DEL MAR, Calif. - Tenacious Leader, a 15-1 shot in Friday’s $1 million Juvenile Turf at Del Mar, will be scratched due to a fever, trainer Todd Pletcher said Wednesday.
Tenacious Leader, a son of Not This Time owned by Mike Repole and Spendthrift Farm, was returning to turf, a surface on which he finished second to Zulu Kingdom in the Grade 3 With Anticipation at Saratoga, after he finished sixth in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity on dirt at Keeneland.
DEL MAR, Calif. – The victories by Japan-based runners March Lorraine and Loves Only You at the 2021 Breeders’ Cup held at Del Mar figured to spur interest in Japanese participation when the event returned to the seaside track this year. But even those closest to the situation were surprised that 19 horses from 13 different trainers have traveled here for the 41st Breeders’ Cup to be held Friday and Saturday.
DEL MAR, Calif. – There is a tradition in the Bregman family of grandfathers shepherding grandsons for afternoons at local racetracks.
Sam Bregman, the district attorney in Bernalillo County in New Mexico, used to attend the races in Maryland with his grandfather. Sam’s son, Alex, the star third baseman for the Houston Astros, recalls trips to the Downs at Albuquerque with his grandfather.
“Those are my earliest memories” of the racetrack, Alex Bregman said recently.
Officially, Joe Lee will be making his Breeders’ Cup debut when he runs May Day Ready in Friday’s $1 million Juvenile Fillies Turf at Del Mar. Those who know Lee – a New York native who likes to call everybody “Cowboy” – understand this is hardly his first rodeo.
Lee, 62, has been involved in racing for more than four decades. From a hotwalker, to groom, to exercise rider, and wanna-be-jockey – he rode in one race – to assistant trainer, Lee has worked behind the scenes for most of his career.
Del Mar
Tuesday, Oct. 29
Weather: Clear
Temperature: 59
Track: Fast
DEL MAR, Calif. - With nearly 180 horses entered in this year’s Breeders’ Cup, and all of them currently on the grounds, needless to say Tuesday morning was a very busy one at Del Mar from the time the track opened at 5:30 a.m. until it closed four hours later.
DEL MAR, Calif. – Non Compliant, undefeated winner of the Grade 2 Oak Leaf Stakes, has been scratched out of Friday’s $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Del Mar, and Out On Bail, winner of the Skidmore Stakes, has been scratched from Friday’s $1 million Juvenile Turf Sprint, according to a Breeders’ Cup official.
The scratches will be listed as “trainer withdrawal,” according to Dora Delgado, senior vice president of racing operations and nominations for Breeders’ Cup.
The gelding’s name is a tongue twister. Fortunately, his race record is easier to assess.
Isivunguvungu, a Zulu name for a severe storm, is a South African-bred who won his American debut in the Da Hoss Stakes at Colonial Downs on Sept. 7. The victory has led to his appearance in Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Del Mar for the Hollywood Syndicate and trainer Graham Motion.
The Arizona Department of Racing on Monday granted Turf Paradise in Phoenix a 45-day conditional permit to open as scheduled on Saturday after discussing a litany of items the track is still addressing to bring it into compliance with health and safety regulations.
DEL MAR, Calif. – European turf sensation City of Troy drew post 3 and was installed as the favorite by both track linemaker Jeff Siegel, who pegged him at 5-2, and Daily Racing Form’s Brad Free, who has him at 3-1, in an overflow field of 15 entered Monday for Saturday’s $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic, the richest of 14 Breeders’ Cup races run over two days at Del Mar.
The field for the Classic, run at 1 1/4 miles, is limited to 14 starters. Rattle N Roll is on the also-eligible list and would need one scratch to get into the race.
Buoyed by unseasonably dry, warm, and sunny fall conditions, the Keeneland fall meet in Lexington, Ky., hit record highs for total handle, total purses, and other critical financial metrics.
Total handle during the 17-day meet was $210.4 million, according to an analysis conducted by Daily Racing Form, a 0.6 percent increase over the record set in 2022. Both meets had 161 total races, so average wagering per race also was up 0.6 percent compared to 2022 and a record, at $1.31 million.
