Closing day at Delaware Park has been moved back a couple of days to make up for a live date that was lost earlier this month due to poor track conditions.
The meet, originally scheduled to end on Oct. 7, will now conclude on Wednesday, Oct. 9. The make-up date replaces the card of Aug. 14 that was washed out after four inches of rain fell and made the track unsafe for racing.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – At least as far as the post-position draw went in the battle of the Big Three for Saturday’s $1 million Travers Stakes, advantage Palace Malice.
Palace Malice, the Belmont and Jim Dandy stakes winner, drew post 8, while his top rivals – Kentucky Derby winner Orb and Haskell winner Verrazano – drew posts 2 and 3 for the 144th Travers Stakes at Saratoga.
Todd Pletcher, who trains Palace Malice and Verrazano, prefers his horses to be outside of the primary speed in a race. Moreno, the expected pacesetter drew post 6.
The West Virginia Racing Commission voted to uphold a hearing officer’s recommendation to suspend trainer Chris Grove for six months after a horse he trained tested positive for a Class 1 medication at Charles Town Races in July of last year.
Grove had asked the racing commission to stay the suspension after Charles Town stewards issued the penalty in March, but the commission refused. As a result, Grove has been serving the suspension since March 4, and the suspension is due to expire on Sept. 4, according to Kelli Talbot, the commission’s counsel.
The Texas Racing Commission approved the state’s calendar at a meeting last week. Lone Star Park near Dallas will conduct a 50-date meet for Thoroughbreds from April 10 through July 12. There will be no Sunday racing the first two weekends of the meet, as well as June 22, June 29 and July 6, but the meet will run a week later than it did in 2013.
The commission also approved a 26-date Quarter Horse meet for Lone Star for next year, from Sept. 19-Nov. 15.
Prayer for Relief’s determined win in last Saturday night’s $175,000 Governor’s Cup at Remington Park closed the books on a four-race game plan his connections laid out for him earlier this year. Now, his next move is to be determined, said Steve Asmussen, who trains the horse for Zayat Stables.
“He’s at Remington, and he’ll go back to Churchill Downs,” Asmussen said Tuesday. “We’ll discuss with the Zayats where and when they think he needs to run again.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Before Cot Campbell fades into the background of a new business venture involving his longtime partnership Dogwood Stable, he will be front and center Saturday in Saratoga’s $1 million Travers Stakes, the marquee event in the sesquicentennial season of this historic track.
DEL MAR, Calif. – One day after stable star Game On Dude worked for the Grade 1, $1 million Pacific Classic at 1 1/4 miles on Sunday, trainer Bob Baffert sent out Liaison for his final work for the Pacific Classic in company with Fed Biz, who is set to run Sunday in the Grade 2, $250,000 Pat O’Brien going seven furlongs.
DEL MAR, Calif. – A year ago on Aug. 31, owner Ahmed Zayat celebrated his 50th birthday, and though a surprise party was thrown for him, he wasn’t fully into the moment, his mind wandering to what he had seen earlier that morning at Saratoga, where he visited a very, very ill Paynter.
The California speedster Let Em Shine, beaten one length when fourth as the 2-1 favorite in the Grade 2 Woody Stephens at Belmont Park, has returned to New York to run in Saturday’s Grade 1, $500,000 King’s Bishop at Saratoga.
Let Em Shine arrived last week, and on Monday worked four furlongs in 48.51 seconds over Saratoga’s main track.
DEL MAR, Calif. – The pipeline of top South American horses heading to the West Coast of the United States seemed to dry out for about a decade, but it has been resurrected mightily the past couple of years, with top-class horses going to Richard Mandella, Ron McAnally, and Neil Drysdale, all Hall of Famers, all of whom have had great success with said horses during their careers.
