ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Perennial leader Eurico Da Silva was recently reunited with agent Tom Patton, and the Brazilian native is on target for another Woodbine riding title this year.
Following a car accident in 2017, Patton missed all of last year due to health issues. Early this month, he began booking mounts again for Da Silva, who was represented by Mike Luider during his hiatus. Luider, who recently picked up Luis Contreras, is the long-time agent for Emma-Jayne Wilson.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Steve Asmussen, who won the 2018 Jim Dandy Stakes with Tenfold, will seek a second straight Jim Dandy trophy when he sends out Laughing Fox in the Grade 2, $600,000 stakes for 3-year-olds on July 27.
Laughing Fox, who finished fifth in the Preakness, 3 3/4 lengths behind winner War of Will, worked five furlongs in 1:01.19 Monday over the Oklahoma training track. He got his last three furlongs in 36.50 seconds and galloped out six furlongs in 1:13.64 and seven furlongs in 1:26.38.
“That’s as good as he’s ever worked," Asmussen said.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Guarana was certainly impressive drawing away to a six-length triumph in the Grade 1 Acorn last month at Belmont Park. But there was no shortage of rave reviews for runner-up Serengeti Empress following her courageous effort in defeat in the one-mile Acorn.
Alfredo Lichoa found fulfillment in his prior callings in the Thoroughbred business, first as a veterinarian in his native Venezuela and then as a farm manager and consultant in Ocala, Fla.
But that lifetime of work never provided the kind of thrill Lichoa got Saturday at Gulfstream Park when Lady Alida led all the way at 18-1 in the $75,000 Treasure Coast Stakes, giving the 56-year-old his first stakes victory as a trainer.
Maximum Security turned in his last piece of serious work on Monday prior to the Grade 1 Haskell at Monmouth Park.
Maximum Security, who will be favored in Saturday’s Haskell, two-minute licked a mile at Monmouth in 1:53 and change. Trainer Jason Servis said the son of New Year’s Day went his first half-mile in a minute and then came home in just over 53 seconds.
“I’m feeling good about him,” Servis said.
Eddie Johnston trained the recently retired multiple stakes winner Pacific Pink, and he appears to have another quality Louisiana-bred distaffer on his hands in Is Too.
Is Too defeated open company at her Evangeline Downs base last Friday night in the $50,000 Opelousas Stakes. She is now a candidate to return to the Louisiana-bred ranks in the $50,000 Louisiana Cup Distaff on Aug. 3 at Louisiana Downs, said Johnston.
DEL MAR, Calif. – Justify ran six times, his last race coming just 111 days after his first. Yet the impact of the 2018 Triple Crown winner is being felt in Southern California more than a year later.
Alysheba, jockey Calvin Borel, trainer Bobby Barnett, and racing executive Tom Sweeney were all inducted into the new Louisiana Downs Hall of Fame on Saturday after being selected for the honor through an online poll conducted by Louisiana Downs.
The individuals joined the previously-announced Sunday Silence, Free Spirits Joy, Edward J. DeBartolo, Sr., John Franks, Ronald Ardoin, Larry Snyder, Frank Brothers, and C.W. “Cracker” Walker.
All of the individuals were enshrined following the seventh race Saturday at Louisiana Downs.
Evangeline Downs is scheduled to race Wednesday night after weathering a tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico that briefly turned into a hurricane. The track canceled last Saturday night’s card in advance of the storm, and the $50,000 John Henry Stakes, which was part of the program, has been rescheduled for this Saturday night.
“The track is fine, the barns are fine,” Chris Warren, director of racing for Evangeline, said on Monday. “We got a lot of rain.”
Evangeline is expected to be off the turf Wednesday night.
The California Horse Racing Board on Thursday at Del Mar is expected to discuss whether to allow Los Alamitos and Santa Anita to run as many as four days a week during their meetings that begin in September. The tracks will submit license applications at the board meeting.
