Thu, 08/01/2019 - 15:20

Mr. Money a deserving favorite in West Virginia Derby

Coady Photography
Mr. Money enters the West Virginia Derby off three straight Grade 3 wins.

In April, Mr. Money wasn’t even the best 3-year-old in trainer Bret Calhoun’s barn, but come August he has emerged as the Midwest’s leading sophomore and is a deserving short-priced favorite Saturday in the Grade 3, $500,000 West Virginia Derby at Mountaineer Park.

Thu, 08/01/2019 - 14:50

Connections hoping Eclair can deliver in debut

Barbara D. Livingston
Bob Baffert will send out Eclair in Saturday's first race at Del Mar.

DEL MAR, Calif. – Eclair, the most expensive horse at the Fasig-Tipton Santa Anita sale of 2-year-olds in training in June, will have her career debut amidst high expectations in Saturday’s first race at Del Mar.

Trained by Bob Baffert for Sarah Kelly and Jane Wiltz, Eclair is part of a field of five in a maiden special weight race at six furlongs for fillies. Drayden Van Dyke has the mount and has worked Eclair.

“She’s very athletic,” Van Dyke said. “She gets over the ground well.”

Thu, 08/01/2019 - 14:46

Bulletproof One likely to stick with Cal-breds for now

Benoit Photo
Bulletproof One ran her record to 3 for 3 taking Wednesday's CTBA Stakes at Del Mar.

DEL MAR, Calif. – Bulletproof One is likely to stay in the California-bred 2-year-old filly division after a convincing win in her Southern California debut in Wednesday’s $100,702 California Thoroughbred Breeders Association Stakes for statebred fillies at Del Mar.

Bulletproof One led throughout the CTBA Stakes, winning by 6 1/4 lengths without being urged late by jockey Norberto Arroyo Jr. Bulletproof One ran 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:04.70, earning a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 76.

Thu, 08/01/2019 - 14:46

O'Neill equals own single-day win record at Del Mar

Benoit & Associates
Doug O'Neill's five winners Wednesday at Del Mar included the maiden 2-year-old filly Land Over Sea, a horse he feels could be good enough to reach this fall's Breeders' Cup.

DEL MAR, Calif. – The winners arrived early and late for trainer Doug O’Neill at Del Mar on Wednesday.

O’Neill won five of the seven races to equal a single-day record for wins in a day at Del Mar that he set in 2015.

From a surprise win by So Gucci ($49.20) in Wednesday’s first race to Ocean Fury’s win at $6.20 as the second choice in the final race, O’Neill had a brilliant day with seven runners.

“It was an awesome day,” he said on Thursday. “I thought we had a couple of good chances, but I didn’t seen it coming.”

Thu, 08/01/2019 - 10:16

Ciuri puts speed to test in Duchess Stakes

Michael Burns
Ciuri (right) holds off Sav (left) to win the Lady Angela Stakes on June 28 at Woodbine. The two will meet again on Saturday in the Duchess Stakes.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Off a fast restricted stakes score, Ciuri will move up in class against 10 other 3-year-old fillies in Saturday’s $100,000 Duchess Stakes going seven furlongs at Woodbine.

A front-runner trained by Robert Tiller, Ciuri won her first two races easily, an open six-furlong maiden special in April and an Ontario-sired allowance over the same distance in May. In her only loss, she was outrun for the lead before fading to third against nonwinners-of-three Ontario-sired allowance types June 7.

Wed, 07/31/2019 - 15:56

Got Stormy returns in De La Rose Stakes

Lauren King/Coglianese Photos
Got Stormy was scratched from the Just a Game Stakes on Belmont Stakes Day after being injured in his stall.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Got Stormy scratched from the Grade 1 Just a Game Stakes on Belmont Stakes Day after getting cast in her stall a few days before the race.

Saturday, Got Stormy will attempt to regroup for trainer Mark Casse in the $100,000 De La Rose Stakes, which drew 11 runners for the turf and three more who are designated as main-track only.

Got Stormy, a three-time stakes winner, was entered in the Just a Game off a runner-up finish to Beau Recall in the Grade 2 Churchill Downs Distaff Turf Mile on Kentucky Derby Day.

Wed, 07/31/2019 - 15:50

Saratoga-loving Voodoo Song tries easier in Lure Stakes

Debra A. Roma
Voodoo Song will try to snap a three-race losing streak Saturday in the Lure Stakes.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Voodoo Song won the Grade 1 Fourstardave here last summer, but his connections have looked for something a bit easier for the 5-year-old New York-bred this summer.

Voodoo Song, trained by Linda Rice, was one of nine entered Wednesday for Saturday’s $100,000 Lure Stakes, a mile race for horses who have not won a graded stakes this year. One of those nine, Control Group, was entered for the main track.

Wed, 07/31/2019 - 15:46

Clement enters Disco Partner and Pure Sensation against World of Trouble

Barbara D. Livingston
Late-running Disco Partner would benefit if World of Trouble was challenged on the front end of the Troy Stakes.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Christophe Clement has entered his accomplished pair of turf sprinters, Disco Partner and Pure Sensation, against World of Trouble in Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Troy Stakes at 5 1/2 furlongs on turf.

Disco Partner, who won the 2016 Troy and who has earned $1.4 million, finished third, 2 1/2 lengths behind World of Trouble, in the Grade 1 Jaipur on June 8 at Belmont. He does his best running from off the pace and could be aided if Pure Sensation is able to put some pressure on World of Trouble early.

Wed, 07/31/2019 - 15:40

Former Whitney rivals Little and Jerkens on same team with Preservationist

Barbara D. Livingston
Six-year-old Preservationist has made only nine career starts due to a series of minor setbacks.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Twenty-five years ago, Colonial Affair, owned by Centennial Farms, held off a hard-charging Devil His Due, trained by H. Allen Jerkens, to win the Grade 1 Whitney Handicap by a nose. The result left Don Little Jr. and Jimmy Jerkens with differing emotions and memories.

Wed, 07/31/2019 - 15:26

Richard Hazelton, 10th all-time in wins by trainer, dies at 88

Benoit Photo
Richard Hazelton won more than 4,700 races in his training career.

Richard Hazelton, the 10th-most winning trainer in North American racing history, died Tuesday in the Los Angeles area at 88.

Hazelton died after suffering a stroke but had been in relatively poor health for some time. His death was reported by his son, Scott Hazelton, the well-known television racing analyst who had been helping take care of his father since Richard Hazelton moved to California from his home in Illinois several years ago.