A U.S. District Court has issued an order in a long-running Department of Labor case that would require Steve Asmussen to pay $243,000 in back wages to employees in his Kentucky operations plus an identical amount in damages.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Perhaps D. Wayne Lukas summed it up best when asked who is the current leader of the 3-year-old male division.
“What day are we talking about?” the 88-year-old Lukas said.
For the sixth straight year since Justify swept the Triple Crown in 2018, there were separate winners of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes. Dornoch won Saturday’s Belmont at Saratoga in a 10-horse field in which Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan finished seventh and Preakness winner Seize the Grey, trained by Lukas, finished eighth.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Kings River Knight, the winner of the $102,000 Crystal Water Stakes for California-bred turf milers at Santa Anita on May 25 for the second consecutive year, will have a vacation this summer.
“He’ll get 60 days on the farm for a little freshening,” trainer John Sadler said on Sunday.
Kings River Knight, a five-time stakes winner, has a remarkably consistent record of 10 wins in 16 starts and earnings of $649,830 for the partnership of Integrity Thoroughbred Partners, the family of the late Bud Johnston and Ken Tevelde.
ARCADIA, Calif. - In late March, trainer Jeff Mullins was worried he had made a mistake by entering the 3-year-old filly Sugar Fish in a $40,000 claimer for maidens at Santa Anita.
Fortunately for Mullins, there were no claims submitted for Sugar Fish, who won the seven-furlong race by 10 lengths.
Two starts and 10 weeks later, Mullins and owners Sweetwater Stable and Michael Talla are soon to decide what stakes best fit Sugar Fish in coming months.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - White Abarrio, the 2023 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner who finished a well-beaten fifth in Saturday’s Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap at Saratoga, is being transferred back to trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. and will be pointed to the Grade 2, $200,000 John Nerud Stakes at Aqueduct on July 6, co-owner Mark Cornett said Sunday.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - The Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga was like a home game for Bill Mott, and the Hall of Fame trainer certainly took advantage of the situation, winning two races on Friday and two more Saturday including the Grade 2 True North with a dazzling performance by Baby Yoda.
Unfortunately for Mott, that success was tempered somewhat by the disappointing efforts of Just F Y I in Friday’s Acorn, and Resilience the following afternoon in the Belmont. Both were virtually eased to the finish far behind the winner in their respective races.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y - While heavy rain fell outside his barn Sunday morning, Dornoch was inside his stall attacking his hay net early with an energy belying the fact he just ran a hard race to win Saturday’s $2 million Belmont Stakes.
“He’s all pumped this morning,” trainer Danny Gargan said. “That’s just the way he is. He was pissed after the Derby.”
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Cogburn emerged from his scintillating victory in Saturday's Grade 1, $500,000 Japiur Stakes on the Saratoga turf in good order, and could aim for another stakes victory here this summer before some rich targets in the fall.
