Jockey David Cabrera will likely be sidelined until early next year after breaking his femur during Thursday night’s seventh race at Remington Park in Oklahoma City.
Cabrera was injured during the stretch drive when thrown from his mount, Outlining, who continued on to the wire. Cabrera underwent surgery Friday afternoon, according to his agent, Jose Santos Jr.
“I spoke to him this morning and he’s in good spirits,” Santos said. “Of course, he’s bummed out about what happened.”
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – War Like Goddess, who was forced to miss the Grade 2 Flower Bowl earlier this month due to an illness, is on target to try for a repeat victory in the Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic next Saturday at Belmont Park.
On Friday, War Like Goddess worked a half-mile in 50.51 seconds over the Oklahoma dirt course.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Though he has yet to work back since his fourth-place finish in the Travers Stakes on Aug. 26, Forte, last year’s 2-year-old champion, is still being pointed to the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 4, trainer Todd Pletcher said Friday.
Forte finished fourth, beaten eight lengths by Arcangelo in the Travers, the worst finish in his 10-race career, which includes seven victories. Since a foot bruise knocked him out of the Kentucky Derby, Forte has finished second in the Belmont Stakes and won the Grade 2 Jim Dandy before his effort in the Travers.
Matt Dinerman has been named track announcer for the Oaklawn Park meet that opens Dec. 8, the Hot Springs, Ark., track announced Friday.
Dinerman, 31, comes to Oaklawn from Golden Gate Fields, where he has been the announcer for six years. He replaces Vic Stauffer, who parted ways with Oaklawn last March after more than six years in Hot Springs.
The top two finishers in the $100,000 Lake Erie Stakes at Fort Erie on Sept. 12, One Bay Hemingway and One More Brew, have been disqualified from purse money after it was determined that they carried the incorrect weight.
When the overnight for the Sept. 12 card came out, both horses were correctly listed at 120 pounds in the sprint for Ontario-sired 3-year-olds. The track program, however, had them both at 118 pounds, which is what they carried in the race, during which they dueled throughout with the favored One Bay Hemingway winning by a head.
Jockeys Hector Berrios and Adrian Escobedo will be suspended from full participation for Saturday’s program at Los Alamitos after being cited for excessive use of the whip in races at that track on Sept. 15.
Both riders were fined $250 for striking their mounts seven times, one more than the allowed limit.
Escobedo is not booked to ride Saturday. Berrios is scheduled to ride Yuki in the $125,000 Dark Mirage Stakes, which is designated as exempt from routine suspensions.
Senor Buscador, winner of the Grade 2 San Diego Handicap at Del Mar in July, will have his next start in the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 4 at Santa Anita, joining a growing list of leading runners for that race who are bypassing the Grade 1 Awesome Again Stakes at Santa Anita on Sept. 30.
Trained by Todd Fincher for Joe Peacock, Senor Buscador finished fourth by 2 1/2 lengths in the Grade 1 Pacific Classic at 1 1/4 miles on Sept. 2 at Del Mar. The BC Classic is run at 1 1/4 miles.
“We’ll wait and give it our best shot,” Fincher said.
Friday is comeback day at Los Alamitos for jockey Abel Cedillo, who has not ridden since he suffered a neck injury in a fall July 23 at Del Mar.
Cedillo has one mount on Friday and two on Saturday. He is riding the final weekend of the two-week Los Alamitos meeting through Sunday before the Santa Anita autumn meeting begins Sept. 29.
Cedillo received doctor’s clearance to resume riding earlier this month and began exercising horses on Sept. 14. He worked two horses that day and said he had no residual soreness from the neck injury.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - The New York State Gaming Commission fined New York Racing Association racing official Rob MacLennan $2,000 for failing to tend to business in a professional manner, necessitating two claims to be voided, according to a ruling on the Gaming Commission website.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - All sources handle for opening week at the Belmont At the Big A meet was $35,780,104, down 6.4 percent from last year’s figure of $38,234,761 when Belmont’s fall meet was also conducted at Aqueduct.
There were 38 races run during opening week at this year’s meet compared to 40 last year. All 19 scheduled turf races were run on turf this year just as all 20 scheduled turf races remained on turf last year.
Average field size so far this meet has been 7.89 with 300 betting interests compared to 7.73 with 309 betting interests last year.
