Fri, 10/06/2017 - 08:29

Jockey Ramon Vazquez hits victory No. 1,000 on five-win night

Jockey Ramon Vazquez won five races at Remington Park on Thursday night, including his 1,000th win in the United States.

He entered the card with 998 wins and hit 1,000 in the fourth race with Eurobond, the first of two winners he had on the card for longtime patrons Danny Caldwell and trainer Federico Villafranco.

Vazquez, 32, has won an additional 1,567 races in his native Puerto Rico, according to Equibase. He is a four-time title winner at Remington. Vazquez is tied for second in the current standings at Remington.

Thu, 10/05/2017 - 16:50

Separationofpowers looks to bounce back in Frizette

Adam Coglianese/NYRA
Separationofpowers was a sharp debut winner at Saratoga, but got hooked up in a speed duel and finished third in the Grade 1 Spinaway last out.

Separationofpowers, the beaten 3-5 favorite in the Grade 1 Spinaway, will look to bounce back in Sunday’s Grade 1, $400,000 Frizette Stakes for 2-year-old fillies at Belmont Park.

Separationofpowers was a sharp debut winner at Saratoga but then got hooked up in a vicious speed duel with Pure Silver in the Spinaway, costing both horses a chance at victory. The Spinaway was won by Lady Ivanka, who is training up to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies.

Thu, 10/05/2017 - 16:39

Zhukova back in U.S. for Flower Bowl

Barbara D. Livingston
Irish invader Zhukova, who beat males in the Grade 1 Man o' War, is back at Belmont to take on females in Sunday's Grade 1 Flower Bowl.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Zhukova, who came to the United States from Ireland in May to dominate the boys in the Grade 1 Man o’ War, will now take on females in Sunday’s Grade 1, $500,000 Flower Bowl Stakes at Belmont Park.

Zhukova drew post 4 in a field of six entered for the 1 1/4-mile Flower Bowl, which awards a fees-paid berth to the winner to the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf on Nov. 4 at Del Mar.

Zhukova relished a yielding turf course when she won the Man o’ War here in May. She may not get that type of ground Sunday.

Thu, 10/05/2017 - 15:06

Brazilian jockey Santana finding success in south Florida

Courtesy of Gulfstream Park
Jockey Ivaldo Santana

MIAMI – Jockey Ivaldo Santana has wasted little time making his presence felt locally.

Santana, a 35-year-old native of Brazil, registered his first U.S. victory on Sunday across town at Gulfstream Park, came right back to spring a 30-1 upset on Wednesday’s opening day here at Gulfstream Park West aboard Miss Lotus Flower, and added a third win when getting Bama Bound up in the final strides to capture the second race on Thursday.

Thu, 10/05/2017 - 15:00

Fawkes ends Gulfstream summer meet with bang

Leslie Martin/Coglianese Photos
Galleon Mast paid $4.00 in winning the Mr. Steele on Saturday.

MIAMI – Trainer David Fawkes ended the Gulfstream Park summer meet in style, winning a pair of stakes on last Saturday’s Florida Sire Stakes card with the veteran turf horse Galleon Mast and the 2-year-old Renaissance Frolic.

Galleon Mast posted his third consecutive stakes win with a neck decision over Galton in the Mr. Steele Stakes, the only one of the four scheduled turf stakes on the card to be run on grass. The switch to the main track did not affect Renaissance Frolic, however, as he drew off to a three-length victory in the Armed Forces.

Thu, 10/05/2017 - 12:48

Keeneland establishes concussion protocol for jockeys

LEXINGTON, Ky. – All jockeys who ride at Keeneland this fall will be required to complete a “baseline concussion assessment” as part of a pilot program that is designed to establish protocols for dealing with head injuries, the track announced on Thursday, one day prior to the opening of its meet.

Wed, 10/04/2017 - 16:42

Gulfstream caters to Spanish-speaking crowd

MIAMI - A live-stream Spanish broadcast of racing from both Gulfstsream Park and Gulfstream Park West began on opening day here Wednesday. The high-definition broadcast is independent of the track’s English broadcast, with separate producers, directors, cameras, on-air talent and race caller.

The broadcast is available online at gulfstreampark.com and at Gulfstream’s facilities on channel 17-1.

Wed, 10/04/2017 - 16:03

Untrapped targets Zia Park Derby

Dustin Orona Photography
Untrapped, winner of the Oklahoma Derby, will be pointed to the Zia Derby on Nov. 22.

Oklahoma Derby hero Untrapped will target the $200,000 Zia Derby on Nov. 22, said trainer Steve Asmussen on Monday. The 1 1/16-mile race is one of the final straight 3-year-old stakes on the national calendar.

The Zia Derby will be part of the Land of Enchantment card of stakes at the New Mexico track that includes the $300,000 Zia Park Oaks.

McCormick, the runner-up in the Iowa Derby who finished seventh in the Oklahoma Derby, could move back to turf for his next start, trainer Ian Wilkes said.

Wed, 10/04/2017 - 16:02

Average daily handle up at Albuquerque

The Downs at Albuquerque closed its 57-date meet for Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses on Sept. 24 with an increase in average daily handle and average daily purses, according to a press release from the New Mexico track.

Albuquerque handled an average $229,453 a day on its races, up 8 percent from $211,772 a day during the corresponding 60-date meet in 2016.

Purses averaged $163,465 a day this meet, up 4 percent from $156,771 at the corresponding meet a year ago.

Wed, 10/04/2017 - 16:00

Frostmourne fresh for Hill Prince Stakes

Hoofprints, Inc.
Frostmourne powered home to win the Kent Stakes by six lengths.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Frostmourne, the impressive winner of the Kent Stakes at Delaware Park on July 15, returns to the races in Saturday’s Grade 3, $500,000 Hill Prince Stakes going 1 1/8 miles at Belmont Park.

Frostmourne drew post 4 in a field of nine 3-year-olds entered Wednesday for the Hill Prince.

Frostmourne was being pointed to the Secretariat at Arlington this summer, but trainer Christophe Clement didn’t feel he was training well enough in early August to take on that challenge.