Jockey Cristian Torres was to begin working horses at Oaklawn Park on Thursday, according to agent Cody Autrey. The meet opens Dec. 8.
“He’ll be back here, ready to go,” Autrey said Tuesday.
Torres has a few out-of-state engagements in late November and in December. The rider has stakes mounts on the Land of Enchantment card Nov. 28 at Zia Park, the Claiming Crown card Dec. 2 at Fair Grounds, and the Springboard Mile program Dec. 15 at Remington Park.
Touchuponastar is likely headed back to Louisiana-bred company at Fair Grounds after winning his first race against open foes in the $100,000 Delta Downs Mile.
Owner Jake Delhomme said Tuesday a couple of races are being debated for Touchuponastar, including the $150,000 Louisiana Champions Day Classic on Dec. 9 at Fair Grounds.
“We’ll let him tell us when he’s ready,” he said.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Multiple stakes winners Poppy Flower and Danse Macabre head a field of 12 fillies and mares entered in Friday’s $150,000 Autumn Days Stakes, one of six scheduled turf stakes over three cards at Aqueduct as the grass season on this circuit comes to a close this weekend.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The scratch of Living Magic from Friday’s $120,000 Tepin Stakes opens the one-mile turf race for 2-year-olds up a bit from a wagering perspective and likely shifts favoritism to Brocknardini.
Living Magic, winner of the Chesley Flower Stakes here at 16-1 on Oct. 27, “spiked a fever on Monday and hasn’t responded to treatment,” trainer Phil Schoenthal said Wednesday, necessitating the scratch.
DEL MAR, Calif. – An exceptionally strong allowance sprint Friday at Del Mar offers a class test for Classic Car Wash, and a prep race for Fort Bragg.
The timing is perfect, both 3-year-olds are candidates for an important race Dec. 26 at Santa Anita. The Grade 1 Malibu Stakes will be tougher than Friday’s second-level allowance, but trainer Mark Casse was not exaggerating much in his playful appraisal of the Friday field.
“It’s probably a Grade 2,” Casse said. It’s a good test for Casse-trained Classic Car Wash.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Horsemen from around the country heading to Gulfstream Park for the winter are eagerly looking forward to the opening of the newly installed turf course that is scheduled to coincide with the beginning of the Championship meet on Dec. 1. None more so, perhaps, than Wesley Ward, who is not only coming to South Florida per usual this season but taking stalls at Gulfstream for the first time in many years.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Keeneland November horses of racing age sale has cultivated vibrant trade, so much so that the growing marketplace became a stand-alone event last year, rather than being folded into its prior home, the second week of the Keeneland November breeding stock sale.
Along with a catalog full of young horses, and some older graded stakes winners, this year’s sale has an added dose of intrigue thanks to the late addition of Rich Strike, upset winner of the 2022 Kentucky Derby.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Trainer Santino DiPaola literally hit the jackpot last Saturday at Woodbine when he sent out second-time starter Little Teddy to score at a huge price in the 11th-race nightcap.
There was a mandatory payout on the Jackpot Hi-5 in the maiden race for 2-year-old fillies, and the total pool for the 20-cent base wager was $1,226,799.
Booth, whose Beyer Speed Figure of 96 from his career debut Oct. 7 at Keeneland is tied for third highest among North American 2-year-olds of 2023, is likely to make his second start in the $225,000 Ed Brown Stakes on Nov. 25 at Churchill, trainer Steve Asmussen said.
Booth went straight to the lead debuting at six furlongs and won by 5 1/4 lengths. Runner-up Nash returned Sunday at Churchill and landed a two-turn dirt maiden by more than 10 lengths, earning a 95 Beyer and boosting Booth’s form.
The featured eighth race Wednesday at Churchill Downs is a good one, a 3-year-old restricted second-level allowance race also open to $125,000 claimers and carded for 1 1/8 miles on grass. The state of the grass course, however, is not so good.
Despite the absence of precipitation, Churchill moved races carded for grass onto dirt this past Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The turf course was used as planned last Wednesday and Thursday. Through Sunday, Nov. 12, Churchill had run 16 grass races during the 10 days of a meeting that began Oct. 29.
