ARCADIA, Calif. – Geaux Rocket Ride, who underwent surgery to repair a displaced condylar fracture on Sunday, “is not right out of surgery,” according to trainer Richard Mandella, and has been transferred to the Chino Valley Equine Medical Hospital for further evaluation.

ARCADIA, Calif. – The Japanese horse Ushba Tesoro is getting all kinds of attention this week at Santa Anita as people begin to realize he stands a strong chance of winning the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Ushba Tesoro is the best dirt horse in Japan, but much less heed is being paid to the mare Songline, the best turf miler in Japan and a serious player Saturday in the Breeders’ Cup Mile.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Total wagering during Keeneland’s 17-day fall meet declined 3.5 percent compared to last year’s record fall meet handle, according to the charts of races that Keeneland held during the meet.

Though total fall handle declined from $209.2 million last year to $201.8 million this year, the total was the second highest in the history of the fall meet. Last year, Keeneland benefited from the publicity surrounding the 2022 Breeders’ Cup, which was held at the track the weekend after the conclusion of the fall meet, and from slightly larger fields.

ARCADIA, Calif. – The trainer George Weaver didn’t set out to corner the market on 2-year-old turf sprinters during 2023. It just worked out that way.

Weaver-trained 2-year-olds in turf sprints so far this year have compiled a record of 23-11-3-2. That’s not a misprint. Seven different horses have won, and four of them account for seven stakes victories. And so it is that Weaver, a former Todd Pletcher assistant who went out on his own in 2002 and to date has run five horses in Breeders’ Cup races, now has three horses for the same race, the Juvenile Turf Sprint.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Last week, Frankie Dettori was at lunch in Pasadena, not far from Santa Anita, when he instinctively looked across the restaurant.

No one was peering in his direction, a change from his experiences in Britain. Dettori had a hassle-free lunch, an anonymous guest in a Southern California restaurant.

“I was there at the bar and I found myself looking around to see if anyone saw me,” he said. “It’s kind of a habit.

“I was talking to this chap next to me. He said, ‘You’ve got a funny accent. Where are you from?’ I said I’m Italian and English.”

It’s not an easy decision to geld a son of Tapit, the superstar stallion whose progeny often have residual value just by having him in their pedigree.

Trainer John Kimmel said it took some convincing of owner Mandy Pope to geld Winit, who makes his first start since undergoing that change in Thursday’s second-level allowance/optional $62,500 claiming feature as the Aqueduct fall meet gets under way.

Other than a reset of statistics, little will change from the Belmont at the Big A meet that concluded Sunday.

An allowance race at 1 1/8 miles on turf Thursday at Santa Anita poses a few complexities for runners such as Avenue, Carmelita’s Man, and Percolate, who are part of a field of seven.

The fifth-race allowance is the leading race on an eight-race program that begins a four-day weekend at Santa Anita that includes the Breeders’ Cup races on Friday and Saturday and Sunday’s closing day of the autumn meeting.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – The class structure for the lower claiming ranks at Woodbine has been modified heading into the final portion of the meet, beginning Thursday with Condition Book 10.

Conditioned $7,500 claimers have been suspended. Nonwinners-of-two and nonwinners-of-three claimers for $10,000 are being introduced, along with $5,000 conditioned claimers and open $5,000 claimers.

Santa Anita
Friday, Oct. 27
Weather: Cloudy
Temperature: 55°
Track: Fast

ARCADIA, Calif. – Any worries handicappers may have had regarding White Abarrio after he had a scheduled work postponed here earlier this week due to foot issues were likely laid to rest in the 59.63 seconds it took the Grade 1 Whitney winner to work five furlongs shortly before dawn on a crisp Friday morning at Santa Anita.

Sterling Silver experienced fleeting success in graded stakes company in her most recent out, but the performance will make her a strong favorite Sunday, when she returns to racing with restricted rivals in the $150,000 Iroquois at Aqueduct.

The race is one of eight New York-bred stakes worth a cumulative $1.6 million on the annual Empire Classics Day card. The Iroquois, which is for fillies and mares over 6 1/2 furlongs, is the female counterpart to the $150,000 Hudson.