The high-profile death of Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit after a workout at Santa Anita on Monday has led to heightened awareness of fatalities at California racetracks, an issue at the forefront of the sport’s national identity the last three years.
Medina Spirit collapsed after a workout of an internal injury that may have been a heart attack, according to California racing officials. A necropsy will be performed, but the results are not expected until early 2022.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Jockey Robby Albarado announced Wednesday that he will ride the final race of a career that “far exceeded my wildest dreams and expectations” when he climbs aboard Big Bugg’s Girl in the seventh race Saturday night at Turfway Park.
Albarado, 48, was the regular rider during the Horse of the Year campaigns of Mineshaft (2003) and Curlin (2007-08) while winning such major events as the Preakness, Breeders’ Cup Classic, and Dubai World Cup in a brilliant career that began at age 16 in his native Louisiana.
Laurel Park in Maryland has canceled another three-day racing week because of concerns regarding the track’s dirt racing surface, but progress has been made diagnosing the problems with the track and taking corrective measures, with hope racing can resume Thursday, Dec. 16.
The embattled Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit collapsed and died on the Santa Anita racetrack Monday morning near the end of a five-furlong workout for trainer Bob Baffert.
Working in company under regular exercise rider Juan Ochoa, Medina Spirit collapsed immediately after the finish and was pronounced dead soon thereafter. The 3-year-old colt may have suffered a heart attack. He is not believed to have sustained a leg injury.
Brad Cox continues to hold a narrow lead in 2021 stable earnings over Steve Asmussen as their statistical battle for the Eclipse Award for outstanding trainer comes into sharper focus. Both trainers also are on the cusp of surpassing the single-season record for earnings by a trainer.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - A memorable year for Todd Pletcher continued in the most frenzied and fantastic way Saturday at Aqueduct with the trainer winning three consecutive graded stakes, capped by the Grade 1, $750,000 Cigar Mile with the New York-bred Americanrevolution.
The combined margin of victory for the three wins was about a length. Americanrevolution won the Cigar Mile by a half-length over stablemate Following Sea after Nest captured the Grade 2, $250,000 Demoiselle by a neck, and Mo Donegal took the Grade 2, $250,000 Remsen by a nose.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - The New York stewards slapped jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. with a 30-day suspension for careless riding stemming from incidents on both Friday and Saturday at Aqueduct.
The suspension was confirmed by Ortiz’s agent, Steve Rushing, who was notified by the stewards on Sunday.
“He’s accepting his suspension, not appealing,” Rushing wrote via text.
Ortiz rode Sunday at Camarero Racetrack in Puerto Rico and did not speak directly with the New York stewards.
Churchill Downs Inc. has reached an agreement with Nevada casinos that will allow their racebooks to offer wagering on signals from two of their winter tracks, though an agreement to offer Churchill’s signal remains elusive, the company confirmed on Friday.
Laurel Park in Maryland has canceled racing through Dec. 5 in order to conduct a review of its racing surface in the wake of a cluster of fatalities at the track over the past month, the track announced on Thursday.
The cancellation will result in the loss of at least three days of live racing, from Friday through Sunday.
In a release, the track’s parent company said that the track and its horsemen “are working with industry experts to analyze surface composition and maintenance procedures directed at the safest possible racing surface.”
The Los Alamitos two-week December meet opens Friday with overnight purses higher than during the track’s September meet and last year’s December meet. The purse boost continues a yearlong trend at Southern California tracks.
Los Alamitos has scheduled a seven-day season through Dec. 12, with racing Friday to Sunday and next Thursday to Sunday.
Los Alamitos has placed an emphasis on overnight purses over stakes purses for this meet.
