Ohio horse of the year Catlaunch made 108 career starts while racing until age 12, earning more than $1.1 million while winning 23 stakes in his home state.
Dr. Zarnett has a long, long way to go to reach those lofty numbers. But after winning his first stakes race this year, the seasoned runner will look to keep a fine season going as he makes his 48th career start in the $75,000 Catlaunch Stakes for Ohio-accredited 3-year-olds and up over 1 1/16 miles on Thursday at Thistledown.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Not all the runners in graded stakes at Santa Anita this weekend are being aimed for Breeders’ Cup races on Nov. 3-4.
Bran, a three-time stakes winner, will start in Saturday’s Grade 2 Eddie D Stakes at about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course. For some runners, the $200,000 Eddie D Stakes could lead to a start in the BC Turf Sprint at five furlongs on Nov. 4.
That is not the case with Bran, who closed from last of 12 to finish seventh by 3 1/4 lengths in the Grade 3 Green Flash Handicap at five furlongs on turf at Del Mar on Sept. 2.
CYPRESS, Calif. – Juan Hernandez, already the leading rider in Southern California this year, had a perfect day to end the Los Alamitos September meeting on Sunday.
Hernandez won with all four of his mounts on runners trained by Bob Baffert and finished the meeting with a perfect record from six mounts.
Hernandez, who led all riders at Santa Anita and Del Mar earlier this year, rode sparingly during the two-week season which included six days of racing.
Antony Beck’s Gainesway Farm finished as the Keeneland September sale’s leading consignor by gross – and also was among the sale’s leading breeders.
Gainesway consigned nine seven-figure yearlings in the early books of the sale and was active late into the auction, finishing with 137 yearlings sold for gross receipts of $43,573,000 for its first leading consignor title. The operation ended an eight-year run atop the leaderboard for Taylor Made Sales, which traded 268 for $39,387,000.
The Jockey Club is projecting a 2024 North American registered Thoroughbred foal crop of 18,000, which is 500 fewer than the 2023 estimate.
Since the foal crop was 35,274 born in 2008, before the recession later that year, the number has made a year-to-year rise just once – and that was a very minor move from 23,001 in 2014 to 23,047 in 2015.
Spendthrift Farm resident Into Mischief made headlines by siring the Keeneland September sale topper, a $3 million colt purchased by West Point Thoroughbreds, Woodford Racing, and Chuck Sonson.
“Into Mischief, obviously, you don’t have to say much,” West Point’s Terry Finley said.
That colt highlighted an outstanding sale for the nation’s four-time reigning leading sire. Into Mischief sired 12 seven-figure yearlings, the most in a single Keeneland sale since the late, great Storm Cat had 12 in 2005.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Two horses coming off lengthy layoffs in separate first-level allowance races on different surfaces add some intrigue to Thursday’s 10-race Aqueduct card.
In race 4, Register, a 3-year-old last seen finishing seventh in the Private Terms Stakes at Laurel in March, tries to jump-start his career in a first-level allowance scheduled for one mile on dirt.
In race 6, Listentothemusic, unraced since a maiden victory at Gulfstream Park in January, returns in a first-level turf sprint going six furlongs.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Michele M. was certainly popular in the claiming box when romping in the opener on Woodbine Mile Day. She jumps up in class in Thursday’s featured allowance that has a $32,000 claiming option, with a big Beyer Speed Figure on her résumé and a chance to double up.
Michele M. had started three times on turf for trainer Christophe Clement this year, culminating with a closing second in an about five-furlong allowance on Aug. 24 at Delaware Park.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – War Like Goddess, who was forced to miss the Grade 2 Flower Bowl earlier this month due to an illness, is on target to try for a repeat victory in the Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic next Saturday at Belmont Park.
On Friday, War Like Goddess worked a half-mile in 50.51 seconds over the Oklahoma dirt course.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Though he has yet to work back since his fourth-place finish in the Travers Stakes on Aug. 26, Forte, last year’s 2-year-old champion, is still being pointed to the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 4, trainer Todd Pletcher said Friday.
Forte finished fourth, beaten eight lengths by Arcangelo in the Travers, the worst finish in his 10-race career, which includes seven victories. Since a foot bruise knocked him out of the Kentucky Derby, Forte has finished second in the Belmont Stakes and won the Grade 2 Jim Dandy before his effort in the Travers.
