Ivan Fallunovalot ran like a horse on a mission Saturday in the Hot Springs Stakes at Oaklawn Park and on Sunday his urgency sadly became clear: His trainer, W.T. “Tom” Howard died later that evening, according to an announcement from Oaklawn.
Howard died after a battle with cancer, according to a press release. He was 70.
Oaklawn Park on Sunday announced that overnight purses will be increased for the second time at this meet starting Saturday.
The increases will range from $1,000 to $3,000 a race in a move that pushes maiden special weights to a track-record $81,000 and some allowances as high as $85,000. Oaklawn also is increasing races with a claiming price of $20,000 or more by $2,000 each, while the same purse bump will be in effect for starter allowances. Other categories will increase in value by $1,000.
Parx Racing has canceled its Saturday card due to a saturated racing surface following Wednesday's nor'easter, which dropped about eight inches of wet, heavy snow on the Bensalem, Pa., area.
The snow froze overnight Wednesday and was difficult to clear from the track, according to Sam Elliott, the director of racing at Parx. On Friday, the track was extremely sloppy and could not be properly graded, leading to the cancellation.
The equine herpesvirus quarantine on Barn 10 at Belmont Park was lifted early Friday afternoon, 21 days after the filly Ladies Day became ill with the disease.
Ladies Day tested positive for equine herpes myeloencephalopathy, the more serious neurological strain of the virus. She was euthanized after being unable to get to her feet. Ladies Day, a 4-year-old daughter of Bernardini owned by Godolphin, was trained by Tom Albertrani.
Ronnie Franklin, the star-crossed jockey who won the 1979 Kentucky Derby and Preakness at age 19 aboard Spectacular Bid, died of lung cancer Thursday. His death at age 58 was confirmed by his nephew, former rider Walter Cullum.
Although Franklin hadn’t ridden in a race since 1992, Cullum said his uncle in the last 10 years had galloped horses at a Maryland farm and at the Folsom Training Center in Louisiana.
The Arizona Department of Agriculture has lifted a previously ordered quarantine of a barn at Turf Paradise after a reported case of EHV-1, according to the Equine Disease Communication Center.
The report said the quarantine, put in place Feb. 12, was lifted March 1 after of the state veterinarian, Arizona Department of Gaming Division of Racing and Turf Paradise officials monitored the situation for any other exposed horses and no other EHV-1 cases were found.
Nine new names are in the lineup for Pool 3 of the 2018 Kentucky Derby Future Wager, which opens Friday at noon Eastern for the customary three-day run. Pool 3 runs concurrent to the lone annual Kentucky Oaks Future Wager.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Fly So High, winner of Saturday's Grade 2 Davona Dale, will be sidelined indefinitely due to a suspensory issue, trainer Shug McGaughey confirmed on Tuesday.
Fly So High was pulled up shortly past the finish line by jockey Jose Ortiz following her three-length tally in the Davona Dale. She was vanned back to her barn where it appeared she cooled out sound. But upon further examination, it was discovered Fly So High had suffered an upper suspensory issue, McGaughey said.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – The Jockey of Club of Canada has announced the finalists in the three media categories for the 2017 Sovereign Awards, which will be handed out during a ceremony at the Palais Royale in Toronto on April 19.
The writing category finalists are Tom Ferry for “Where Champions Dance,” Perry Lefko for “Former Breeders’ Stakes champ finding the stable life at last,” and Emily Shields for “How Secretariat gave the Canadians something to remember forever.”
Dan Perlsweig, best known as the trainer of champion juvenile Lord Avie, died Tuesday. He was 91.
A native of Philadelphia, Perlsweig was a member of the city’s mounted police before serving in the U.S. Navy in World War II. When he returned from the war, Perlsweig worked as an exercise rider, and eventually became jockey. He rode for a decade before a spill ended one career and started another.
