Sweet home Louisiana.
Monte Man has fit right into the Pelican State program since relocating from New York, and on Saturday night he will be seeking to win his fifth straight race in Louisiana when he runs in the $75,000 Louisiana Legends Sprint at Evangeline Downs.
“He’s a Louisiana-bred . . . this is where he’s meant to be for sure,” said trainer Ron Faucheux.
The Sprint, which is for 3-year-olds and up at 5 1/2 furlongs, is one of seven statebred stakes on a card worth $600,000.
Fear the Cowboy has earned almost $1.2 million in his three starts this year – but he has yet to win a race. It’s a statistical oddity and one the multiple stakes winner will carry into Sunday’s running of the Grade 3, $200,000 Lone Star Park Handicap.
Ruidoso Downs has undergone extensive changes since its new ownership took over in October. Patrons returning for the 47-date meet that opens Friday will find upgrades to the grandstand and its casino, as well as updated wagering technology. There also are expanded racing integrity protocols in place, and a pair of bonuses tied to the meet’s top races for Quarter Horses, led by the $3 million All American Futurity.
The moves have been made by new owners John Andreini, Narciso Flores, Stan Sigman, and Johnny Trotter.
Jockey Marlon St. Julien, who injured his spine in a one-horse spill at the start of a race last Saturday night at Prairie Meadows, still was in an intensive-care unit as of Wednesday. St. Julien underwent surgery on Sunday to relieve pressure on his spinal cord.
Pinch Hit, Dreamcall, and Divine Dutchess are drawn in posts 1, 2, and 3 for the $50,000 Jack Bishop Stakes on Friday night at Prairie Meadows, and they appear to be the three principal players in this two-turn dirt stakes for fillies and mares.
ARCADIA, Calif. – City of Light, winner of three consecutive graded stakes since Christmas, will run as far as 1 1/4 miles for the first time in Saturday’s Grade 1 Gold Cup at Santa Anita.
Trainer Mike McCarthy considered City of Light for the Grade 1 Metropolitan Mile Handicap, a $1.2 million race June 9 at Belmont Park, but has opted for the $500,000 Gold Cup.
“He can walk right out of his own stall and into the paddock,” McCarthy said. “He’s had some good works, and I’m pleased with his attitude.”
ARCADIA, Calif. – The most popular horse around Santa Anita this year may not be Triple Crown hopeful Justify but the 10-year-old gelding Soi Phet, the winner of the $102,070 Crystal Water Stakes last Sunday.
Justify has the national fame, but Soi Phet has gained widespread admiration for his durability and the tenacity he displayed in winning Sunday’s one-mile turf race by a head.
The former owners of the East Boston-racetrack Suffolk Downs have reached a long-term lease agreement with the owners of the Great Barrington Fairgrounds property to conduct live racing on the grounds as early as next year, provided that massive renovations to the former racetrack are completed and racing-friendly legislation is approved in the state.
West Coast, second in the Dubai World Cup and Pegasus World Cup in his last two starts, is getting a freshening after returning from Dubai and will have a campaign focused on the late summer, fall, and early part of next year, trainer Bob Baffert said.
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