A total of $45.7 million was wagered on the races at Laurel Park during its summer meet, which concluded Sunday, an increase of 22 percent from the $37.3 wagered last year, according to Sal Sinatra, president of the Maryland Jockey Club.
Both meets had 24 racing dates.
Daily average handle at this summer's meet was $1.9 million, up from $1.55 million in 2015.
The champion Jess Good Candy won the battle but not the war Sunday during trials for the Grade 1, $2.4 million All American Derby at Ruidoso Downs. He darted to a 1 1/4-length win in his second-race trial, but his time of 21.60 seconds for 440 yards failed to notch a spot in the Sept. 4 finale on an afternoon when a track labeled “wet-fast” produced quicker times as the card rolled on.
There were 13 trials for the All American Derby, and the fastest qualifier was Volcom Bay, with a time of 21.18.
Whateverybodywants, who was second in the Grade 2 West Virginia Derby on Aug. 6, is being pointed for the Super Derby at Louisiana Downs, trainer Kellyn Gorder said Monday. The Grade 3, $400,000 race is Sept. 10.
Gorder won the 2012 Super Derby with Bourbon Courage, who also ran second in the West Virginia Derby in his start preceding the Super Derby. Gorder said there were a couple of reasons to target the Super Derby with Whateverybodywants.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Stopchargingmaria has won races at Saratoga in three straight summers, but she won’t make this summer’s meet.
Stopchargingmaria was forced to miss the Grade 3 Shuvee here last month due to an illness. She resumed training earlier this month and has breezed twice. However, trainer Todd Pletcher did not work her over the weekend and said he will come up with a new plan for last year’s Breeders’ Cup Distaff winner.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Aside from having similar names, there is very little similar about the paths Songbird and Bird Song have taken to this point of their 3-year-old campaigns. And while trainer Ian Wilkes knows that Bird Song is no Songbird, he does believe the best is yet to come for him.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The connections of Lady Eli have purchased the horse Sympathy from Highclere America and intend to use her as a pacemaker in Saturday’s Grade 2, $400,000 Ballston Spa Stakes.
Sol Kumin, whose Sheep Pond Partners owns part of Lady Eli, said he finalized a deal to buy Sympathy on Sunday.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – After Triple Crown winner American Pharoah got beat in last year’s Travers – the only loss of his Horse of the Year campaign – many probably thought that trainer Bob Baffert wouldn’t return to Saratoga for many years.
Not only is Baffert back, but he is bringing four horses to Saratoga this week, including American Freedom and Arrogate for Saturday’s Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers Stakes.
Whereas some recent programs at Gulfstream Park have been found noticeably lacking in high-end races, that is not the case for the Thursday card at the south Florida track.
Three allowances, all part of the Rainbow 6 sequence (races 5-10), anchor a 10-race card that starts at 12:50 p.m. Eastern. The Rainbow 6 started a five-day race week Wednesday with a $86,148 jackpot.
DEL MAR, Calif. – All the Marbles, a promising turf runner trained by Marty Jones, had to be euthanized Sunday morning shortly after suffering a catastrophic ankle fracture just as he was completing a workout on the turf course, becoming the 16th equine fatality, either racing or training, since the meet began July 15. There were nine such fatalities at last year’s summer meet.
