The law firm representing Ahmed Zayat in his bankruptcy proceeding and a civil action brought by his primary lender has asked the court to authorize the severance of its relationship with Zayat, contending that he owes $368,000 in legal fees to the firm.
Attorneys for trainer Bob Baffert have called a recent legal filing from the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission “baseless” because it seeks a court ruling to turn over information that Baffert’s legal counsel does not possess, according to the July 22 filing in Kentucky’s Franklin Circuit Court.
Jockeys Heriberto Figueroa and Tomas Mejia were injured in a spill on the Monmouth grass course Sunday.
Figueroa, who reportedly suffered a concussion, was to be released from Monmouth Medical Center early Sunday evening, according to trainer Mike Dini, whose horse, Service With Honor, was part of the accident and who was at the hospital.
DEL MAR, Calif. - Hot Rod Charlie, the disqualified winner of the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park on July 17, will not start in the Grade 1 Pacific Classic at Del Mar on Aug. 21.
“The owners and I have huddled up and we want to take a patient approach,” trainer Doug O’Neill said Sunday. “I’m not sure if the Pacific Classic will fit in our mindset.
“We’re in no hurry to get him back out there u ntil he’s ready and he’s tearing the barn down. We’re going day by day.”
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Country Grammer, the Grade 1 Hollywood Gold Cup winner, will most likely miss the major races in the older male division this year due to an ankle injury that has flared up, trainer Todd Pletcher said Sunday.
Country Grammer, who was under consideration for the Grade 1 Whitney here Aug. 7, missed a scheduled work Friday at Saratoga. Pletcher said X-rays and ultrasounds of the ankle were clean, and it appears he just wrenched it.
In yet another twist to the Medina Spirit case, the post-race urine sample from the 2021 Kentucky Derby winner has apparently been tainted and seriously depleted, leading the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission to file a motion for order in Franklin Circuit Court in Kentucky.
The Louisville Courier-Journal reported that the KHRC is alleging a “lack of candor and contemptuous conduct” by the New York Equine Drug Testing and Research Laboratory and its director, Dr. George Maylin, in the handling of a split sample delivered to the New York lab July 14.
Daily Racing Form has partnered with three-time Eclipse Award-winning jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. to promote its wagering and handicapping products during the 2021 Saratoga meet.
“Daily Racing Form is the biggest platform in our industry, and I’m happy to represent the company while I’m riding,” Oritz said. “I love DRF Formulator. It gives me the opportunity to watch the replays while I am studying the races. I had always used the Form, but Formulator takes my pre-race studying to another level.”
Rombauer, winner of the Preakness Stakes and third most recently in the Belmont, will be given a freshening of at least 60 days after not training recently “as sharp as he was before the Preakness and Belmont,” trainer Michael McCarthy said late Sunday afternoon.
“He just hasn’t been as sharp coming out of the Belmont,” said McCarthy, who trains Rombauer for John and Diane Fradkin, who bred and own the colt. “We didn’t think the right thing to do was push it. He’s done a lot for us. We’ll do whatever he needs.”
A federal district court judge sitting in New York ruled on Wednesday that the New York Racing Association’s ban of the trainer Bob Baffert should be stayed because of violations of the trainer’s rights to due process.
Judge Carol Bagley Amon of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York issued the ruling one day prior to the opening of NYRA’s prestigious Saratoga Race Course meet in upstate New York. The ruling will allow Baffert to start horses at the meet, barring any official suspensions he is issued in any jurisdiction.
Fair racing resumes with a twist Friday with the three weeks of dates alloted to the California State Fair in Sacramento. None of those cards will actually be held at the fair, which has decided not to run any races this year.
The first week will be run in Pleasanton at the Alameda County Fairgrounds, with the final two weeks at Golden Gate Fields.
Golden Gate will follow with two more weeks of racing on dates assigned to the Sonoma County Fair at Santa Rosa. Sonoma County is not conducting a fair this year.
