ETOBICOKE, Ontario – After spending more than 20 years as an assistant trainer, Leroy Trotman has changed roles and will now represent eight-time Sovereign Award-winning jockey Patrick Husbands as his agent.
Husbands and longtime agent Gary Kemplen recently parted ways, and Trotman said Husbands offered him a chance to take over his book.
“Patrick wanted to make a change, and he gave me a call,” Trotman said. “This opportunity is the perfect opportunity.”
DEL MAR, Calif. – Mark Stanton came to California for a weekend of beach time and bets at Del Mar. He went home to South Jersey with a memento that fit comfortably in his carry-on luggage.
On Saturday evening, Stanton paid $20,000 for the silks and saddle towel worn by California Chrome a few hours earlier en route to a win in the San Diego Handicap. The silks and saddle towel were auctioned for charity before the start of the Del Mar Paddock Sale of horses of racing age.
DEL MAR, Calif.- Big Book, a three-time winner who was graded stakes-placed last year, remained under evaluation on Sunday, a day after sustaining sesamoid injuries in a workout at Del Mar.
Trainer Tim Yakteen said veterinarians were assessing whether Big Book could undergo an operation and be saved as a broodmare.
“They haven’t decided what to do,” he said.
DEL MAR, Calif .- The Grade 1 winner Her Emmynency has been retired after a series of poor performances, trainer Kristin Mulhall said over the weekend.
“She just gave up on us,” Mulhall said.
Owned by Ike and Dawn Thrash, Her Emmynency won 4 of 11 starts and earned $560,595. Mike Stidham trained Her Emmynency prior to this year.
DEL MAR, Calif. - The energy from California Chrome’s brilliant half-length win over Dortmund in Saturday’s $200,000 San Diego Handicap was still present at trainer Art Sherman’s stable at Del Mar on Sunday morning, a very welcome sort of hangover.
In his first start since a win in the $10 million Dubai World Cup on March 26, California Chrome caught Dortmund in early stretch and held off his stubborn and determined rival through a thrilling final furlong.
“It was a battle,” said Frank Taylor, who co-owns California Chrome. “Dortmund is some kind of horse. He didn’t quit.”
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The talented New York-bred Bar of Gold once again will seek her first graded stakes victory when she runs in Wednesday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Honorable Miss Handicap at Saratoga.
Bar of Gold is 4 for 4 against New York-breds but is winless in eight graded stakes tries. Last summer at Saratoga, she finished second to Cavorting in the Grade 1 Test and Grade 2 Prioress.
On Saturday morning, Bar of Gold blew out three furlongs in 36.44 seconds.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Stopchargingmaria, the 2015 Breeders’ Cup Distaff winner, will miss next Sunday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Shuvee Handicap due to a cough, trainer Pletcher said Saturday.
Pletcher still will be well represented in the race by Curalina, the Grade 1 La Troienne winner, who worked a solid half-mile in 47.86 seconds Saturday morning over the Saratoga main track.
Pletcher said if he didn’t have his radio to communicate with the exercise rider, Curalina “might have went a little quicker.”
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The anticipated meeting between Preakness winner Exaggerator and Belmont Stakes winner Creator in next Saturday’s Grade 2, $600,000 Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga likely will not materialize after the connections of Exaggerator said their horse most likely will skip the race.
Exaggerator put in a subpar workout Saturday morning over the Saratoga main track, getting his first quarter-mile in 24.44 seconds and his last quarter in 25.72. He did not gallop out very strongly.
DEL MAR, Calif. – Enola Gray extended her unbeaten streak to three races in Friday’s $147,000 Fleet Treat Stakes for 3-year-old California-bred fillies at Del Mar, enhancing trainer Phil D’Amato’s deep team of prospects in the division for late summer.
Keeping them apart will be tricky.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – All-sources handle on Friday’s opening-day card at Saratoga was $17,763,037, a less than 1 percent increase compared to last year’s figure of $17,706,202.
Ontrack handle Friday was $4,703,479, a 6.6 percent decline from last year’s figure of $5,040,927.
The New York Racing Association announced attendance as 32,980, a 5.1 percent decrease from last year’s figure of 34,783. NYRA, as it did last year, counts season passes sold in its daily attendance count whether those ticketholders were here or not.
