Charles Wait, who has been a member of the New York Racing Association’s Board of Directors for the better part of three decades, has resigned from the board effective immediately, NYRA officials confirmed Saturday.
No reason was given for Wait’s resignation and no replacement has been named. Wait did not return phone calls seeking comment last week. The NYRA Reorganization Board is scheduled to holds its first meeting of 2015 on Wednesday in Manhattan.
ARCADIA, Calif. -- The California-bred stakes-winning sprinters Big Macher and Harlington’s Rose progressed toward springtime comebacks at Santa Anita on Saturday.
Big Macher, who was fifth in the $2 million Golden Shaheen Stakes for sprinters at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai on March 28, galloped for the first time this month on Saturday. Big Macher had jogged in recent days after resuming training following the Dubai trip.
ARCADIA, Calif. -- Texas Red, the winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile last November, will resume full training on May 1 after an interrupted campaign earlier this year caused of persistent foot problems.
In recent weeks, Texas Red has trained several times a week with Keith Desormeaux at Santa Anita. Desormeaux said that Texas Red is no longer plagued by foot issues, and will have a more active training schedule in a few weeks.
“We’ll pick up his schedule on May 1,” Desormeaux said. “I’m ready to go now.”
One Lucky Dane is off the Kentucky Derby trail after suffering an injury to his left front leg during a workout on Saturday at Santa Anita, trainer Bob Baffert said.
One Lucky Dane had just completed a five-furlong work in 59.20 seconds and was galloping out around the clubhouse turn when he was brought to a halt by jockey Rafael Bejarano. One Lucky Dane got a ride back in a horse ambulance to Baffert's barn. He was missing his left front shoe. He also began to favor his left front as he cooled out.
ARCADIA, Calif. -- Kentucky Derby aspirants Dortmund and Firing Line worked shortly after 7:45 Saturday morning at Santa Anita.
Dortmund broke off first, and went five furlongs in 58.80 seconds under jockey Martin Garcia for trainer Bob Baffert. He had a couple of tag-team workmates -- one early, one late -- who couldn't keep up.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Two weeks away from the Kentucky Derby, the activity from Derby hopefuls is picking up at Churchill Downs. Three potential Derby starters, International Star, Danzig Moon, and Keen Ice, recorded workouts Saturday morning – with each work noticeably different than the others.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Carpe Diem, who figures as the third or fourth wagering choice in the upcoming Kentucky Derby, had his first breeze since winning the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes, going a half-mile Saturday morning in 48 seconds over a fast track at Keeneland.
DELRAY BEACH, Fla. -- Trainer Todd Pletcher had a plane to catch. So the action started early, before dawn, at the Palm Beach Downs training center on Saturday where Pletcher worked three of his Kentucky Derby candidates -- Materiality, Stanford, and Itsaknockout -- shortly after which he boarded a private jet which got him to Lexington in time to see one of his leading Derby hopefuls, Carpe Diem, breeze at Keeneland later that morning.
\ELMONT, N.Y. -- Tencendur began his career as a horse that looked like he was going to be a one-run closer. Over the course of the winter and into the spring he has done a transformation of sorts.
Whether it’s the addition of blinkers or maturity -- or a combination of the two -- Tencendur has started to become more tactical.
At Palm Beach Downs on Friday, trainer Todd Pletcher sent out his Kentucky Oaks hopeful Eskenformoney to breeze an easy four furlongs in 49.58 seconds in company with Curalina.
The pair cruised through an easy opening quarter-mile in 26.06 with Eskenformoney nearest the rail. Pletcher asked his riders to pick up the pace at that point, the duo coming home in 23.55 with Curalina sticking her head in front right at the wire but while under considerably more pressure to finish than Eskenformoney, who was well held at the end. The pair then galloped out five furlongs in 1:02.63.
