ELMONT, N.Y. – Jockey Rajiv Maragh, out of the saddle for nearly 16 months due to injuries, plans to return to race riding on the Nov. 4 opening-day card at Aqueduct.
Maragh suffered multiple back and rib fractures in a spill July 10, 2015, at Belmont Park. After intensive rehabilitation, Maragh has been getting on horses for several weeks, including three horses whom he put through timed workouts Thursday.
ARCADIA, Calif. – On a frenetic morning that saw two Kentucky Derby winners work hours apart at tracks separated by 32 miles, five horses preparing for the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita on Nov. 5 turned in drills for the race on Thursday in Southern California, headed by the acknowledged favorite, California Chrome.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Songbird is all set for her role as Breeders’ Cup Distaff favorite. Beholder is prepared to play spoiler. She also is ready to become a broodmare.
Songbird glided through an effortless five-furlong workout at 6:45 a.m. Thursday at Santa Anita. One hour later, Beholder worked an easy six furlongs under jockey Gary Stevens, who suspected that Beholder was ovulating, based on her mannerisms.
“I knew when I got on her this morning, the way she was swishing her tail,” Stevens said. “A lot of them get super moody and temperamental.”
Pleaseletmewin was the last pre-entered horse in the main body of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, but he will not be shipped to California from England after being sold at auction Wednesday.
Pleaseletmewin, a Group 3 winner, will instead head to Qatar to be campaigned this winter. The defection allows J. S. Choice, the first also-eligible among pre-entered horses, to get into the race. If Good Samaritan, whose connections listed the Juvenile as first preference over the Juvenile Turf at pre-entry, also comes out, Kitten’s Cat would land a spot in the 14-horse field.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Lull and Pure Sensation, two of trainer Christophe Clement’s three Breeders’ Cup horses, put in workouts on a crisp Wednesday morning at Belmont Park.
Lull, pointing to the Juvenile Fillies Turf, went an easy five furlongs in 1:02.48, getting her final three furlongs in 36.47 seconds while reaching out nicely with her ears up and under minimal urging. She began her move at the half-mile pole and galloped out six furlongs in 1:16.24. Lull just ran second in the Jessamine Stakes at Keeneland two weeks ago.
Texas Chrome left his Remington Park base in Oklahoma City on Wednesday bound for Santa Anita, said trainer J.R. Caldwell. The horse is being pointed to the Grade 1, $1 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile on Nov. 4.
“We timed it like this to make sure he got in, and all’s good,” said Caldwell.
Pre-entries for the Dirt Mile were taken Monday and announced Wednesday. There were 12 horses pre-entered in the race, which has a maximum gate of 12.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Bonus Points recorded his only victory in an off-the-turf maiden race at Belmont on Oct. 1. But he will be headed back to the turf in Saturday’s $100,000 Awad Stakes for 2-year-old males at a mile.
Bonus Points, trained by Todd Pletcher, debuted on turf, running fourth behind Oscar Performance, who came back to win the Pilgrim Stakes. While Bonus Points was beaten a total of 11 1/4 lengths in his debut, he was beaten only a length for second.
“He ran pretty well first time out, better than it looks,” Pletcher said.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Innovative Idea’s tour of North America makes a stop at Belmont Park on Saturday, when the stakes-winning 4-year-old filly runs in the Grade 3, $200,000 Turnback the Alarm Handicap for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles.
Innovative Idea, a daughter of Bernardini trained by Eoin Harty for Godolphin Racing, has raced this year at Tampa Bay Downs, Keeneland, Arlington Park, Prairie Meadows, Ellis Park, and, most recently, Churchill Downs.
ELMONT, N.Y. – The Canadian-based trainer Josie Carroll has made only two trips to Belmont Park in her career and doesn’t have fond memories of either one. She hopes for a different type of experience when she sends out Ami’s Flatter here in Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Bold Ruler Handicap.
Ami’s Flatter will be Carroll’s third starter at Belmont. In 2001, Mapp Hill finished seventh in the Grade 3 Flash Stakes. Earlier this year, Ami’s Flatter ran fifth in the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap, 16 3/4 lengths behind the runaway winner, Frosted.
Breakin the Fever’s victory in the $142,000 Hudson Handicap last Saturday at Belmont Park gave the husband-and-wife training team of Ronald and Debra Breed their biggest career victory.
The Breeds have been based at Finger Lakes since the early 1980s. As Ronald Breed put it, “I train the horses, and Debra runs the barn.”
Ronald Breed is 71. Before setting up shop at Finger Lakes, he worked downstate for Hall of Fame trainer Eddie Neloy and for Johnny Campo.
