DEL MAR, Calif. – Victor Espinoza, the Hall of Fame jockey who fractured a vertebra in an accident Sunday morning at Del Mar, will miss the remainder of the meeting, his agent, Brian Beach, said Monday afternoon.
Beach said Espinoza would be required to wear a neck brace for the next six weeks, “more to remind him not to turn his head sideways suddenly.” Espinoza is at Scripps La Jolla Hospital, where he is expected to remain for several more days, Beach said.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Monomoy Girl put more distance between herself and the rest of the 3-year-old filly division on Sunday with a decisive three-length victory over Midnight Bisou in the Grade 1, $300,000 Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – In Lyrical Lady and Nitrous, trainer Steve Asmussen sent out two good-looking maiden-winning 2-year-olds in the first two days of the meet. Both are likely headed to a stakes race later in this Saratoga season.
Lyrical Lady, who won her debut by 5 3/4 lengths on Friday’s opening day card, could wheel back in the Grade 2, $200,000 Adirondack at 6 1/2 furlongs on Aug. 11.
The $1 million Haskell Invitational is known as a race that always gets its horse. Whether it be Nyquist, American Pharoah, Rachel Alexandra, Big Brown, or Curlin, the cream of the 3-year-old crop makes an annual visit to Monmouth Park.
But this year is different. Undefeated Triple Crown winner Justify is on sabbatical, and there really isn’t a suitable replacement. Justify’s trainer – eight-time Haskell winner Bob Baffert – is not even expected to have an entrant.
Every time Jerry Bozzo sends out a winner, he sets a new standard.
Bozzo, who will turn 98 on Oct. 25, won the fifth race Saturday at Gulfstream Park in south Florida with Gusty Wind, once again delighting his many admirers.
In June 2017, Bozzo broke what was believed to be the North American record for oldest winning trainer, held by the late Noble Threewitt, when he won a maiden-claiming race with a filly named Cotton Tooyah. Before that, Bozzo had become the oldest trainer to win a stakes when Flutterby registered three such triumphs in 2015.
DEL MAR, Calif. – In two starts at Del Mar last year Roy H was essentially robbed of a win when he finished a troubled second in the Grade 1 Bing Crosby Stakes in July, and ran a career-best race to win the Breeders’ Cup Sprint in November.
A three-time 2017 stakes winner, Roy H won the Eclipse Award as the year’s outstanding sprinter, the first champion for owner Gary Hartunian coming six years after he began actively acquiring Thoroughbreds.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Are You Kidding Me began his 2018 campaign with back-to-back wins, including a victory in the Grade 2 Eclipse Stakes on May 26, before running third behind stablemate Tiz a Slam in the Grade 3 Dominion Day Stakes over 1 1/4 miles at Woodbine on July 1.
He’ll make his next start Aug. 12 in the Grade 3, $125,000 Seagram Cup Stakes over 1 1/16 miles on Tapeta, trainer Roger Attfield said.
Attfield said Are You Kidding Me has come out of the Dominion Day in good order. He breezed five furlongs in 1:02.00 on the main track on Sunday morning.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Trainer Sid Attard had a big weekend at Woodbine, recording his 2,000th training victory in North America on Sunday when Lady of Moray won the ninth race on the card.
Of those 2,000 wins, 103 have been stakes victories. Attard’s most recent stakes win came July 8 in the Shepperton Stakes, when Kingsport upset Pink Lloyd to snap the Canadian Horse of the Year’s 11-race win streak.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Pink Lloyd had his 11-race win streak snapped with a third-place finish in the Shepperton Stakes on July 8, and will now look to start a new win streak. His next start will likely be in Woodbine’s Grade 3, $125,000 Vigil Stakes over six furlongs on Tapeta for 3-year-olds and upward July 29.
DEL MAR, Calif. - Jerry Hollendorfer needed four days on opening week at Del Mar to surpass his win total for the entire 2017 summer meeting.
Last year, Hollendorfer won with 5 of 80 starters. Through Sunday, he has 7 wins from 17 starters. Hollendorfer said the early success at this meeting helps the morale of his employees.
“It’s good for the barn,” Hollendorfer said, overseeing activity at his stable on Sunday morning.
The 72-year-old Hall of Fame trainer downplayed the frustrating summer of 2017.
“I’m a big boy,” he said. “I can take the abuse.”
