Santa Anita and Del Mar officials are close to an agreement regarding a proposed Thoroughbred racing calendar for Southern California in 2014 that would lead to virtually all racing on the circuit at those venues.
A proposed calendar for 2014 was presented to the board of directors of the Thoroughbred Owners of California in a meeting at Santa Anita on Thursday, contingent on the closure of Betfair Hollywood Park at the end of this year.
Shanghai Bobby, last year’s 2-year-old champion male, has been found to have a stress fracture and will be out indefinitely, his connections announced Thursday afternoon.
Already off the Kentucky Derby trail following his disappointing fifth-place finish in the Florida Derby at Gulfstream on March 30, Shanghai Bobby was diagnosed with a pelvic stress fracture, according to a press release put out by Starlight Racing, which owns Shanghai Bobby along with Susan Magnier, Derrick Smith, and Michael Tabor.
Barretts Racing at Fairplex is making plans to open its barn area for year-round training next January, but is unlikely to expand its racetrack beyond the current five-eighth-mile configuration in the near future, the company's president, Jim Henwood, said on Thursday.
Barretts Racing, located on the Los Angeles County fairgrounds in Pomona, Calif., had previously proposed a $20 million expansion that would include expanding its main track to six furlongs and the development of a five-furlong turf course on its infield.
ARCADIA, Calif. – At least seven instances of sudden death have occurred in Thoroughbreds at Hollywood Park and Santa Anita since late November, according to a source who has seen the necropsy reports. Incidents of sudden death are being investigated by the California Horse Racing Board although it was not clear from comments made at a Thursday board meeting whether the rate of sudden deaths was unusual or whether the deaths were somehow linked.
When asked on Thursday for more details, racing board chairman David Israel said, “We can’t comment on an ongoing investigation."
Daily Racing Form will continue its sponsorship of the National Handicapping Championship, the company announced jointly Thursday with the National Thoroughbred Racing Association. DRF has been a sponsor of the championship every year since the contest began in 2000.
Wayne Catalano
He rode nine years and won 1,792 races, including 349 in 1977, when he was second in the nation behind Steve Cauthen. Since taking out his first trainer’s license in 1983, he has won more than 2,300 races, including three in the Breeders’ Cup. He has led or tied for meet titles at Arlington Park 11 times.
Freddie Head
Seventy years ago, in what was called the “Streetcar Derby” because of wartime restrictions on travel, Johnny Longden rode Count Fleet to victory in the Kentucky Derby. Longden also rode the medium-sized, headstrong colt to wins in the Preakness and Belmont Stakes, making Count Fleet the sixth of what has become 11 Triple Crown winners.
Horse Player NOW, a racing marketing organization founded by Jeremy Plonk and Joe Kristufek, will receive Pimlico Race Course’s Special Award of Merit this year for making a “positive impact on the racing industry,” Pimlico’s parent announced on Thursday.
Horseplayer NOW was launched in 2009. The company provides handicapping tips and strategies for racetracks, and, since 2011, Horseplayer NOW has administered the “Night School” internet sessions for new and experienced handicappers.
MIAMI - Itsmyluckyday, one of the leading contenders for this year’s Kentucky Derby, breezed an easy half-mile in 48.22 seconds at Calder on Thursday morning. The work was his first since finishing second behind Orb as the favorite in the Grade 1 Florida Derby 12 days earlier.
[ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY: Prep races, point standings, replays]
More dominos fell into place Thursday as far as the riding situation is concerned for the Kentucky Derby, as Javier Castellano has chosen to ride Wood Memorial runner-up Normandy Invasion instead of two-time graded stakes winner Revolutionary, and Garrett Gomez was named to ride Vyajck.
