SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Antonio Sano reported Friday he will be forced to bypass the Grade 1 Whitney with Gunnevera after missing some training time due to a bruised foot.
Gunnevera has not started since his third-place finish in the Dubai World Cup, nor has he recorded an official workout since going five furlongs in 1:03.40 on June 15 at Gulfstream Park West.
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The way they finished in the $1 million Queen’s Plate is the order in which they drew for Tuesday’s $400,000 Prince of Wales Stakes, the middle leg of the Canadian Triple Crown at Fort Erie.
One Bad Boy, the 3 1/2-length winner of the 10-furlong Queen’s Plate, drew post 1 and was tabbed as the 7-5 favorite in the five-horse Prince of Wales field. Flavien Prat retains the mount on the Richard Baltas-trained ridgling.
HENDERSON, Ky. – The new owners of Ellis Park reiterated their commitment to horse racing when detailing plans to sink tens of millions of dollars into the aging facility during a media briefing Friday in the clubhouse of this 97-year-old track.
“We see this as a tremendous business opportunity,” said Skip Sayre, who was among several officials representing the new ownership entity, Ellis Entertainment LLC, at the briefing. “We are looking to restore Ellis to its iconic status and make it an attraction that customers can enjoy and appreciate.”
DEL MAR, Calif. – Santa Anita received provisional approval from the California Horse Racing Board on Friday to run its six-week autumn meeting from Sept. 27 to Nov. 3 contingent on the track informing racing board staff in coming weeks of specific plans regarding the use of the hillside turf course for sprints.
Santa Anita has not conducted races at about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course since a two-horse spill occurred on March 31. From early April through the conclusion of the track’s six-month meeting on June 23, all turf sprints were run at five furlongs.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Due to a forecast that calls for excessive heat, Saturday’s 11-race card at Saratoga has been canceled, the New York Racing Association announced Thursday.
Saturday’s races will be moved to Sunday. The 13-race card will also include the Grade 3, $200,000 Shuvee Stakes as well as a steeplechase race that was canceled from Wednesday.
According to the National Weather Service, an excessive heat watch is in effect for northern Saratoga County on Saturday from noon to 8 p.m. The heat index could be as high as 107, according to the NWS.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – While he reserves the right to change his mind, trainer Shug McGaughey said Thursday that he is more likely to train Code of Honor up to the Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers Stakes rather than run him in the Jim Dandy on July 27.
“Probably leaning against” the Jim Dandy, McGaughey said, “and going straight to the Travers. Let those guys battle it out.”
McGaughey said that Code of Honor “was just a little bit slow” to rebound from his winning effort in the Grade 3 Dwyer Stakes on July 6.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Rodolphe Brisset recorded his first Saratoga victory when the 3-year-old Off the Record slipped through an opening along the rail to win his debut by two lengths Wednesday at Saratoga.
A son of Distorted Humor, Off the Record showed real professionalism rallying along the rail over an extremely sloppy track. Off the Record covered seven furlongs in 1:24.50 and earned a 71 Beyer Speed Figure.
SAN DIEGO – A San Diego County Superior Court Judge on Thursday said he needed more time to review documents related to a temporary restraining order sought by trainer Jerry Hollendorfer against Del Mar, setting a preliminary injunction hearing for eight days hence, on July 26.
Judge Ronald F. Frazier said he was denying “without prejudice” a temporary restraining order sought Thursday. He set the preliminary injunction hearing for his courtroom, in downtown San Diego, at 11:30 a.m. on what would be the eighth day of Del Mar’s summer meeting.
Rick Hammerle, who has logged more than 30 years as a racing official at such top tracks as Santa Anita, Gulfstream Park, and Del Mar, has been brought on as racing coordinator for Oaklawn Park, the Hot Springs, Ark., track announced Thursday. He will work with Jed Doro, vice president of racing at Oaklawn, and Pat Pope, the track’s longtime racing secretary, during the meet that opens Jan. 24.
After Borracho finished a strong third in the Grade 1 Woody Stephens last month at Belmont Park, beaten a length by Hog Creek Hustle, the prevailing thinking was that trainer Rusty Arnold would wheel his improving 3-year-old back in the Grade 1 Amsterdam a week from Sunday. Instead, Arnold opted to drop Borracho back into the allowance ranks on Sunday's card at Saratoga, where he’ll take on older horses for the first time in his career.
