Matt Dinerman, the current track announcer at Oaklawn Park in Arkansas, has been hired as the new track announcer at Monmouth Park in New Jersey, which opens its meet on May 11.
Dinerman, 31, was the track announcer at Golden Gate Fields in California for six years prior to moving to Oaklawn Park last year. The Oaklawn Park and Monmouth Park meets do not currently overlap.
Sierra Leone versus Dornoch, Round 2, is on for the $1 million Blue Grass Stakes on Saturday at Keeneland.
Those two colts met Dec. 2 in the Remsen Stakes at Aqueduct, where Dornoch rode an inside-speed bias to a narrow victory over Sierra Leone, who rallied to take the lead in the final furlong before losing it again at the wire. While Dornoch’s performance was bias-aided, it also was brave, the colt regaining the lead after contesting a fast pace.
Total handle during Turfway Park’s 70-day race meet that concluded Sunday was up 29.0 percent compared to last year’s 66-day meet, according to figures compiled by Daily Racing Form from Equibase charts.
Total handle was $246.6 million for the meet, which started on Nov. 29, or $3.52 million per day. During the previous meet, total handle was $191.1 million, or $2.90 million per day.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - All-sources handle at Aqueduct’s winter meet was $260,157,869, a 3.1 percent decrease from the 2023 figure of $268,596,695, according to figures provided Tuesday by the New York Racing Association.
Ontrack handle was $25,195,179, a 3.2percent decline from the $26,030,989 handled ontrack in the winter of 2023.
Fierceness, runaway winner of last Saturday’s Florida Derby, has been made the 7-2 morning-line favorite for the final Kentucky Derby Future Wager pool, according to a list of entrants distributed by Churchill Downs on Tuesday.
Fierceness, who won the Florida Derby by 13 1/2 lengths in his final Derby prep, was listed as the solid favorite among 39 individual entrants and the “all others” entry. Sierra Leone, who is pointing to this Saturday’s Blue Grass Stakes, is listed as the second choice at 6-1, while Catching Freedom, winner of the Louisiana Derby, is third choice at 8-1.
Anthony Stabile, a former co-host of NYRA’s Talking Horses handicapping show, has been hired to be the track announcer at Finger Lakes racetrack in upstate New York, the track announced on Monday.
Stabile will take over a job vacated by Tony Calo, who was hired last week to be the track announcer at Ellis Park in Kentucky. Calo had also been hired to call the races at Turfway Park in the winter.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – There’s nothing like New York in spring time, especially if you’re trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. and running horses in stakes races at Aqueduct.
It was just a year ago, Lord Miles, with one win from four previous starts to his credit, upset the Wood Memorial at 59-1, the third longest shot in a field of 12. In 2022, Joseph ran third and fourth in the Wood with Skippylongstocking and A. P.’s Secret, sent off at odds of 17-1 and 49-1, respectively. In 2019, Math Wizard finished fourth at 64-1, the longest price on the board.
Frosted Grace, who went over $1 million in career earnings with his Saturday victory in the Grade 3, $500,000 Oaklawn Mile, could see stakes action later in the meet.
Trainer Mike Maker said Monday plans for the horse are to be determined, but options include the $200,000 Lake Ouachita here May 3.
Frosted Grace won the Oaklawn Mile by 1 1/2 lengths and for the effort, the 8-year-old earned a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 101.
“Very pleased with his race, obviously” Maker said. “Just an old classy horse, you wish you had a whole barnful of.”
Lat Long, who was a maiden special weight winner over Common Defense in December at Oaklawn, is being pointed to the Grade 1 Blue Grass on Saturday at Keeneland, trainer Kenny McPeek said Sunday.
Lat Long last raced Jan. 20 and was third in the Grade 3 Lecomte at Fair Grounds. He worked a bullet half-mile in 46.40 seconds Sunday at Churchill Downs.
McPeek also trains Common Defense, who came back to win his maiden at Oaklawn one start after facing Lat Long and later in the meet ran second in the Grade 2 Rebel.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Southern California-based trainer Bob Baffert could attempt a sweep of the Southwest market’s two Grade 1 races.
He accounted for the first offering Saturday when Muth won the $1.5 million Arkansas Derby. Baffert said Sunday he could send a runner for the second Grade 1 race in the region, the $1.25 million Apple Blossom Handicap on April 13.
“I was looking at maybe Adare Manor for the Apple Blossom,” he said.
