Scott Williams is looking forward to his last day as an apprentice rider this Wednesday at Northlands Park. Williams has five mounts on the eight-race card, which begins at 6 p.m. Mountain.
Williams rides Mountain Park for trainer Robert Kingston in a $12,000 claiming race for 3-year-old fillies that will serve as the midweek feature. The one-mile race drew six horses and goes as the fourth race.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Wednesday night’s entire eight-race Woodbine card consists of low-level claimers, which makes for some perplexing handicapping puzzles, to say the least.
The sixth-race features some gritty older $16,000 runners, most notably One Big Gator, who should be favored in the 1 1/16-mile route.
One Big Gator finished 15th in the 2011 Queen’s Plate. He was subsequently competitive in Ontario-sired allowance company, but never notched his second win until he dropped to $12,500 last September.
The field for the Grade 2, $500,000 Super Derby at Louisiana Downs on Saturday is starting to take shape, with officials looking for a least nine starters, including a number of shippers from Southern California and Kentucky.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – You might say that September is the coolest month for trainer Ashlee Brnjas.
She has recorded both her stakes wins that month, including the $125,000 Vice Regent here Sunday. Seen It All Before rallied to score by 1 1/2 lengths under Luis Contreras in the one-mile turf race for Ontario-sired 3-year-olds.
“He’s such an awesome little horse,” said Brnjas, who trains the homebred Seen It All Before for the Colebrook Farm of her father, John Brnjas. “He’s so pleasant and fun to have in the barn. He’s a horse who tries and tries and tries.”
Bigger purses, more stakes, and the continuation of an exotic wager experiment that proved highly successful last spring are among the noteworthy changes as Laurel Park launches its 69-day fall meet on Wednesday.
A year ago, Laurel’s daily overnight purses averaged $185,000 and 27 stakes were worth $2.3 million. Thanks to an influx of revenue from slot machines in Maryland, Laurel’s overnight purses will now average $240,000. The fall meet contains 34 stakes worth a cumulative $3.6 million.
DEL MAR, Calif. – The comeback of the graded stakes winner Reneesgotzip begins in Wednesday’s $85,000 CERF Stakes at Del Mar, the first start of an ambitious late-season campaign.
Trainer Peter Miller has the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Santa Anita on Nov. 2 as a goal for Reneesgotzip, who has time for two races before that autumn goal.
[Complete coverage of racing at Del Mar: News, PPs, and video]
Yearling sales stakes recap
By Ron Gierkink
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Reigning Canadian champion 3-year-old Pender Harbour's picture is on the cover of this year's Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society's yearling sale catalog, so it was only fitting that he won the first of six stakes for graduates of the sale on Monday at Woodbine.
Pender Harbour ($2.50) took control on the backstretch in the $125,000 Elgin, and never looked back, scoring by 5 3/4 lengths over last year's Elgin winner, Medidocihospisurg. Opening Meet was third in the five-horse field.
Jockey Julien Couton is riding high at Golden Gate Fields. He is second in the jockey standings, trailing Russell Baze by one win, 14-13 going into Monday’s holiday card.
Couton, 31, has been climbing higher in the standings throughout the summer. He was eighth at Pleasanton, tied for fifth at Sacramento and then finished third at Santa Rosa.
Couton said his new agent Ron Freitas has brought him some new clients, and that he has picked up mounts with the absence of Aaron Gryder and Juan Hernandez at the meet.
DEL MAR, Calif. – Shining Copper’s summer has been geared toward Wednesday’s $100,000 Oak Tree Juvenile Turf at Del Mar.
The colt has started on turf in both his starts, showing significant improvement from a second in a maiden race over six furlongs at Betfair Hollywood Park on July 12 to a win against maidens over a mile on turf here on Aug. 15.
David Flores was aboard for both races, and has the mount on Wednesday.
“He showed a lot of talent first time,” Flores said. “The race here was a perfect race. I’m hoping that he can show more.”
DEL MAR - Bill Baffert Sr., the father of Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, died on Monday at his home in Nogales, Ariz. He was 88.
Nicknamed “The Chief,” Bill Baffert was the mentor for his son as a trainer, and was the inspiration for his son’s witty brand of humor.
“Very sad day,” Baffert said in a text.
During a recent visit late last month, Baffert said his father retained his sense of humor, even in declining health.
