OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Average daily handle on Aqueduct’s races in January was $5,348.893, down 22 percent from the average of $6,853,355 in January 2022, according to figures provided by the New York Racing Association.

All sources handle was up 2 percent – $90,931,187 compared to $89,093,611 – but there were 17 cards run this January with no weather-related cancellations compared to 13 cards run last January with five weather-related cancellations. Two of last January’s cancellations were Saturday cards.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – There are ample options upcoming for an older dirt male who wants to run a distance of ground. When it comes to his 7-year-old Treasure Trove, trainer Lynn Cash will explore all of them, including the possibility of shipping to California for the Grade 1, $500,000 Santa Anita Handicap on March 4.

Sam Houston Race Park will not be exporting its races to out-of-state wagering sites as planned Friday, according to a statement issued by the Houston track. It was to be the meet’s first card exported to sites around the United States.  

Chindi, a millionaire who won the hearts of racing fans for his closing kick and the hearts of horsemen for his enduring second career as a stable pony, died Thursday at the age of 29, said Ran Leonard, the grandson of his owner, Carol Ricks.  

Chindi, who had been based at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., was euthanized after recently showing signs of neurological stress in an age-related issue, according to Leonard.  

Clairiere rated right there with champion Malathaat atop the 2022 older female dirt-route division, and with Malathaat retired, Clairiere rates as the leading older female dirt-route horse in America as she prepares for her 2023 debut.  

Proxy, making his first start since winning the Grade 1 Clark in November, finished fifth, beaten more than seven lengths, in the $3 million Pegasus World Cup on Jan. 28 at Gulfstream.  

Don’t hold the defeat against him. His trainer, Michael Stidham, certainly doesn’t. 

The 20-cent Rainbow pick six will have a mandatory payout at Santa Anita on Sunday.

Interest in the bet should be strong. The wager will begin Friday’s program with a carryover of $287,716. If there are no single ticket winners on Friday and Saturday, track officials project the pool will reach $3 million on Sunday.

This is the second time the Rainbow pick six has had a mandatory payout at the winter-spring meeting, which began on Dec. 26. On Jan. 7, the bet paid $2,429. The pool began that day with a carryover of $275,877. Bettors added $2,311,782.

The best betting race on Saturday’s 10-race program at Santa Anita is the finale, the Grade 3 Thunder Road Stakes for turf milers. A winning trifecta or exacta ticket will provide a handsome reward.

A key prep race for the Grade 1 Frank Kilroe Mile on March 4, the $100,000 Thunder Road Stakes has drawn a field of 12, including eight graded stakes winners as well as the winner of one of the toughest races at Royal Ascot each year.

The Texas Racing Commission on Wednesday approved out-of-state simulcasting for Sam Houston Race Park, according to its executive director, ending a blackout of the track’s signal due to the commission’s unwillingness to fall under the regulatory jurisdiction of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority.

Blazing Sevens, who appears to be trainer Chad Brown’s lone Kentucky Derby hope at this point, will make his 3-year-old debut in either the Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds on Feb. 18 or the Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream Park on March 4, Brown said Tuesday. Both races are Grade 2s with a purse of $400,000. The Fountain of Youth is run at 1 1/16 miles, a sixteenth shorter than the Risen Star.