Jesus Castanon was all turned around – literally.
For a few incredible moments early in the eighth race Friday at Tampa Bay Downs, the 44-year-old jockey found himself facing backward while seated on the rump of a rival horse after being dislodged from his mount, Zouzou, who stumbled badly as the 3-2 favorite in a $16,000 claiming race at 1 1/16 miles on the turf.
“It felt like I was living in slow motion,” Castanon said Monday.
ARCADIA, Calif. – From his first graded stakes win to the richest win of his career, trainer William Morey celebrated two major milestones on consecutive Saturdays in January at Santa Anita.
Morey won his first graded stakes with Coniah in the Grade 3 Las Cienegas Stakes on Jan. 20. On Saturday, Morey won his richest race when Rye prevailed by a head in the $200,345 Unusual Heat Turf Classic.
The rest of the stable is winning, too. Through Sunday, the 20th day of the winter-spring meeting, Morey had won with 9 of 15 starters.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Bolt d’Oro, a two-time Grade 1 winner in 2017, will have a new rider for his 3-year-old debut in the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita on March 10.
Javier Castellano will replace Corey Nakatani, owner and trainer Mick Ruis told track publicity on Sunday.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – That they knew this day would come did not make it any easier. On Sunday, shortly before 9 a.m. at Gulfstream Park, Gun Runner was led onto a Sallee horse van that would take him to an airplane and on to Kentucky, where he will soon begin life as a stallion. It also took him away from the people who had cared for him on the racetrack every day for nearly three straight years.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Jockey Eric Cancel will be sidelined from riding for at least six weeks after sustaining a fracture in his vertebrae as the result of a spill Saturday morning during training hours at Belmont Park.
Cancel was unseated when a horse he was on for trainer Todd Pletcher fell while galloping out after a workout. The horse was down for several minutes before eventually getting up and being vanned off. That horse was deemed to be okay, according to assistant trainer Byron Hughes.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Bolt d’Oro, a two-time Grade 1 winner in 2017, had his first workout of the year at Santa Anita on Saturday, the start of preparation for a 3-year-old campaign scheduled to begin with the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes on March 10.
Bolt d’Oro worked three furlongs in 36.80 seconds, and galloped-out with interest around the first turn. Jockey Corey Nakatani, who rode Bolt d’Oro in all four of his starts in 2017, was aboard.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The day after Firenze Fire won the $150,000 Jerome Stakes at Aqueduct, trainer Jason Servis said he most likely would wait until the Grade 3 Gotham Stakes on March 10 to run the horse again.
He did leave the door slightly ajar for the Grade 3 Withers pending how the horse came out of the Jerome.
Well, Firenze Fire apparently came out of the Jerome so well that on Friday, Servis confirmed that Firenze Fire would indeed run in next Saturday’s $250,000 Withers Stakes at Aqueduct.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – As a result of a partnership between FOX Sports, the New York Racing Association and The Stronach Group, there will be broadcasts of major stakes – mainly Kentucky Derby prep races – on Fox Sports 2 over a period of six Saturdays in February and March, it was announced Friday.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – A quarantine placed on Barn 44 at Belmont Park due to a case of the equine herpesvirus was lifted Friday after the horse in question tested negative for the virus this week.
Linda Rice trains most of the horses in that barn, and trainer David Duggan has six. Those horses will be permitted to enter races and may now train with the general horse population. For the last two weeks – including Friday – horses in that barn had to train after regular training hours.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Matt Salvato, who last fall was promoted to racing secretary at the New York Racing Association, has been ruled off the grounds at the three NYRA tracks, the company said Friday.
Though no reason was given, NYRA spokesman Pat McKenna said Salvato has “been trespassed from NYRA properties as of Jan. 25. As it is a personnel matter, we won’t be commenting any further.”
Salvato, reached Thursday after he was escorted out of Aqueduct by security, said he was “suspended” indefinitely. Salvato, citing an ongoing investigation, declined to comment further.
