Sun, 10/13/2013 - 16:39

Santa Anita: Tap It Rich makes impressive debut for Baffert

Benoit & Associates
Tap It Rich, with Mike Smith aboard, wins his first start by 4 1/4 lengths Saturday.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Tap It Rich, an impressive winner in his career debut over one mile Saturday, might start in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita on Nov. 2.

Trainer Bob Baffert said Sunday that he wants to observe Tap It Rich in the next week before finalizing plans. Baffert said he and his clients, Fog City Stable, would give the BC Juvenile “some serious thought if [Tap It Rich] trains well.”

A decision must be made by Oct. 21, the day pre-entries are due for Breeders’ Cup races.

Sun, 10/13/2013 - 11:48

Belmont Park: Point of Entry, Palace Malice work for Breeders' Cup

Jenny Burgos
Point of Entry (No. 1), who hasn't raced since winning the Grade 1 Manhattan in June, breezed at Belmont Park on Sunday.

ELMONT, N.Y. – John Velazquez got reacquainted with one old friend and was introduced to a new buddy Sunday morning at Belmont Park, as preparations continued for next month’s Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita.

Velazquez worked multiple Grade 1 winner Point of Entry five furlongs in 1:01.20 on Sunday over the Belmont turf, a solid move that appears to have Point of Entry on schedule for the $3 million Breeders’ Cup Turf on Nov. 2.

Sat, 10/12/2013 - 22:13

Santa Anita: $91,551 pick six carryover for Sunday's card

[bc_video_id:307099:]ARCADIA, Calif. – There is a pick six carryover of $91,550 for Sunday’s nine-race program at Santa Anita.

A series of beaten favorites Saturday led to the carryover. The pool of new money Sunday could easily exceed $500,000.

The pick six covers the fourth through ninth races. There is one stakes on Sunday’s card – the Anoakia Stakes – but it is the day’s third race.

As of Saturday morning, there was one early scratch in the pick six races. Take out Krazypapaya from the eighth race.

Sat, 10/12/2013 - 13:36

Belmont Park notes: Princess of Sylmar likely for Breeders' Cup Distaff

Barbara D. Livingston
Princess of Sylmar is coming off of wins in the Kentucky Oaks and Coaching Club American Oaks.

ELMONT, N.Y. – While her connections were not prepared to make it official Saturday, all indications are that Princess of Sylmar is headed to the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Santa Anita on Nov. 1.

Sat, 10/12/2013 - 13:10

Breeders' Cup Classic: Mucho Macho Man, Moreno work

Shigeki Kikkawa
Mucho Macho Man, winner of the Grade 1 Awesome Again Stakes, will make his next start in the Breeders' Cup Classic.

Mucho Macho Man, in his first work since capturing the Grade 1 Awesome Again Stakes two weeks ago, went a half-mile in company at Santa Anita on Saturday, the first of three breezes scheduled by trainer Kathy Ritvo as final preparation for the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 2.

Also Saturday, another Classic contender, Moreno, went a half-mile in 48 seconds.

Ritvo said she caught Mucho Macho Man in 47.70 seconds, “but I caught the finish a little late, so he went quicker than that,” she said. Track clockers gave him a time of 47.40.

Sat, 10/12/2013 - 12:46

Tamarando to skip Breeders' Cup due to Lasix ban

Shigeki Kikkawa
Tamarando will not run in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita on Nov. 2.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Tamarando, the winner of the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity on Sept. 4, will not run in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita on Nov. 2 but will start in the $200,000 Golden State Juvenile on Nov. 1, trainer Jerry Hollendorfer said.

Hollendorfer said the decision is based on the Breeders’ Cup’s policy of banning the use of the anti-bleeder medication Lasix in the BC Juvenile and other 2-year-old races Nov. 1-2.

“We can’t use Lasix and don’t want to chance him bleeding in that race and sacrificing some of his career,” Hollendorfer said.

Sat, 10/12/2013 - 12:40

Keeneland notes: Little Mike breezes for Breeders' Cup Turf

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Little Mike had his first breeze since his win in the Sept. 28 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic when going an easy five furlongs in 1:03 on Saturday over a fast main track at Churchill Downs. Little Mike, along with three of his Dale Romans-trained stablemates, was booked on an equine charter flight Monday to Southern California, where they will resume preparations at Santa Anita for the Nov. 1-2 Breeders’ Cup.

Fri, 10/11/2013 - 15:19

Santa Anita notes: Wittgenstein's campaign hinges on Sunday race

Shig Kikkawa
Wittgenstein has an outside chance to run in the Breeders' Cup Distaff.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Trainer Doug O’Neill had considered 3-year-old filly Wittgenstein an outside candidate for the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Santa Anita on Nov. 1. Then, he checked her status with the Breeders’ Cup.O’Neill said on Friday that Wittgenstein is not nominated to the Breeders’ Cup, meaning owners Paul and Zillah Reddam would have to pay a $100,000 nomination fee before the pre-entries are due on Oct. 21 to start in the BC Distaff.

Wittgenstein starts on Sunday in an optional claimer at a mile at Santa Anita which will determine her Breeders’ Cup status.

Fri, 10/11/2013 - 14:57

Gulfstream Park: Strong field for Sunday turf allowance

Coady Photography
Cash Rules will concede from seven to 10 pounds to his five rivals on Saturday.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – The turf course at Gulfstream Park will get a little breather after this weekend, with no grass races to be carded until Nov. 2. But the final race to be run over the grass for the next couple of weeks figures to be a good one, an open allowance event at 1 1/16 miles that drew a field of 10, including graded-stakes-caliber horses Cash Rules, Mucho Mas Macho, and Salto.

Fri, 10/11/2013 - 14:34

Hastings 2014 dates look set, but revenue splits up in air

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – According to Glen Todd, a leading owner of horses at Hastings and a member of the British Columbia Horse Racing Industry Management Committee, an “agreement in principle” has been reached on dates for Hastings next year.

The committee is in charge of managing the horse racing industry in British Columbia, setting the dates as well as allocating the money that is split among the Thoroughbreds, Standardbreds, and Great Canadian Gaming Corp., the operators of Hastings and Fraser Downs, the local Standardbred track.