ELMONT, N.Y. – With the Triple Crown in the rearview mirror, much of the second half of the year centers on the 2-year-olds who could potentially participate in next year’s Triple Crown series.
There won’t be many 2-year-olds under more scrutiny than Cozmic One, the first foal out of the champion mare Zenyatta by the champion Bernardini who arrived at trainer John Shirreffs’s Belmont Park barn on May 23 and has been galloping almost daily since.
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – With the weather near London looking dry enough and the turf at Ascot rated good-to-firm as of Wednesday, trainer Wesley Ward’s annual invasion of the Royal Ascot meet is on schedule.
Ward has six horses for the races at Royal Ascot, which run Tuesday through Saturday next week, and the sextet – four from Arlington and two from Keeneland – were to converge at Indianapolis on Wednesday night, with their overseas flight set to depart early Thursday.
“The course is good-to-firm,” Ward said. “Everything looks in order.”
Gary Brinson has been hired as starter for the year-round Los Alamitos Quarter Horse meeting, a move that has ramifications for the Southern California Thoroughbred circuit.
Brinson was scheduled to be the starter for the Del Mar summer meeting that begins on July 17, but said on Wednesday that he has resigned from that position.
“I hated to give up Del Mar,” he said. “They’ve been good to me.”
It was unclear on Wednesday who will work as starter at Del Mar.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Beholder, the beaten favorite in the $1 million Ogden Phipps Stakes at Belmont Park last Saturday, is recovering from a pastern injury likely to keep her out of racing until the autumn, trainer Richard Mandella said.
Beholder could need six weeks before the injury is healed, Mandella said.
“She’s got a nasty cut on her left hind pastern,” Mandella said. “It will heal but we don’t want to get it infected.”
CYPRESS, Calif. – California Chrome is a week away from a summer vacation and continues to show improvement from a minor foot injury sustained when he finished in a dead heat for fourth in the Belmont Stakes last Saturday.
Trainer Art Sherman said on Wednesday that California Chrome’s right front heel has responded to treatment in recent days at the trainer’s stable at Los Alamitos. California Chrome is believed to have grabbed his right front foot leaving the gate in the Belmont.
OPELOUSAS. La. – What does an NFL quarterback who grew up in horse-rich Cajun country do when he retires? He goes to work at the racetrack, of course.
“I love it,” said Jake Delhomme, whose Carolina Panthers lost to the heavily favored New England Patriots, 32-29, in the Super Bowl following the 2003 regular season, his first with the team.
Delhomme owns and breeds horses and works as a bloodstock agent.
Seeking the Sherif is moving closer to a stakes appearance after winning his fourth consecutive race in an optional claimer last Friday.
Ridden by Edwin Maldonado, Seeking the Sherif led throughout the race over 6 1/2 furlongs, winning by 2 3/4 lengths in 1:15.73. The optional claimer was the longest race in the eight-race career of Seeking the Sherif, who was claimed for $12,500 last December.
“His confidence is sky high,” trainer Ron Ellis said.
Frank Mirahmadi will call the races at Santa Anita on Thursday, replacing a vacationing Trevor Denman.
Last weekend, Mirahmadi described his two-week position as Denman’s replacement “is the ultimate for me.”
“Trevor is my idol,” he said. “I learned everything from him. He’s helped me so much in my career. He’s given me so much advice.”
Milestones were reached recently at Golden Gate Fields, which concludes its winter-spring meeting this week.
Last Friday, jockey Frank Alvarado scored the 3,000th victory of his career as well as numbers 3,001 and 3,002 before being shaken up in a spill Saturday. Also on Saturday, Halo Dolly became a millionaire.
