NEW ORLEANS - War of Will, who finished ninth as the favorite in the Louisiana Derby on Saturday at Fair Grounds, was reported "much improved this morning" on Sunday by his trainer, Mark Casse, who had said Saturday night following the race that War of Will was "off significantly." 

"It's pretty clear he strained something," said Casse, who theorized War of Will strained ligaments when he caught his patella. That would be one step removed from a stifle locking up, which would have prevented War of Will from continuing with the race.

Richard Yates, a prominent horseman in British Columbia, died at his home from a massive heart attack on Friday.

Yates, 74, was the secretary-treasurer for the Canadian and British Columbia Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association. He was also a committee member of the B.C. Horse Racing Hall of Fame.

Yates was an owner, breeder, and trainer in B.C for 27 years. Along with his wife, Barbara, and Richard Schwindt, he bred She’s A Bombshell, who won the 2003 Sadie Diamond Futurity.

WHO’S HOT

NEW ORLEANS – Bill Mott knows every inch of Churchill Downs. It’s where he rose to prominence in a career that sent him to the Hall of Fame at age 45 as the youngest trainer ever inducted. It’s where, in 1986, he became the track’s winningest trainer, a position he held for 31 years until local hero Dale Romans passed him.

Santa Anita is scheduled to resume racing March 29 and a planned introduction of the elimination of Lasix will begin with next year’s crop of 2-year-olds under a deal hammered out by Santa Anita and the Thoroughbred Owners of California on Saturday, track owner The Stronach Group announced Saturday evening.

Terms of the deal include the immediate reduction of race-day administration of Lasix from a maximum of 10 CCs to 5.

Santa Anita is scheduled to resume racing Friday and a planned introduction of the elimination of Lasix will begin with next year’s crop of 2-year-olds under a deal hammered out by Santa Anita and the Thoroughbred Owners of California on Saturday, according to a source with knowledge of the agreement.

Terms of the deal include the immediate reduction of race-day administration of Lasix from a maximum of 10 CCs to 5.

War of Will, winner of the Lecomte and Risen Star Stakes, was installed as the 6-5-morning-line favorite when an 11-horse field was drawn Saturday for the Grade 2, $1 million Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds on March 23.

Half his rivals are familiar foes, having chased him unsuccessfully in the Feb. 16 Risen Star at Fair Grounds. They include runner-up Country House, third-place Roiland, fourth-place Hog Creek Hustle, fifth-place Limonite, and seventh-place Mr. Money.

Alan Goldberg has been noticeably absent at Gulfstream Park this winter, with former jockey Jorge Duarte Jr. training for Richard Santulli’s Colts Neck Stables, Goldberg’s client of 30 years. 

But on Monday, Goldberg was back on the beat in Ocala, Fla., checking on horses Santulli has at Randy Bradshaw’s RKB Breaking and Training and James Crupi’s New Castle Farm. He also paid a visit to Nick de Meric’s barn at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales, browsing the 2-year-olds who would go through the auction ring Tuesday and Wednesday.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Racing is scheduled to resume March 22 at Santa Anita, ending a two-week interruption that came after a rash of equine fatalities.

Tim Ritvo, chief operating officer for Santa Anita owner The Stronach Group, confirmed the re-opening date Sunday morning, and racing officials announced significant revisions to the stakes program. 

Scott Stevens has won 4,890 races in his own right and has served as a mentor and inspiration to riders who have won thousands more, most notably his younger brother, Hall of Fame jockey Gary. His respect among his peers was solidified on Friday, when he was announced by Santa Anita as the winner of the 2019 George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award, which Santa Anita has presented annually since 1950.

Scott and Gary Stevens thus become the first brothers to receive the Woolf Award, which Gary won in 1996.