Encino and Epic Ride, who earned Kentucky Derby points by running one-two in last Saturday’s John Battaglia Memorial at Turfway Park, have blossomed this winter at the Florence, Ky., track, with neither finishing worse than second in nascent careers that began in December.
However, they are not yet confirmed to move forward to the Grade 3, $700,000 Jeff Ruby, Turfway’s signature Kentucky Derby prep that has returned to prominence in recent years.
Jockeys Ricardo Martinez, John Jude, and Bryan McNeil and outrider Bo Butler sustained varying injuries in a three-horse spill in Sunday’s eighth race at Fonner Park.
Martinez’s mount, Dial Uncle Joey, clipped heels and fell and the other two horses involved fell over that rival, according to the chart of the race.
Butler collected Jude’s mount, Spry Charlie, who got up and ran in the opposite direction, while McNeil’s mount, J Ps Harley Glider, who also got up and ran, collided with Butler and his pony, according to a press release from Fonner.
Details of what the new Belmont Park will look like, including artist’s renderings of the facility expected to open in 2026, were released Monday afternoon by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul.
At roughly 275,000 square feet, the new building will replace the existing 1.25 million-square-foot building and include modern amenities and hospitality offerings including restaurants and suites. Due to the smaller building, the amount of available green space will increase from 6.94 acres to 36.45 acres.
ARCADIA, Calif. – More than 35 years after he began his legendary career, jockey Frankie Dettori showed Sunday there are still milestones to achieve.
Dettori, 53, won the 1 1/4-mile Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap for the first time aboard Newgate after a thrilling duel with Subsanador. Dettori first saw the Big Cap as a teenager in the late 1980s, the days in which he exercised horses in Southern California and rode sparingly before his career soared to worldwide fame beginning in the 1990s.
Domestic Product, runner-up in the Grade 3 Holy Bull on Feb. 3 at Gulfstream, and No More Time, winner of the Sam F. Davis on Feb. 10 at Tampa Bay Downs, top what could be a nine-horse field for Saturday’s Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby.
The purse of the race is $350,000 for non-Florida-breds. The race offers 105 qualifying points to its top five finishers (50-25-15-10-5) toward the May 4 Kentucky Derby.
DELRAY BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Todd Pletcher won four races at Gulfstream Park on Saturday and yet still had a bad day.
The two horses Pletcher had entered in Saturday’s Grade 2, $400,000 Fountain of Youth Stakes were both scratched – about 10 hours apart – and for different reasons. Locked, the morning-line second choice was scratched by Pletcher who didn’t like the way the horse galloped Saturday morning.
The newly-formed California Crown program at Santa Anita on Sept. 28 should produce sufficient handle to provide approximately $1 million in vital revenue for the track’s beleaguered purse account, according to a leading racing official.
The parent company of Santa Anita, 1/ST Racing, announced on Friday that three existing stakes will receive massive purse increases as part of an enhanced racing program for California designed to emulate the successful Pegasus World Cup program at Gulfstream Park held each January.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Time for Truth will be debated for a start in the Grade 1, $1.5 million Arkansas Derby on March 30 after a professional allowance route win Saturday at Oaklawn Park.
The 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-olds was Time for Truth’s two-turn debut. He tracked the pace in second, moved to the lead through six furlongs in 1:12.74, then went on to a 1 1/2-length win in 1:45.88.
“At the end of the day, we’re trying to get to some good races, and we hope that this is a steppingstone to do that,” said trainer Ron Moquett.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Locked and Victory Avenue, two of the top three choices on the morning line for Saturday’s Grade 2, $400,000 Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park were both scratched from the race Saturday morning by their connections.
Merit, who ran second in an allowance race on Friday, was obviously also scratched, reducing the field for the key Kentucky Derby prep race to six horses.
Locked, the 5-2 second choice, was scratched by trainer Todd Pletcher after he trained Saturday morning at Palm Beach Downs.
Woodbine will introduce a starter bonus for trainers at the 2024 Thoroughbred meet, excluding stakes races.
A bonus of $50 will be paid to trainers who start a horse in an overnight race that finishes outside of the top five positions.
