Fri, 08/10/2018 - 16:19

Trainer Dennis Ward reaches 1,000-win milestone

Courtesy of Gulfstream Park
Dennis Ward sent out his 1,000th winner Thursday at Gulfstream Park.

Dennis Ward, a former jockey and the father of trainer Wesley Ward, hit 1,000 career Thoroughbred training wins in North America on Thursday at Gulfstream when Greely Is Back ($17.80) won the fifth race. Dennis Ward added to his win total one race later, taking the sixth with Dreaming of J C ($21.80).

Ward won the first race of his training career on Oct. 29, 1983 at Turf Paradise, according to Daily Racing Form records. He is a 71-year-old native of Seattle and was a jockey at Longacres in Washington from 1962 to 1968, according to a press release from Gulfstream.

Fri, 08/10/2018 - 15:10

Curlin's Approval cuts back for Sugarloaf Key

Leslie Martin/Coglianese Photos
Curlin's Approval will go off as a heavy favorite in Sunday's Sugarloaf Key Stakes.

Curlin’s Approval is the ultimate horse-for-course at Gulfstream Park. She’s registered all eight of her wins over the main track for local earnings of $584,190. Sunday, the multiple Grade 2 winner will be out to add to her stellar local record when she starts as a strong favorite in the $75,000 Sugarloaf Key Handicap.

Fri, 08/10/2018 - 15:06

Good Bye Greg vs. Gorgeous George in showdown of synthetic lovers

Coady Photography
Good Bye Greg wins an allowance July 21 at Arlington.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – Gorgeous George is a poor man’s version of Good Bye Greg. Or is he, at this stage, close to his equal?

Probably not, but the featured third race Sunday at Arlington brings them together and will reveal more than the past performance lines can show.

Fri, 08/10/2018 - 15:00

Jockey Herrera giving U.S. another try

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – Jacinto Herrera, something of a legendary jockey in South America, is giving North America another try.

Herrera, a 46-year-old native of Lima, Peru, was to have his first Arlington mount on Saturday. He also has rides on the Sunday card. All are for trainer Ignacio Correas, who came to the U.S. from Argentina after operating a very successful stable there. It’s Correas who has engineered Herrera’s move to Arlington. Herrera won’t have an agent for a time and Correas is the de facto manager of his career.

Fri, 08/10/2018 - 14:30

Apprentice Espinoza granted stay of suspension

DEL MAR, Calif. – Apprentice jockey Assael Espinoza is named to ride five of Sunday’s nine races at Del Mar after receiving a stay of a 10-day suspension for careless riding.

Espinoza, 18, was granted the stay by a San Diego County superior court judge on Thursday. The suspension was scheduled to begin on Sunday and continue 10 racing days, through Aug. 25.

Fri, 08/10/2018 - 14:30

Selcourt will train up to BC Filly and Mare Sprint

Emily Shields
Santa Monica Stakes winner Selcourt has been on the sidelines since spring recovering from bone bruising.

DEL MAR, Calif. – The multiple stakes winner Selcourt is a notable omission from the entries for Sunday’s Grade 3 Rancho Bernardo Handicap for female sprinters at Del Mar.

With luck, Selcourt could be part of the major races for the division this fall.

Trainer John Sadler said on Friday that Selcourt is scheduled to return to his stable on Wednesday after an extended rest prompted by bone bruising. Sadler said he would like to train Selcourt toward the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Churchill Downs on Nov. 3 and that she is unlikely to have a prep race in October.

Fri, 08/10/2018 - 14:26

Pavel will need his best in Pacific Classic

Coady Photography
Pavel, winner of the Grade 1 Stephen Foster last time out, is gearing up for a 1 1/4-mile test in the Pacific Classic.

DEL MAR, Calif. – The course of the 2018 season changed remarkably for Pavel with his win in the Stephen Foster Handicap at Churchill Downs on June 16.

The victory gave Pavel a fees-paid berth for the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill Downs on Nov. 3 and his first win in a Grade 1 race. He will try for his second in the Pacific Classic at Del Mar on Aug. 18.

Thu, 08/09/2018 - 15:36

Saratoga race run at wrong distance

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Wednesday’s fifth race at Saratoga, a maiden race for New York-bred juvenile males, was run at the incorrect distance of 1 1/8 miles. It had been scheduled for 1 1/16 miles.

Thu, 08/09/2018 - 15:30

Trainer Persaud begins 20-day suspension

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Randi Persaud began serving a 20-day suspension Friday for possession of vials of injectable controlled substances, according to a ruling issued Thursday by the New York State Gaming Commission.

The suspension was originally for 30 calendar days, but 10 of those days were stayed for Persaud waiving his right of appeal.

Thu, 08/09/2018 - 15:20

World of Trouble may return to dirt

Barbara D. Livingston
World of Trouble was a 1 3/4-length winner in Wednesday's Quick Call Stakes at Saratoga.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Jason Servis won Thursday’s $100,000 Quick Call Stakes with World of Trouble, who was trying the turf for the first time after making his first five starts on dirt.

World of Trouble had been scratched from the Grade 2 Amsterdam on dirt July 28 due to a temperature, and owner Mike Dubb suggested to Servis that the Quick Call, a race restricted to 3-year-olds, might be an option.

“My eyes lit up,” said Servis, believing there was a turf pedigree as World of Trouble was a son of Kantharos.