Tue, 12/31/2013 - 16:34

Gulfstream Park: DRF Plus handicapping report for January 1, 2014

By DRF Staff

Race 1

SPOT PLAY

Lincoln Law (#4, 6-1) ran an even fourth in the mud at Churchill in his first start in over a year; expect him to be fitter following the experience; lively works leading up to his return. – Byron King

Tue, 12/31/2013 - 14:21

Santa Anita notes: Callaghan has much to look forward to

By Steve Andersen
Shigeki Kikkawa
The stakes-placed Ontology won a maiden race for trainer Simon Callaghan on Saturday.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Three juvenile winners in 24 hours last weekend have given trainer Simon Callaghan a core of 3-year-olds to follow in coming months.

Saturday, Callaghan won consecutive maiden races with the colts Cherubim in a six-furlong race on the main track and Ontology on turf. Sunday, the filly Fashion Plate won a six-furlong dirt race in her third start.

They all may run in stakes in their next start.

Tue, 12/31/2013 - 13:58

Del Mar plans to open meet on a Thursday

By Steve Andersen
Benoit & Associates
A record crowd of 46,588 packed the Del Mar grandstand Wednesday for the opening day of the meet.

Del Mar is planning to open its 2014 summer meeting on a Thursday instead the usual Wednesday, track president Joe Harper said earlier this week. The July 17 opening day will distance the race meeting from the San Diego County Fair, held from June 7 to July 6 on the same property,

Tue, 12/31/2013 - 12:32

Gulfstream Park: Penwith set for sophomore debut Thursday

By Mike Welsch
Tom Keyser
Penwith most recently finished third by a neck in the Grade 2 Demoiselle after setting the pace.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Now that the new year has begun and all the 2-year-olds have turned 3, even obscure-looking allowance races will bear watching here over the next couple of months. Two prime examples are the second race Thursday and the featured ninth race Friday.

Mon, 12/30/2013 - 16:25

Fair Grounds notes: Wednesday feature looks wet

By Marcus Hersh
Lou Hodges Jr.
It Happened Again, who won the 2011 Claiming Crown Jewel Stakes at Fair Grounds, is a main-track-only entrant for the Wednesday feature in New Orleans.

The featured eighth race on Wednesday, a second-level allowance also open to $40,000 claimers, is carded for about 1 1/8 miles on turf, but expecting turf races to actually be contested on turf has recently been a losing enterprise in New Orleans. Turf racing was conducted on both Dec. 20 and Dec. 21, but grass races were moved to the main track because of wet conditions in five of the six racing days since then.

Mon, 12/30/2013 - 16:04

Fair Grounds notes: Central Banker might be best at seven furlongs

By Marcus Hersh
Barbara D. Livingston
Central Banker, trained by Al Stall for Klaravich Stables and William Lawrence, earned a career-best 105 Beyer Speed Figure finishing second by a half-length to Shakin It Up while beating nine other rivals in the seven-furlong Malibu.

Central Banker has looked like a useful horse since partway through his 2-year-old campaign in 2012, but he has recently begun to look like something more than that, following up a good closing second to Gantry in the Thanksgiving Handicap at Fair Grounds with an even better second Dec. 26 at Santa Anita in the Grade 1 Malibu for 3-year-olds.

Mon, 12/30/2013 - 14:19

Gulfstream Park: Jockeys bounce back from spills

By Mike Welsch

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Four jockeys were involved in two frightening accidents over the weekend, although luckily all four escaped serious injury.

Mon, 12/30/2013 - 14:15

Tampa Bay Downs: Scott off to fast start

By Doug McCoy

OLDSMAR, Fla. – Trainer Joan Scott has earned a reputation as an outstanding developer of young talent, and her record with maidens throughout her career has been impressive, as she wins with 17 percent of her first-time starters and 18 percent of her maiden special weight runners.

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