Gary Hartunian, the Southern California horse owner and real estate developer, has signed a two-year lease for the operation of Turf Paradise in Phoenix, according to an official involved in the process.

Tom Ludt, a seasoned racetrack executive who Hartunian has tabbed to run the track, said on Wednesday that the deal was signed last week. The group does not expect to take over formal operation of the track until late this year, after the licensing process is completed. In Arizona, licensing generally takes 90 days or more.

The unbeaten filly Silent Rule, who was considered a leading candidate for Ohio-bred championship honors heading into the state’s fall stakes, has been taken out of training and could be sold at auction in Kentucky this November.  

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Coming off an impressive victory in Saturday’s Grade 2 Flower Bowl Stakes at Saratoga, Bellezza “will be heavily considered” for the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Del Mar on Nov. 1, trainer Miguel Clement said Sunday morning. 

“The horse was very impressive,” Clement said. “The field might have been subpar, but that’s okay, she was visually impressive. She’s a Grade 2 winner, Grade 1-placed, it’s a bit tough not to go for the swing. She’s a 4-year-old, she’s still improving, she’s a very good filly.” 

Via Sistina, the winner of a record-equaling seven Group 1 wins from August 2024 to April of this year, was named Australia’s Horse of the Year for the 2024-2025 season in a ceremony in Brisbane on Sunday.

Via Sistina, a 7-year-old Irish-bred mare, won stakes at the highest level during the 2024-2025 season at distances ranging from seven furlongs to about 1 1/4 miles, including the Cox Plate at about 1 1/4 miles at Moonee Valley in Melbourne in course-record time of 2:01.07. Via Sistina broke the previous Cox Plate record of 2:02.07 set by Winx in 2017.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Trainer Todd Pletcher said Sunday that, if all goes well, it will be on to the Grade 1 Alcibiades at Keeneland on Oct. 3 for his undefeated 2-year-old filly Tommy Jo, following her 6 1/2-length victory over the previously unbeaten Percy’s Bar here less than 24 hours earlier in the Grade 1 Spinaway.

The Spinaway was a Win and You’re In qualifier for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Del Mar on Oct. 31. Tommy Jo is a homebred daughter of Into Mischief owned by Spendthrift Farm.

DEL MAR, Calif. - Through Sunday, trainer Phil D’Amato had amassed 72 career stakes wins at Del Mar, with seven of those accomplished by Gold Phoenix and Motorious, both stakes winners on Saturday.

D’Amato’s body of work through his career has put him in lofty company.

When Motorious won the Grade 3 Green Flash Handicap for turf sprinters for the third consecutive year on Saturday, D’Amato tied the late Hall of Fame trainer Bobby Frankel for sixth on the track’s all-time list with 70 stakes wins.

DEL MAR, Calif. – Fierceness, the decisive winner of the Pacific Classic on Saturday, will ship home to New York to prepare for the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 1 at Del Mar, while the top handicap horses in California – Journalism and Nysos – remain in the picture.

Journalism, odds-on runner-up in the Pacific Classic, “most likely” will train into the BC Classic, trainer Michael McCarthy said Sunday morning.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Jockey Jose Lezcano is expected to be out six to eight weeks with a broken collarbone suffered in a spill at Saratoga on Friday.

Lezcano underwent surgery in which he had a plate put in to stabilize the injury, according to his agent P.J. Campo.

Lezcano was aboard Catchy, who finished third in Friday’s second race, a maiden event for 2-year-old fillies. Catchy fell a few jumps past the wire, unseating Lezcano, who hit the ground hard. Catchy suffered a catastrophic injury to her left front leg and was euthanized on track.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - In a rare move, the connections of White Abarrio have made a day-of-race jockey change on White Abarrio in Sunday’ s $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup at Saratoga, electing to ride Edgard Zayas instead of Ricardo Santana Jr., who had been named at time of entry last Sunday. 

Remington Park in Oklahoma City canceled its second through 10th races Saturday night due to technical issues that prevented the track’s signal from being presented properly, according to a representative of Remington. 

The technical issues concerned television control room equipment. They also led to the track being unable to export its signal, according to a press release.