Mon, 07/06/2015 - 12:11

NYRA fall meets feature changes to stakes schedules, purses

Barbara D. Livingston
The 38-day Belmont meet, which runs Sept. 11 through Nov. 1, will offer 40 stakes worth $10.6 million.

The New York Racing Association will split the Grade 1 stakes traditionally run on the same day at its Belmont Park fall meet and conduct them over two Saturdays, according to a schedule released Monday by the organization.

Two Grade 1 races – the Jockey Club Gold Cup and Flower Bowl – as well as the Grade 2 Kelso will be run Oct. 3. One week earlier on Sept. 26, the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic, Vosburgh, and Beldame – all Grade 1 races – will be run along with the Grade 2 Gallant Bloom and Grade 3 Pilgrim.

Mon, 07/06/2015 - 11:08

Pierce high on half-sister to Horse of the Year Up With the Birds

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Singwiththebirds, a 3-year-old half-sister to 2013 Canadian Horse of the Year Up With the Birds, debuted in style on the Woodbine turf course June 26, and trainer Malcolm Pierce thinks he has a quality filly on his hands.

“She’s a pretty special filly, I think,” he said. “She had trained very well, and unfortunately, she was scratched at the gate the first time she was supposed to run. There was another horse scratched beside her this time. We got the job done, and she’s quite a nice little filly that we’re hoping is stakes-caliber.”

Mon, 07/06/2015 - 11:08

Deceptive Vision misses Dance Smartly start

Keeneland/Coady Photography
Deceptive Vision wins the Doubledogdare on April 17 at Keeneland.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Deceptive Vision was on track to start in last Sunday’s Grade 2 Dance Smartly Stakes but was not entered due to ankle swelling, trainer Malcolm Pierce said. Deceptive Vision had been training up to the Dance Smartly off a runner-up effort to Sky Treasure in the Grade 2 Nassau Stakes here May 23 after winning the Grade 3 Doubledogdare Stakes on dirt at Keeneland in April.

Pierce wasn’t sure how the injury came about but took a cautious approach with the multiple graded stakes winner.

Mon, 07/06/2015 - 10:41

Shaman Ghost likely to contest Prince of Wales

Michael Burns
Shaman Ghost wins the Queen's Plate Stakes on Sunday at Woodbine.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – A Queen’s Plate winner has not traveled down the Queen Elizabeth Way to contest the Prince of Wales Stakes at Fort Erie Race Track since 2010, but that should change this year.

Sun, 07/05/2015 - 15:16

Brown regards Lady Eli as Eclipse Award candidate

Barbara D. Livingston
The unbeaten 3-year-old filly Lady Eli earned a 98 Beyer Speed Figure for her win in the Belmont Oaks.

ELMONT, N.Y. - Lady Eli’s dominant victory in Saturday’s Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Oaks Invitational not only kept her unbeaten but continued to validate the belief of her trainer, Chad Brown, that she is the “best filly of her age group” regardless of surface.

Sun, 07/05/2015 - 14:59

Haskell among options for Gimme Da Lute

Benoit & Associates
Trainer Bob Baffert is mulling over the idea of taking Gimme Da Lute to the Aug. 2 Haskell at Monmouth Park. He already has Triple Crown winner American Pharoah committed to the race.

CYPRESS, Calif. - Gimme Da Lute has emerged as a promising late season 3-year-old in the last month, with wins in the Grade 3 Affirmed Stakes at Santa Anita on June 7 and Saturday’s $350,000 Los Alamitos Derby.

He may get the biggest test of his career next month.

Sunday, trainer Bob Baffert said one idea for Gimme Da Lute is the $1 million Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park on Aug. 2. Baffert also has Triple Crown winner American Pharoah pointed for the same race.

“That’s an option,” Baffert said. “He could be a back-up for Pharoah.”

Sat, 07/04/2015 - 12:31

Palace Malice among big-name workers Saturday

Barbara D. Livingston
Palace Malice is still slated for a start in the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont Park on June 6.

Palace Malice, the 2013 Belmont Stakes winner, returned to the work tab for the first time in nearly two months Saturday, breezing a half-mile in 49.76 seconds over the main track.

Palace Malice was among several graded stakes-winning horses trainer Todd Pletcher worked at Saratoga on Saturday before he drove to Belmont Park for the Stars and Stripes program.

Fri, 07/03/2015 - 15:26

Lone Star will host 'rehoming' program for Thoroughbreds

The Texas Thoroughbred Association is putting on a “rehoming” event July 11 at Lone Star Park. The Roses to Ribbons Old Fashioned Horse Fair is a chance for owners and trainers to present racehorses nearing the end of their careers to an assembled group of about 200 buyers. The potential new owners are looking for horses to use in other disciplines or for pleasure. The first such event was held this spring at Sam Houston.

Fri, 07/03/2015 - 15:19

Retama: El Joven, Senorita top stakes schedule

Retama Park near San Antonio, Texas, will again feature six stakes during its Thoroughbred meet, which opens Aug. 21. The 26-date season will run through Oct. 17.

The El Joven and La Senorita, a pair of one-mile turf races for 2-year-olds, highlight the schedule. The longtime fixtures worth $75,000 each will share a program Oct. 3. The first round of nominations for the El Joven and La Senorita, which is for fillies, close Friday, July 10.

Fri, 07/03/2015 - 15:01

El Deal gets 60 days off

Chelsea Durand/NYRA
El Deal, ridden by Angel Cruz, provides former jockey Andrew Lakeman with his first stakes win as a trainer in the Gold Fever for 3-year-olds.

ELMONT, N.Y. – El Deal, the undefeated 3-year-old stakes-winning sprinter, will be given 60 days off and return in late fall, trainer Andrew Lakeman said Friday.

El Deal has not run since winning the Gold Fever Stakes on May 1, making him 4 for 4 in his career. He worked twice in June, but Lakeman said the horse needs to mature physically before running again.

“His joints need to catch up and remold with his body,” Lakeman said. “They can’t take the stress of continuous training. It’s a much better decision to give him time.”