Mon, 09/23/2019 - 11:20

Covfefe heads to Breeders' Cup off big win

Coady Photography
Covfefe earned a 107 Beyer Speed Figure winning the Dogwood Stakes (above).

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Nov. 2 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Santa Anita is the next stop for Covfefe, who emerged from her sublime victory in the Dogwood Stakes here Saturday in good shape, trainer Brad Cox said.

Mon, 09/23/2019 - 11:16

Churchill stakes lose leading runners

Barbara D. Livingston
Omaha Beach would have been heavily favored in the Ack Ack Stakes.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – No Omaha Beach for the Ack Ack, and no Seeking the Soul for the Lukas Classic.

Still, the show will go on and the lights will shine bright at Churchill Downs when the final Downs After Dark card of 2019 is held Saturday night amid what is expected to be brilliant early autumn weather.

Mon, 09/23/2019 - 09:26

Cheryl White, pioneering African American jockey, dies at 65

Barbara D. Livingston
Cheryl White, pictured in 2012, began riding in 1971 at the age of 17.

Cheryl White, the first African-American female jockey in the United States, died in her home state of Ohio on Saturday after a recent illness, according to several of her friends.

White was 65 and was living in Youngstown, Ohio. In recent years, she has worked as a patrol judge, clerk of scales and filled in as a steward at Mahoning Valley Racecourse. She had worked in recent years at Thistledown, her friends said.

Sun, 09/22/2019 - 21:57

Los Alamitos reports handle decline for L.A. County Fair meet

Barbara D. Livingston
Los Alamitos conducted 10 days of racing during the 2019 Los Angeles County Fair meet.

CYPRESS, Calif. – All-sources handle at the 10-day Los Angeles County Fair meeting at Los Alamitos that concluded on Sunday declined by approximately 6.5 percent compared to 2018, according to track vice-president Jack Liebau.

The 2018 county fair meeting was run over 12 days. This year, the county fair meeting eliminated the first two Thursdays because of concern over the number of available horses. The meeting opened on Sept. 6 and had two three-day racing weeks before a final week that encompassed four days of racing.

Sun, 09/22/2019 - 18:06

Van Dyke, recovered from arm injury, gets back to work

Barbara D. Livingston
Drayden Van Dyke was thrown when his mount Eight Rings veered inward in the Del Mar Futurity.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Drayden Van Dyke walked through the Santa Anita parking lot late Sunday morning, his white long-sleeve T-shirt covered with flecks of dirt on the arms.

Getting dirty was a fun way to spend the morning for Van Dyke, who resumed exercising horses on Saturday after a three-week absence because of injury.

Van Dyke was unseated from Eight Rings in the opening furlong of the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity on Sept. 2 and sustained a bruised and swollen right arm. He was cleared to resume working horses last Friday and wasted no time getting back to work.

Sun, 09/22/2019 - 16:40

Hollendorfer eyeing Malibu as he mulls plans for King Jack

Barbara D. Livingston
King Jack earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 111 for his victory Saturday in the Gallant Bob Stakes.

King Jack was back at his barn at Los Alamitos early Sunday afternoon following his 1 1/2-length victory in Saturday’s Grade 2, $300,000 Gallant Bob Stakes at Parx, for which he earned a gaudy 111 Beyer Speed Figure.

Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer said he’s not sure where he will point the speedy 3-year-old next. King Jack, a son of Jimmy Creed owned by Michael Stinson, is now 3 for 4 in his career.

Sat, 09/21/2019 - 10:20

Omaha Beach staying in California for Santa Anita Sprint Championship

Debra A. Roma
Trainer Richard Mandella wants to make sure Omaha Beach's throat is completely healed before he begins training again.

Omaha Beach, unraced since a win in the Arkansas Derby in April, will start in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Sprint Championship on Oct. 5 and will not be sent to Churchill Downs for the Grade 3 Ack Ack Handicap on Sept. 28, trainer Richard Mandella said Saturday.

Mandella said he was not pleased with Omaha Beach’s seven-furlong workout in 1:27.40 on Friday at Santa Anita.

“I didn’t feel it was a good enough workout,” he said. “We’ll run him here.”

Fri, 09/20/2019 - 16:00

Vino Rosso cruises through final work for Jockey Club Gold Cup

Barbara D. Livingston
Vino Rosso is likely to face four opponents in the Jockey Club Gold Cup on Sept. 28.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Vino Rosso completed his major preparations for a start in next Saturday’s Grade 1, $750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup by working five furlongs in 59.02 seconds Friday morning over a glib Belmont Park main track.

Vino Rosso started his work about five lengths behind stablemate Singapore Trader, creeping up alongside that one at the three-sixteenths pole. The two finished up together with Vino Rosso getting his final three furlongs in 35.00 seconds. He galloped out six furlongs in 1:12.78 while edging away from Singapore Trader.

Fri, 09/20/2019 - 15:50

Instagrand nearing return

Barbara D. Livingston
Instagrand has not raced since May.

ELMONT, N.Y. – The Grade 2 stakes winner Instagrand, unraced since he finished eighth as the favorite in the Grade 3 Pat Day Mile in May, worked five furlongs in 58.80 seconds out of the gate Friday morning over the Belmont Park main track.

It was his sixth work since he returned to trainer Don Chatlos’s barn in Saratoga earlier this summer. Previously trained by Jerry Hollendorfer, Instagrand sustained a hind leg fracture diagnosed after the Pat Day Mile.

Fri, 09/20/2019 - 15:46

Toner experiences highs and lows

Barbara D. Livingston
Jimmy Toner trained Coffee Crush, who died at Belmont on Thursday.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Trainer Jimmy Toner experienced the extremes of his profession on Thursday.

At Belmont Park, Toner won Thursday’s fourth race, a maiden turf event, with the 3-year-old filly Whatdoesasharksay ($9.90). It was Toner’s third win with as many starters at the fall meet.

One of those winners was Coffee Crush, who captured a first-level allowance here on Sept. 13. On Thursday morning, however, Coffee Crush died from an apparent cardiovascular collapse while galloping on the pony track.