Tom Amoss has taken down more than his share of Fair Grounds training titles, but the biggest prize at Amoss’s home track, the $1 million Louisiana Derby, so far has eluded him. While early-season 3-year-olds aren’t the major focus of Amoss’s operation, he has two 2-year-olds about to turn 3 who might have a chance to give Amoss another shot in the Louisiana Derby in about four months.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Junior Alvarado’s primary goal for this winter is to stay sound.
Each of the last two winters, Alvarado has missed significant time due to injury. With a top-flight Kentucky Derby contender in Mohaymen to look forward to in 2016, Alvarado hopes that both he and his horse remain healthy.
“The main thing is to try to stay sound,” Alvarado said, referring as much to himself as Mohaymen. “Sometimes, it’s just a matter of being lucky. So far, so good. I feel my best right now.”
Four months of winter racing at Turfway Park gets started Thursday evening when the northern Kentucky track runs a nine-race card with big fields from start to finish.
“We were swamped with stall applications, so hopefully that’s a sign we’ll have these big numbers all winter,” said Tyler Picklesimer, now in his third year as Turfway racing secretary. “It’s what fans want.”
Besides the stakes run at Churchill this weekend, there were some notable performances in overnight races, including three winners that helped Steve Asmussen extend his own record for the most training titles at the Louisville track.
Union Jackson and Wrath of Ruthie won first-level allowances, and a well-bet first-timer, Royal Obsession, looked terrific in a maiden score. They contributed to Asmussen’s win total of 13, marking the 17th time he has won or tied for leading trainer here.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – As always, racing fans can hold onto some indelible memories from the final week of the fall meet as stables begin leaving Churchill Downs for the winter.
A flurry of notable events took place here during the last few days of action, including victories by Carina Mia and Airoforce in the twin 2-year-old stakes Saturday, the Grade 2 Golden Rod and the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club.
STICKNEY, Ill. – Commissioner ended his career Saturday with a 2 1/2-length win in the Hawthorne Gold Cup, and the next day was shipped directly to WinStar Farm in Kentucky to begin a stud career, but for the winners of the two undercard stakes Saturday at Hawthorne, Recount and Puntsville, racing life goes on.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The mass exodus of this circuit’s top horses and horsemen was well under way Sunday and Monday as planes, vans, and automobiles were being loaded and directed south for the winter.
The good news is many of those same horses – and horsemen – will be headed back here in a few months, including Tonalist, Saturday’s Grade 1 Cigar Mile winner who will have a 5-year-old campaign in 2016.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Mohaymen, winner of Saturday’s Grade 2 Remsen at Aqueduct, was flown Sunday to south Florida and likely will target the Grade 2, $350,000 Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 30 for his 3-year-old debut, said trainer Kiaran McLaughlin.
McLaughlin said Mohaymen, who went 3 for 3 as a 2-year-old, could have two or three preps before a start May 7 in the Kentucky Derby.
CYPRESS, Calif. – The key to the Los Alamitos winter meeting can be measured by a single-digit number.
For the 12-day season that begins Thursday, a vital sign of the season’s success or failure will be the number of runners per race. The more starters there are – the more interest there will be from race bettors and the higher the handle will be.
“As all our meets do, it will rise and fall on our field size and how well our races are supported,” said Brad McKinzie, the general manager of the track’s Thoroughbred meetings.
