Wed, 03/18/2015 - 15:25

Despite success, Drawing Away Stable, trainer Jacobson drift apart

Michael Amoruso
Trainer David Jacobson will have eight starters in Saturday's inaugural New York Claiming Championships series at Aqueduct.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – One of the most successful owner-trainer combinations in recent years on this circuit appears on the verge of parting ways.

For the last three years, no owner-trainer combination has won more races on the New York Racing Association circuit than Drawing Away Stable and David Jacobson. In each of the last three years, Drawing Away has finished first or second in the owners’ standings in wins, while Jacobson has been the leading trainer in wins. In 2013, Drawing Away led all owners on this circuit in wins (89) and purse money won ($4,055,505).

Wed, 03/18/2015 - 15:13

Kentucky Derby anniversaries for Nafzger, Gambolati

Barbara D. Livingston
In 1985, trainer Cam Gambolati won the Kentucky Derby with Spend a Buck.

It’s about that time of year when Kentucky Derby nostalgia starts to surface. Carl Nafzger already is drawing inquiries about the 25th anniversary of Unbridled winning both the Florida Derby and Kentucky Derby on his way to winning the Eclipse Award for top 3-year-old male of 1990.

“That was a pretty good year, wasn’t it?” a smiling Nafzger said between races here this week.

This year also marks the 30th anniversary of Spend a Buck winning the 1985 Kentucky Derby for trainer Cam Gambolati, whose stable is based here at Gulfstream.

Wed, 03/18/2015 - 15:03

Wildcat Red should resume training soon

Barbara D. Livingston
Wildcat Red, recovering from a pulled back muscle, may begin jogging in early April.

Wildcat Red, who was named Florida-bred Horse of the Year for 2014 at the annual awards ceremony Monday night in Ocala, Fla., could return to light training around the first of April, according to trainer Jose Garoffalo.

Wildcat Red was diagnosed with a pulled back muscle when well beaten in the Jan. 17 Sunshine Millions Classic and is now walking the Garoffalo shed row at Gulfstream after getting time off. The 4-year-old Wildcat Red has earned $936,875.

Wed, 03/18/2015 - 14:45

Inside Information, Royal Delta get seven runners apiece

Kenny Martin/Coglianese Photos
Merry Meadow will seek her fourth straight win in Saturday's Grade 2 Inside Information.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Fillies and mares will take center stage on the main track Saturday at Gulfstream Park, where a pair of Grade 2, $200,000 races serve as nearly identical co-features on a 12-race program.

Distance is the only factor that differentiates the Inside Information, which will be run at seven furlongs, and the Royal Delta, a slightly longer race at 1 1/16 miles. Even the field size for both races – seven – was the same when entries were taken here Wednesday.

Wed, 03/18/2015 - 13:50

Shared Belief resumes serious training for spring campaign

Benoit & Associates
Shared Belief has returned to training after his 4 1/4-length win in the Santa Anita Handicap on March 7.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Shared Belief, the impressive winner of the Santa Anita Handicap on March 7, has resumed serious training for a spring campaign without a defined goal, trainer Jerry Hollendorfer said Wednesday.

On Tuesday at Golden Gate Fields, Shared Belief worked a half-mile in 52.80 seconds, a slow time that left Hollendorfer unfazed.

“That’s not unusual for him,” Hollendorfer said.

Hollendorfer said a number of races, including the $600,000 Oaklawn Handicap in Arkansas on April 11, are under consideration.

Wed, 03/18/2015 - 13:41

Galicado will miss UAE Derby with illness

ARCADIA, Calif. – The Argentine Grade 1 stakes winner Galicado will miss a start in the $2 million United Arab Emirates Derby in Dubai on March 28 because of illness, trainer Ron McAnally said Wednesday.

Galicado, who has yet to race in the U.S., was scheduled to depart Tuesday but remained at Santa Anita after being diagnosed with a temperature of 102.

Wed, 03/18/2015 - 13:05

Royal Son gives Prescott rare shot at graded stakes win

Coady Photography
Royal Son earned a career-high 97 Beyer Speed Figure in the John Battaglia.

Rodney Prescott has ridden 3,237 winners in his 22-year career. He rode 340 winners in 2005, finishing second among all North American riders that year to Hall-of-Famer Russell Baze, and he has long been highly regarded by his peers. He was selected as one of five finalists for the 2013 George Woolf Memorial Award, won by Mario Pino.

In a career with many highs, one of the few things the 41-year-old Prescott hasn’t done is win a graded stakes race. According to Daily Racing Form statistics, he is 0 for 9 in such races, with his best finishes being a pair of thirds.

Wed, 03/18/2015 - 12:55

Laurel: Golden Years sidelined with knee injury

Jim McCue/Maryland Jockey Club
The 3-year-old Golden Years, a two-time stakes winner, is out indefinitely with a slab fracture to a knee.

Golden Years, a two-time stakes winner and one of the top 3-year-olds based in Maryland, has been injured, according to his trainer, Rodney Jenkins.

Golden Years, a winner of 3 of 5 starts, won the $100,000 Marylander Stakes at Laurel Park in December by 7 1/4 lengths and the Maryland Million Nursery by 1 1/2 lengths in October. He ran a gallant third last time out in the one-mile Miracle Wood at Laurel on Feb. 16, when he was beaten a neck following a long stretch battle. Golden Years raced along the inside on a frigid day when the outer paths clearly offered the better footing.

Wed, 03/18/2015 - 12:33

Scott Lake's appeal denied by Maryland Racing Commission

The Maryland Racing Commission denied trainer Scott Lake’s appeal of a 120-day suspension stemming from two positive tests he had at Laurel Park in December for the anabolic steroid stanozolol.

Lake was suspended 60 days for each offense, but the penalties will run concurrently because he was not notified about the first positive until the second had been detected. He was suspended an additional 60 days because he had another stanozolol positive at Penn National last June.

Wed, 03/18/2015 - 12:16

Pimlico will offer Rainbow 6, low-takeout pick five

The Maryland Jockey Club will be replacing the Jackpot Pick Five with a Rainbow 6 when the Pimlico meet begins April 2. A pick five with a 12 percent takeout also will be added to the wagering menu.

The changes were approved Tuesday by the Maryland Racing Commission.