LOUISVILLE, Ky. – After two days of wagering, the mutuel field remained the favorite over Union Rags in Pool 2 of the 2012 Kentucky Derby Future Wager, while the smashing victory in the Gotham Stakes by Hansen made him the solid third choice.
Portrait of trainer chose to ignore pattern of behavior
I read with great interest the Feb. 19 letter to the editor "Owners defend Sadler on his merits," about trainer John Sadler, basically stating how Sadler is a credit to Thoroughbred racing and trainers everywhere.
Ghostzapper, the 2004 Horse of the Year; two-time champions Ashado and Housebuster, and Eclipse Award winner Xtra Heat are the four horses who join four jockeys and two trainers as the 10 finalists for this year’s ballot to the National Museum of Racing’s Hall of Fame, the Hall announced Friday.
The four jockeys who made the ballot are Calvin Borel, Garrett Gomez, Alex Solis, and John Velazquez, all of whom are still active. Roger Attfield and the late Bob Wheeler are the two trainers.
In another attempt to stimulate activity in its 2-year-old program at Belmont Park, the New York Racing Association announced it will award a $100,000 bonus to the connections of a 2-year-old that wins a maiden race at the Belmont spring/summer meet and goes on to win a graded stakes at Saratoga, Belmont, or Aqueduct in 2012.
The year 2011 was one of transition for New York-breds, probably making for a whole new list of champions when the New York Thoroughbred Breeders holds its annual awards banquet at the Saratoga National Golf Club in Saratoga on April 2.
After a couple of seasons in which Haynesfield − a two-time New York-bred Horse of the Year − Banrock, Get Serious, and Franny Freud garnered most of the attention, a new group accounted for the majority of success by New York-breds in 2011, when 10 horses accounted for 13 graded stakes victories, including four Grade 1’s.
The wife of trainer John Shirreffs, she has been the racing manager for Jerry and Ann Moss, the owners of Zenyatta, since 1984 and is the successor trustee of the estate of the late Hall of Fame trainer Bobby Frankel
Family: husband, John Shirreffs; son, David Ingordo
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Donald V. Little, the founder of the Centennial Farms racing syndicate, died Feb. 29 from injuries he sustained after a showjumping fall, Equestrian Sport Productions announced.
Little, who was in his 70s, was injured when his mount, Superiur, fell at a fence during the Masters Classic at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, Fla. He was flown by helicopter to Delray Medical Center.
Telling, who won back-to-back runnings of the Grade 1 Sword Dancer at Saratoga in 2009 and 2010, has been retired, said Alex Lieblong, the Arkansas-based businessman who owns the horse with his wife, JoAnn.
Telling, an 8-year-old by A.P. Indy out of the Grade 1-winning mare Well Chosen, won 6 of 28 starts and $848,409. He had been pointing for a start in the Grade 2 Mac Diarmida at Gulfstream Park last Sunday, but passed on the race because of a suspensory issue. Telling was trained for most of his career by Steve Hobby.
The horse Handy n Bold, trainer Howard Belvoir and jockey Basil Frazier are among the 20 nominees to the Washington Racing Hall of Fame.
There are four nominees in each of the five categories: Male horse, female horse, jockey, trainer, breeder. One inductee from each category will be announced June 14, and the 2012 induction ceremony will be held Aug. 18 following the races at Emerald Downs.
Earning a triple-digit Beyer Speed Figure in a February prep race at one mile is a far cry from running competitively over 10 furlongs on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs, but it’s nothing to sneeze at, either.
While Bob Baffert deservedly received most of the accolades for sweeping both divisions of the Grade 3 Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn on Feb. 20, another colt, an “Under the Radar” runner, made a nice impression in his own right.
