Tumbarumba, the narrow winner of the Grade 3 Fred Hooper on Jan. 27, came out of the race in good order and will point to the Grade 2, $200,000 Gulfstream Park Mile on March 2, trainer Brian Lynch said Friday.
The Fred Hooper, which Tumbarumba won by a nose over Castle Chaos, came seven weeks after he had finished second to Touchuponastar in a Louisiana-bred stakes at Fair Grounds. Touchuponastar has won 10 of 13 starts.
Arturo Mares, a Southern California-based exercise rider, died Thursday of complications from injuries sustained while exercising a horse Jan. 27 at Santa Anita, according to his son, Israel Mares.
Arturo Mares was unseated when his mount stumbled while jogging, trainer Hector Palma said last weekend.
Mares sustained severe neck and head injuries in the accident, according to his son. Mares was treated by paramedics on the track before he was transported to nearby Huntington Memorial Hospital.
BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. – Sibelius on Friday completed preparations for his start in next Saturday’s $100,000 Pelican Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs with a half-mile workout in 48.20 seconds at the Palm Meadows training center.
With jockey Junior Alvarado aboard, Sibelius followed another horse from the barn of trainer Jeremiah O’Dwyer catching that one at the wire.
Santa Anita-based jockeys Geovanni Franco and Mario Gutierrez have been suspended three racing days beginning on Saturday for causing interference in separate races on Jan. 26.
Gutierrez was cited for his ride on Be Punctual, who was last of five finishers in a maiden race on turf. Gutierrez was ruled to have crossed over without clearance going into the first turn.
Franco was penalized for his ride on King Apollo, who finished sixth of nine in a six-furlong race on turf. Franco was cited for failing to maintain a straight course in the stretch and causing interference.
Astronomer, second in the Grade 2 City of Hope Mile and 12th in the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Santa Anita last fall, recently resumed training after a brief vacation.
Trainer Simon Callaghan said on Thursday that Astronomer is currently galloping with the intent of a comeback in the spring. Astronomer finished fifth of eight in the Grade 2 Seabiscuit Handicap at 1 1/16 miles on turf at Del Mar on Nov. 25 in his most recent start.
Frank Gabriel, the senior vice president of racing operations at the New York Racing Association since early 2022, has resigned, effective Feb. 18, NYRA said. He will be succeeded by Andrew Offerman, who is currently NYRA’s vice president and general manager of operations.
Salesman, unraced since an easy win in the Grade 3 Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance at Santa Anita in November, is a candidate for the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap on March 2, the track’s main race for older horses in the winter.
Salesman, trained by Richard Mandella for Alain and Gerard Wertheimer, worked a half-mile in a rapid 46 seconds at Santa Anita on Wednesday, the fastest of 50 works at the distance.
“He broke off behind several horses and he caught all of them but one,” Mandella said. “It was more than I expected.”
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Bob Baffert began winning races for Ed Allred in the 1970s. But not as a trainer.
“Out of high school, I tried to be a jockey,” Baffert said. “He put me on a couple of winners, threw me a bone. We’ve been friends for a long time.”
Fast forward to Saturday, and the men will team with Wynstock in the Southwest at Oaklawn Park. The horse, who also is co-owned by Jack Liebau, is a somewhat rare Thoroughbred runner for Allred.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – It was 20 years ago this month that Smarty Jones won the Southwest Stakes and set off a life-changing sequence of events for both his connections and Oaklawn Park.
In a perfect storm, he swept the track’s 3-year-old series, went on to win the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, and earned a $5 million bonus in conjunction with the 100th anniversary of Oaklawn.
The 12 horses that trainer Jonathan Thomas brought to California this year was designed largely to take advantage of wintertime turf racing at Santa Anita.
The stable had its first winner of the year with Mirari in a maiden race on turf last Sunday, and can win its first stakes with Mouffy in Saturday’s Grade 3 Megahertz Stakes for fillies and mares at a mile on turf.
Mouffy, a 5-year-old mare owned by George Strawbridge’s Augustin Stable, will have her American graded stakes debut in the $100,000 Megahertz Stakes.
