Thu, 08/10/2023 - 12:39

Horseshoe Indianapolis to show DRF Formulator Projected Odds on simulcast

DRF Formulator Projected Odds will be displayed for Horseshoe Indianapolis races, starting Thursday.

Horseshoe Indianapolis in Shelbyville, Indiana, will begin to show projected win odds for each horse in a race beginning with the second race at the track on Thursday. The enhancement will be provided by DRF Formulator Projected Odds, a technology developed by Daily Racing Form and available on its digital past performance products.

Thu, 08/10/2023 - 10:10

New faces join Remington Park jockey colony

Jockeys Isaac Castillo, Luis Fuentes, and Harry Hernandez are among the new faces set to base at the Remington Park meet that opens Aug. 18. Entries for the first card of the season are being taken Thursday. 

Castillo is coming in from Monmouth Park at the request of Remington’s all-time leading owner, Danny Caldwell, said agent Dylan Fazio. 

“Danny Caldwell always supported us at Oaklawn and he wanted us to come down there,” Fazio said Tuesday. “We rode the last five or six days of the meet there last year and we did well." 

Wed, 08/09/2023 - 17:26

Power outage cancels Saratoga race

Barbara D. Livingston
Horses from Wednesday's fifth race at Saratoga return to the paddock after a power outage. The race was eventually canceled, and the card resumed with the sixth race when power was restored.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — A power outage as the result of a downed tree limb not far from the track forced the cancellation of Wednesday’s fifth race at Saratoga, continuing a trend of unfortunate circumstances that have plagued the first half of this meet.

Wed, 08/09/2023 - 14:28

Pushiness possible for step up into graded company

Benoit Photo
Pushiness, owned by Mike Repole, is possible to move up into graded stakes company after two victories, including the CTBA Stakes at Del Mar.

Unbeaten in two starts, the 2-year-old filly Pushiness may have her first start in a graded stakes as soon as early September after winning her stakes debut in the CTBA Stakes at Del Mar last Sunday.

Owner Mike Repole and trainer Michael McCarthy have two options for Pushiness before the current Del Mar summer season ends Sept. 10 – the $125,000 Generous Portion Stakes for statebred fillies at six furlongs on Sept. 4, or the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante at seven furlongs on Sept. 9.

Wed, 08/09/2023 - 14:28

Del Mar ups Friday post times over visibility concerns

Barbara D. Livingston
Del Mar has moved up Friday post times due to visibility concerns with the setting sun.

Del Mar will have a first post time of 3:30 p.m. on Friday and on Aug. 18 after jockeys expressed concern about visibility in later races on recent Friday programs that began at 4 p.m., track officials said earlier this week.

First post time on the final three Fridays of the current summer meeting – Aug. 25, Sept. 1, and Sept. 8 – will be 3 p.m. to adjust for earlier sunsets in late summer.

Wed, 08/09/2023 - 14:27

Celing Crusher hopeful for Charles Town Oaks bid

Benoit Photo
Ceiling Crusher is among the 65 nominees for the Charles Town Oaks, as trainer Doug O'Neill is hesitant to ship her unless he's certain she makes the field.

Ceiling Crusher, a two-time stakes winner beaten for the first time in her fifth start July 27, is an intended runner in the Grade 3 Charles Town Oaks in West Virginia Aug. 25, if she can gain a berth in the field.

The $750,000 Charles Town Oaks at seven furlongs drew a whopping 65 nominations, but will be limited to 10 runners, with four also-eligibles. If the race draws more than 10, as expected, the field will be determined by graded stakes wins or placings, or graded stakes earnings as the first two criteria.

Wed, 08/09/2023 - 13:30

O'Rourke to horseplayers: NYRA dropped the ball

Barbara D. Livingston
NYRA president and CEO Dave O'Rourke said Wednesday that NYRA "dropped the ball" in its handling of the timing of the announcement to take three races off the turf on Sunday at Saratoga.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Dave O’Rourke, president and CEO of the New York Racing Association, said Wednesday his organization “dropped the ball” when it came to its handling of the timing of the announcement to take three races off the turf on Sunday at Saratoga and apologized to horseplayers for not being able to refund money wagered in multiple-race pools such as the late pick five.

Wed, 08/09/2023 - 13:15

Versatile Steal Sunshine heading to Monmouth for Iselin

Lauren King
Steal Sunshine has already proved his versatility and will head to Monmouth Park to make his next start in the Grade 3 Philip H. Iselin.

Steal Sunshine is scheduled to work over the weekend at Gulfstream Park for an intended start in the Grade 3, $250,000 Philip H. Iselin at Monmouth Park, trainer Bobby Dibona said Wednesday.

The Iselin is a 1 1/16-mile race on Aug. 19.

Steal Sunshine has won stakes races at distances of seven furlongs to a mile. He is coming off a runner-up finish in the $60,000 Bill Kaplan Memorial, a 1 1/16-mile overnight handicap July 2 at his base of Gulfstream Park.

Tue, 08/08/2023 - 16:44

Rivelli armed with top turf sprinters

Coady photo
One Timer wins the Kentucky Downs Turf Sprint Preview Stakes Sunday at Ellis Park.

One Timer posted the highest turf-sprint Beyer Speed Figure so far this year, 104, winning the Kentucky Downs Turf Sprint Preview Sstakes on Sunday at Ellis Park. But as fast as One Timer ran, it’s not even certain he’s the top one-turn turf horse in trainer Larry Rivelli’s stable. Nobals certainly has accomplished more this year, winning the Grade 2 Turf Sprint at Churchill in May with a 102 Beyer, and he was a good second Saturday at Saratoga finishing second in the Troy Stakes. 

“I had to split them up and I feel like I chose the right races,” Rivelli said.  

Mon, 08/07/2023 - 14:19

Saratoga: Early week turf races in jeopardy

Barbara D. Livingston
The steeplechase event for Wednesday will be pushed back to Aug. 16. The Grade 1 Jonathan Sheppard, originally scheduled for Aug. 16, will be moved to Aug. 23.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — Concerns over the condition of the turf course from last weekend followed by wet weather early this week could put turf racing in jeopardy for the first part of the upcoming race week at Saratoga.