers for this season, he’ll keep his main string in place at their usual residence and ship in to run.
Racing has an Eclipse Awards problem that looks likely to continue when the 2014 champions are announced in January: For the fifth time in the last six years, the statuette for best older male probably will be redundantly bestowed upon to a grass horse who is already being honored as the turf champion, instead of being awarded to the nation’s leading older dirt horse.
The penultimate stakes race of the 2014 ThistleDown season will be contested Saturday with the first running of the $50,000 Cardinal Handicap. A field of eight older Ohio-bred horses will contest the six-furlong race. The final stakes race of the meet will be the Ohio Debutante for older accredited fillies and mares next Saturday. Closing day is Nov. 16.
Journeyman Stud in Ocala, Fla., has released the 2015 stud fees for its nine-horse stallion roster. Topping the roster is the state’s leading sire Wildcat Heir, an 8-year-old son of Forest Wildcat whose fee will remain at $10,000.
Adena Springs in Paris, Ky. has released the advertised 2015 stud fees for its nine-horse stallion roster. The group will once again be led by Awesome Again, a 20-year-old Deputy Minister horse, who will stand for $75,000, the same fee he commanded in 2014.
East Hall and Wildcat Red have met four times this year, and the score is 4-0 Wildcat Red. Surprisingly, when they face each other Saturday in the Sunshine Millions Classic Preview at Gulfstream Park West, East Hall looks like the one to beat.
The French import Maibaby will face males for the first time in Saturday’s $75,000 Let It Ride Stakes on turf at Del Mar.
A couple of one-mile turf stakes for 3-year-olds, one for both sexes and one for females, highlight Saturday’s Turf Paradise card. The $35,000 Jeff and Jack Coady drew a field of six, while the $35,000 Chandler for fillies matches nine.
