Mon, 03/04/2024 - 16:25

Three jockeys and an outrider injured in spill

Jockeys Ricardo Martinez, John Jude, and Bryan McNeil and outrider Bo Butler sustained varying injuries in a three-horse spill in Sunday’s eighth race at Fonner Park.

Martinez’s mount, Dial Uncle Joey, clipped heels and fell and the other two horses involved fell over that rival, according to the chart of the race. 

Butler collected Jude’s mount, Spry Charlie, who got up and ran in the opposite direction, while McNeil’s mount, J Ps Harley Glider, who also got up and ran, collided with Butler and his pony, according to a press release from Fonner.   

Mon, 03/04/2024 - 16:19

Plans for new Belmont Park released

Populous
The new Belmont Park will have a capacity of about 50,000 people and will include restaurants and suites.

Details of what the new Belmont Park will look like, including artist’s renderings of the facility expected to open in 2026, were released Monday afternoon by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul.

At roughly 275,000 square feet, the new building will replace the existing 1.25 million-square-foot building and include modern amenities and hospitality offerings including restaurants and suites. Due to the smaller building, the amount of available green space will increase from 6.94 acres to 36.45 acres.

Mon, 03/04/2024 - 13:25

Dettori comes full circle with Big Cap victory

Benoit Photo
Jockey Frankie Dettori had plenty to celebrate Sunday, as he won the Big Cap and San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita.

ARCADIA, Calif. – More than 35 years after he began his legendary career, jockey Frankie Dettori showed Sunday there are still milestones to achieve.

Dettori, 53, won the 1 1/4-mile Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap for the first time aboard Newgate after a thrilling duel with Subsanador. Dettori first saw the Big Cap as a teenager in the late 1980s, the days in which he exercised horses in Southern California and rode sparingly before his career soared to worldwide fame beginning in the 1990s.

Mon, 03/04/2024 - 12:31

Domestic Product, No More Time top Tampa Bay Derby

Tom Keyser
No More Time captured the Grade 3 Sam F. Davis last out in front-running fashion.

Domestic Product, runner-up in the Grade 3 Holy Bull on Feb. 3 at Gulfstream, and No More Time, winner of the Sam F. Davis on Feb. 10 at Tampa Bay Downs, top what could be a nine-horse field for Saturday’s Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby.

The purse of the race is $350,000 for non-Florida-breds. The race offers 105 qualifying points to its top five finishers (50-25-15-10-5) toward the May 4 Kentucky Derby.

Sun, 03/03/2024 - 16:26

Pletcher's four-win day spoiled by Fountain of Youth scratches

Lauren King
Trainer Todd Pletcher watched Emmanuel repeat in the Canadian Turf, one of his four wins Saturday at Gulfstream.

DELRAY BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Todd Pletcher won four races at Gulfstream Park on Saturday and yet still had a bad day.

The two horses Pletcher had entered in Saturday’s Grade 2, $400,000 Fountain of Youth Stakes were both scratched – about 10 hours apart – and for different reasons. Locked, the morning-line second choice was scratched by Pletcher who didn’t like the way the horse galloped Saturday morning.

Sun, 03/03/2024 - 16:13

California Crown program should help boost Santa Anita purses

Barbara D. Livingston
The California Crown program will combine a series of races at three tracks owned by 1/ST Racing - Santa Anita, Pimlico, and Gulfstream Park.

The newly-formed California Crown program at Santa Anita on Sept. 28 should produce sufficient handle to provide approximately $1 million in vital revenue for the track’s beleaguered purse account, according to a leading racing official.

The parent company of Santa Anita, 1/ST Racing, announced on Friday that three existing stakes will receive massive purse increases as part of an enhanced racing program for California designed to emulate the successful Pegasus World Cup program at Gulfstream Park held each January.

Sun, 03/03/2024 - 09:13

Time for Truth passes two-turn test, possible for Arkansas Derby

Coady Photography
Time for Truth was an impressive winner in his two-turn debut Saturday at Oaklawn.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Time for Truth will be debated for a start in the Grade 1, $1.5 million Arkansas Derby on March 30 after a professional allowance route win Saturday at Oaklawn Park.

The 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-olds was Time for Truth’s two-turn debut. He tracked the pace in second, moved to the lead through six furlongs in 1:12.74, then went on to a 1 1/2-length win in 1:45.88.

“At the end of the day, we’re trying to get to some good races, and we hope that this is a steppingstone to do that,” said trainer Ron Moquett.

Sat, 03/02/2024 - 09:40

Locked, Victory Avenue scratched from Fountain of Youth

Justin Lane
Locked was scratched from the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth Stakes on Saturday.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Locked and Victory Avenue, two of the top three choices on the morning line for Saturday’s Grade 2, $400,000 Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park were both scratched from the race Saturday morning by their connections.

Merit, who ran second in an allowance race on Friday, was obviously also scratched, reducing the field for the key Kentucky Derby prep race to six horses.

Locked, the 5-2 second choice, was scratched by trainer Todd Pletcher after he trained Saturday morning at Palm Beach Downs.

Fri, 03/01/2024 - 17:16

Woodbine to offer starter bonuses to trainers at 2024 meet

Michael Burns
Woodbine will pay a bonus of $50 to trainers who start a horse in an overnight race that finishes outside of the top five.

Woodbine will introduce a starter bonus for trainers at the 2024 Thoroughbred meet, excluding stakes races.

A bonus of $50 will be paid to trainers who start a horse in an overnight race that finishes outside of the top five positions.

Fri, 03/01/2024 - 14:43

Beholder Mile nominees among Friday workers

Barbara D. Livingston
Adare Manor last finished seventh in the Breeders' Cup Distaff in November at Santa Anita.

Graded stakes winners Adare Manor and Desert Dawn, and the recent allowance race winner Sweet Azteca worked five furlongs at Santa Anita on Friday in advance of expected starts in the Grade 1 Beholder Mile on March 9.

Adare Manor, who has not raced since a seventh-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff in November, and Sweet Azteca, who won an allowance race by 12 lengths on Feb. 2, were timed in 59 seconds.

Desert Dawn, who won the Grade 3 La Canada Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on Jan. 20, was timed in 59.80 seconds.