ELMONT, N.Y. - In his “day job” as senior director of communications and media services at Churchill Downs, Darren Rogers is the caretaker of some fairly coveted stuff: media passes for the Kentucky Derby.
But Rogers happily accepted a temporary role this week in guarding something far more valuable: the Triple Crown trophy that normally is housed at the Kentucky Derby Museum in Louisville, Ky.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Wicked Strong and Social Inclusion both schooled in the starting gate Wednesday, but the results were markedly different.
Wicked Strong, the Wood Memorial winner who was made the second choice for Saturday’s $1.5 million Belmont Stakes, walked in and stood quietly twice on the training track. Wicked Strong misbehaved near the gate before the Holy Bull in Florida and was a bit anxious during the post parade in the Kentucky Derby.
AUBURN, Wash. – If there were an official “horses to watch” list at Emerald Downs, Trackattacker would share top billing with Stopshoppingdebbie, the undefeated 4-year-old filly who will put her 6-for-6 record on the line Sunday in the $50,000 Washington State Legislators Stakes.
Trackattacker’s next start is unknown. It could come in the $50,000 Emerald Express on July 20, the meeting’s first stakes race for 2-year-olds. But folks at Emerald are still buzzing about Trackattacker’s first outing last Sunday, in which he broke the long-standing track record for 4 1/2 furlongs.
ELMONT, N.Y. – The Belmont Stakes clocker report, like just about everything else around these parts the last couple of weeks, is first and foremost the California Chrome watch. All eyes have been on the Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner since his arrival from Baltimore, his every move under close scrutiny, especially those he makes once he takes to the racetrack each morning between 6 and 6:30.
A controversial rule that voids claims on horses who have been designated as unsound will be changed July 1 to allow owners and trainers to designate in advance that they will accept an unsound horse.
Earlier this year, the California Horse Racing Board voted to relax the rule, which took effect under stricter guidelines in May 2013. The amended rule was subject to a public-comment period and legal review by the state Office of Administrative Law.
Overnight purses at the Los Alamitos Thoroughbred meeting in July will be lower than those offered at the corresponding time last year by Hollywood Park, according to track officials.
Los Alamitos will have a two-week, eight-day meeting July 3-13, racing dates previously held by Hollywood Park, which was closed last December. The meeting will run on a Thursday-through-Sunday basis.
OPELOUSAS, La. - This summer promises another epic battle for leading trainer at Evangeline Downs between Broberg and Keith Bourgeois.
The two powerhouse stables have continued to trade blows through the years. Since Evangeline moved from nearby Carencro in 2005, either Broberg or Bourgeois has won the training crown every year.
With more than one-third of the 2014 season in the books, it is Broberg who holds the advantage, with 27 wins to 21 for Bourgeois. Broberg has done it with numbers, having sent out 101 runners to Bourgeois’s 75.
OPELOUSAS, La. – Nominations closed last week for the inaugural running of the $300,000 Evangeline Turf Sprint, and the list is an impressive one. The five-furlong dash will anchor a five-stakes program June 21 that will have a special first-race post time of 3:40 p.m. Central. The program also will feature an all-stakes pick four with a guaranteed pool of $100,000.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Owner Ron Sanchez had planned to withhold his decision on whether to run Social Inclusion in the Belmont Stakes until after his schooling session Wednesday morning. But after discussing the situation further with trainer Manny Azpurua on Tuesday, Sanchez felt there was no sense in prolonging the issue, opting to take the more conservative route and bypass the Belmont in lieu of Saturday’s seven-furlong Woody Stephens Stakes.
Dan Dougherty has been forced to gradually close all 16 of his furniture stores over the past five years due to the economic downturn. When the final two were shuttered last summer, the 55-year-old father of six faced an uncertain financial future.
But then along came Ride On Curlin.
