Mon, 06/24/2019 - 15:20

Astoria winner Maryanorginger sidelined

Barbara D. Livingston
Astoria winner Maryanorginger (inside) is likely to race next on Aug. 4 in the Adirondack Stakes at Saratoga.

ELMONT PARK, N.Y. – Maryanorginger, who overcame trouble to win her career debut in the $150,000 Astoria Stakes, will be sidelined 60 days with cellulitis and a stress fracture in a hind leg, trainer Jeremiah Englehart said Monday.

Englehart said that Maryanorginger is at Dr. Patty Hogan’s farm in central New Jersey, and he hopes to bring the filly back for a fall and winter campaign.

Mon, 06/24/2019 - 15:06

Pat On the Back to try open company in Nerud Stakes

Chelsea Durand/NYRA
Pat On the Back (right) pulls off a nose victory over Giant Expectations in Monday's Commentator Stakes.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Pat On the Back, who has won four New York-bred stakes in his last six starts, will make his next start against open company in the Grade 2, $300,000 John A. Nerud Stakes at Belmont on July 6, trainer Jeremiah Englehart said.

Pat On the Back, who won the Affirmed Success at six furlongs and the Commentator at a mile, will now try seven furlongs in the Nerud.

Last year, Pat On the Back won the Saginaw Stakes, a race restricted to New York-breds which this year will be run next Sunday.

Mon, 06/24/2019 - 15:00

Newspaperofrecord relaxes nicely in Sunday work

Emily Shields
Newspaperofrecord, who finished second in the Edgewood, is being pointed to the 1 1/4-mile Belmont Oaks on July 6.

ELMONT, N.Y. – If Newspaperofrecord could relax as well in the afternoon as she does in the morning, trainer Chad Brown could take her to the Grade 1, $750,000 Belmont Oaks on July 6 with supreme confidence.

Mon, 06/24/2019 - 13:40

O'Neill, Prat top 2019 spring-summer meet standings

Barbara D. Livingston
Doug O'Neill finished the Santa Anita spring-summer meet with 23 wins to lead all trainers.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Jockey Flavien Prat and trainer Doug O’Neill led their respective categories at the Santa Anita spring-summer meeting, which ended on Sunday.

From April 12 through Sunday, Prat won 30 races, six more than runner-up Joe Talamo. Prat was the second-leading rider at the track’s winter-spring meeting, which ran from Dec. 26 to April 7, finishing with 52 wins, four fewer than Joel Rosario.

Mon, 06/24/2019 - 13:36

Amalfi Sunrise most impressive in debut win

Benoit Photo
Amalfi Sunrise drew off to win her maiden by 6 1/4 lengths on Sunday at Santa Anita.

ARCADIA, Calif. – No matter the vantage point, whether trackside or watching on a mobile phone 5,000 miles away, there was much to like about Amalfi Sunrise’s career debut in a maiden special weight race for 2-year-old fillies at Santa Anita on Sunday.

Amalfi Sunrise drew into the race from the also-eligible list and gave the most dazzling performance of a juvenile at the Santa Anita meeting, which ended on Sunday.

Mon, 06/24/2019 - 13:30

Zayas has edge in rider standings as spring meet nears end

Barbara D. Livingston
Edgard Zayas holds the lead in the Gulfstream Park jockey standings going into the spring meet's final days.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Edgard Zayas holds a 64-56 advantage over Emisael Jaramillo in the jockey standings, while Saffie Joseph Jr. maintains a comfortable 20-14 edge over both Ralph Nicks and Antonio Sano in the trainer standings heading into the final four days of Gulfstream Park’s 2019 spring meet, which ends Sunday.

Jaramillo might have been able to shave a little more off Zayas’s lead had he not spent the weekend at Monmouth Park, where he won three races on Saturday and two more on Sunday’s card.

Mon, 06/24/2019 - 13:30

Biancone has contenders for Smile Sprint, Princess Rooney

Lauren King/Coglianese Photos
Trainer Patrick Biancone has been pointing the lightly raced Diamond Oops (above) for Saturday’s Grade 3 Smile Sprint and has Razorback Lady for the Grade 2 Princess Rooney.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Diamond Oops has taken a somewhat unconventional route to get there, but he could be one of the more intriguing players in what figures to be a wide open renewal of the Grade 3 Smile Sprint on Saturday’s Summit of Speed program at Gulfstream Park. Diamond Oops is one of two horses trainer Patrick Biancone has been pointing toward the Summit of Speed for the past several months, along with the graded stakes-placed Razorback Lady, who will be among a small field of fillies and mares expected for the Grade 2 Princess Rooney.

Mon, 06/24/2019 - 12:26

Asmussen becomes third trainer to win 700 races at Churchill Downs

Barbara D. Livingston
On Saturday, Steve Asmussen joined Bill Mott and Dale Romans as the only trainers to win 700 races at Churchill Downs.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – One race before saddling Mia Mischief to defeat Covfefe in the Roxelana on Saturday, Steve Asmussen achieved another milestone in his Hall of Fame training career.

Rocky Tough went last to first in an allowance, making Asmussen just the third trainer in Churchill history with 700 wins. He then won the Roxelana and two more races Sunday, giving him 703, which trails only Dale Romans (729) and Bill Mott (715) atop the all-time Churchill list.

Mon, 06/24/2019 - 12:26

Cox has seven-win weekend despite Covfefe's loss

Barbara D. Livingston
Brad Cox will be bringing Covfefe to Saratoga for the summer.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Covfefe got beat, and still last weekend was another fabulous one for trainer Brad Cox.

“Covfefe ran really well, but sometimes you don’t win even when you run big,” said Cox, who had seven winners among four different tracks from Friday to Sunday, most notably Owendale in the Ohio Derby at Thistledown.

Mon, 06/24/2019 - 12:20

Albarado has surgery after fracturing wrist in spill

Barbara D. Livingston
Albarado, who has been riding almost 30 years, went down in a second-race spill at Churchill on Sunday.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Jockey Robby Albarado will be sidelined indefinitely after undergoing surgery Sunday evening for a fractured left wrist suffered in a spill earlier in the day at Churchill Downs.

Albarado was injured during the second race when his mount, Dennis’ Moment, appeared to clip heels when in a tight spot next to the inner rail when passing the half-mile pole. Albarado was dislodged, falling hard on his left side.