LEXINGTON, Ky. – On March 17, two and a half weeks prior to the opening of Keeneland’s spring meet, workers were still scrambling to put the finishing touches on the track’s most ambitious renovation in its 90-year history.
But even without the work being fully complete, it’s clear Keeneland has hit it out of the park.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Southern California-based trainer Bob Baffert said he plans to have a division of horses at Oaklawn Park next season. The meet traditionally runs from December to the first weekend in May.
“We’re going to be there,” Baffert said Wednesday.
Baffert said his base will continue to be Southern California, but he is moving a division to Churchill Downs. With an operation already in the middle of the country, he will set up a stable at Oaklawn.
It’s been a busy offseason at Monmouth Park, even if little of the commotion has to do with racing.
The New Jersey seaside track is one of two potential candidates for a casino license if supporters succeed in adding a referendum to this year’s November ballot authorizing casinos at Monmouth and The Meadowlands. This has required track officials to be in constant contact with state legislators and government officials.
Jockey Jose Valdivia, who has not ridden since late December, is planning a late spring comeback after recently undergoing two shoulder surgeries.
Valdivia, 51, said in a recent interview that the second surgery, involving a bone graft, has stabilized his left shoulder and improved his mobility. Valdivia said he is undergoing physical therapy twice a week and is hoping to receive doctor’s clearance in April for more vigorous physical activity.
“Every day is better and better,” he said.
The seven-figure yearlings Cherokee Nation and Potente are scheduled to represent Bob Baffert in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby on April 4, two leading chances to give the Hall of Famer a 10th win in California’s leading prep race for the Triple Crown.
On Thursday, both horses had workouts at Santa Anita. Potente, the undefeated winner of the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on March 7 in his stakes debut, worked five furlongs in 59.20 seconds. Potente, bought for $2.4 million as a yearling at Saratoga, won his first start in a maiden race at six furlongs on Jan. 31.
Horses will be running for more money this summer at Saratoga.
The New York Racing Association announced Thursday that purses for overnight races for the one-week Belmont Stakes Racing Festival and the 46-day summer meet will increase by a blended average of almost 14 percent.
The close of this Turfway Park meet marks the end of Chip Bach’s tenure with the track after 25 years, as the general manager officially retires on April 1. He will be recognized on closing night amid fan appreciation celebrations.
Bach started with Turfway in 1999 as director of operations and human resources. In 2012, he was promoted to general manager and later added oversight of Newport Racing and Gaming to his duties when it opened in 2020, playing a key role in the opening of the facility during the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mr. A. P., second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Del Mar in October, recently resumed training at Santa Anita for an intended comeback in late spring or summer.
Trainer Vladimir Cerin said last weekend that Mr. A. P. is currently jogging. Cerin said the Affirmed Handicap at 1 1/16 miles at Santa Anita on June 11 is a potential goal. Other options are the turf stakes for 3-year-olds at Del Mar during the summer, Cerin said.
Owned by David and Holly Wilson, Mr. A. P. was claimed for $150,000 on July 31, a record fee at Del Mar.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – The late Terry Wallace, who for decades was the announcer at Oaklawn Park, will enter the Arkansas Walk of Fame during a Tuesday ceremony in Hot Springs, Ark., according to member Tom Nichols. It will begin at 11 a.m. Central at The Vapors.
Nichols, a longtime broadcaster who has a radio station, said speakers are scheduled to include Eric Jackson and Nancy Holthus, both of Oaklawn, as well as organizers from charities that Wallace worked with closely in Arkansas.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Redland Rebels is a fresh face on the Kentucky Derby trail. On Saturday, he gets an opportunity to try to secure a spot in the starting gate for the classic in the Grade 1, $1.5 million Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park.
He’s cross-entered in the Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park, but was to have arrived Wednesday at Oaklawn, according to his trainer, Patrick Biancone. Redland Rebels, who is based in South Florida, ran in his first Kentucky Derby prep last out, when he set the pace and finished fourth, beaten 2 3/4 lengths, in the Tampa Bay Derby on March 7.
