ARCADIA, Calif. – The carryover in the 20-cent Rainbow 6 has reached $883,200 for Thursday’s program at Santa Anita. The jackpot pick six bet, which is paid out only if there is one winning ticket, has not been hit at the meeting, which began Dec. 26.
The Rainbow 6 is scheduled to have a mandatory payout day on Feb. 2, pending approval from the California Horse Racing Board later this month. A day with a mandatory payout is expected to result in a pool of new money of several million dollars.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Amandine could become the first horse to start in three stakes at the current Santa Anita winter-spring meeting in Monday’s Grade 3 Megahertz Stakes for fillies and mares at a mile on turf.
Amandine had a busy opening week of the meeting last month, winning the Lady of Shamrock Stakes at a mile on turf Dec. 26 and finishing third in the Grade 1 American Oaks at 1 1/4 miles on Dec. 29.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Steve Lym was in his position as racing secretary at Santa Anita for about a day last weekend when the Toronto transplant experienced a Southern California winter storm – a Saturday with about an inch of rain.
Bad weather in California in January has a different meaning than what Lym was used to in southern Ontario, where he held a similar position at Woodbine. Lym was named racing secretary at Santa Anita last month following the dismissal of Rick Hammerle.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – It’s been nearly two years since David Brownlee had to give up training, but you can’t keep him away from his horses. Brownlee was at Gulfstream last week to lend a hand and moral support to trainer Juan Arias with She’s No Joke, whom he co-owns in a partnership. The 4-year-old filly ran second in a claiming race.
“I’ve had liver cancer,” said Brownlee, 72, “but the doctors say I’m clean now, thankfully. I had to quit training because of all the chemotherapy treatments, so I turned my horses over to Juan. He’s doing a great job.”
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Flavien Prat, the star French jockey based in Southern California, has been named to ride Audible in the $9 million Pegasus World Cup on Jan. 26, it was announced Sunday by trainer Todd Pletcher.
The mount on Audible came open when his regular rider, Javier Castellano, opted to stick with City of Light, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile in his last start.
“Flavien seems to be riding in really good form,” Pletcher said. “We thought he’d fit him well.”
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – When Starship Jubilee won the Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf last year at Gulfstream Park, she was making amends as a beaten favorite in the Claiming Crown Tiara.
Trainer Kevin Attard is hoping history repeats itself Saturday when Starship Jubilee runs back in the $150,000 Filly and Mare Turf after fading to fourth as an odds-on choice last month in the Tiara.
Top 3-year-old prospect and undefeated Maximus Mischief turned in his first work Saturday since shipping to South Florida following his impressive victory in the Grade 2 Remsen. He went four furlongs in a swift 46.97 seconds at Gulfstream despite flipping leads near the sixteenth pole and looking around quite a bit down the stretch.
ARCADIA, Calif. - A week of expected wet weather will disrupt the workout schedule for Game Winner, the undefeated winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Churchill Downs on Nov. 2.
Game Winner worked three furlongs in 35.20 seconds on Jan. 9, his first work since the BC Juvenile. Trainer Bob Baffert on Sunday said he had no plans for Game Winner’s next workout.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Belvoir Bay may be in the midst of a career transformation as a 6-year-old mare.
Belvoir Bay on Saturday won the Grade 3 Las Cienegas Stakes, which was scheduled for the hillside turf course but was moved to the main track because of rain. The surface switch did not affect Belvoir Bay, a six-time stakes winner on turf.
Belvoir Bay won the $100,000 Las Cienegas as the even-money favorite by 1 1/4 lengths in her first start on the main track since a win in the Grade 3 Torrey Pines Stakes at a mile for 3-year-old fillies at Del Mar in August 2016.
ARCADIA, Calif. - At about 2 a.m. Sunday, less than 10 hours after a win in the Grade 3 La Canada Stakes at Santa Anita, Escape Clause was loaded on a trailer and was driven by owner-trainer Don Schnell to his winter base at Turf Paradise.
Schnell arrived at the Phoenix racetrack by mid-morning, hauling a remarkable 5-year-old mare who won her first graded stakes in the La Canada and the 19th race of her 28-race career. The $100,000 La Canada Stakes was also the first graded stakes win for Schnell, 66.
