ELMONT, N.Y. – With a forecast that calls for wet weather Sunday and with its turf courses already saturated by rain, the New York Racing Association has moved two turf stakes scheduled for Sunday at Belmont Park to Monday’s Columbus Day card.
NYRA officials have moved the Pilgrim, for 2-year-old males, and the Miss Grillo, for 2-year-old fillies, to Monday. Though typically a dark day on this circuit, Belmont will have live racing Monday because of the holiday.
PHOENIX – Turf Paradise, which was to begin its meet Friday, has implemented a procedure to ensure its jockeys are fit enough to handle the physical demands of riding.
With the blessing of the Jockeys’ Guild, the Phoenix track is initiating the “Dr. Tibone protocol,” named for its developer, James Tibone, a California-based sports medicine physician and orthopedic surgeon. It issues a questionnaire designed to establish a rider’s history of injuries and gives jockeys a physical exam that focuses on motor strength and range of motion.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Belle of the Hall, inadvertently scratched in the morning but allowed to run for purse money only in the afternoon, rallied to nip Agave Kiss by a neck in Wednesday's $76,000 Valor Lady Stakes at Belmont Park.
The Valor Lady was scheduled to be run on the turf, but was moved to the dirt - as were four other grass races - when New York racing officials felt the turf was too wet to be used for racing.
ELMONT, N.Y. - After watching the races from Santa Anita last weekend, trainer Kiaran McLaughlin said he may pre-enter Forego winner Emcee in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile as well as the Sprint.
McLaughlin said the speed-favoring nature of Santa Anita’s main track prompted him to present that scenario to Simon Crisford, the racing manager for Sheikh Mohammed’s Godolphin Stable.
“We’re going to look at both spots,” McLaughlin said. “We didn’t like the two-turn thing, but watching the races out there it’s been all speed.”
ELMONT, N.Y. - Dreaming of Julia, who has won her first two starts by a combined 26 3/4 lengths, will be the favorite in Saturday’s Grade 1, $400,000 Frizette.
My Happy Face, who won her second start by 21 1/4 lengths, could be her main rival in the one mile race, which offers the winner an automatic spot in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies on Nov. 2 at Santa Anita.
Retama Park near San Antonio opens a 26-date meet Friday night with an improved purse structure, two new stakes races and the promise of a “strong financial partner” coming on board as early as December. The track will race every Friday and Saturday night through Dec. 29.
ELMONT, N.Y. – It doesn’t matter to trainer Carlos Martin whether Friday’s $80,000 Voodoo Dancer Stakes is run on turf, as scheduled, or if it has to be moved to the main track. He believes his 2-year-old filly John’s Mariah is capable of winning the race on either surface.
MIAMI – Dreaming of Sophia put herself into the upper echelon of a very good division of 2-year-old fillies based here this summer with her two-length victory in Saturday’s six-furlong Cassidy Stakes. It was a performance that has Frank Calabrese, once again the leading owner at the meet, contemplating a trip to California for next month’s Breeders’ Cup.
ELMONT, N.T. - One day before he is to ride dual European classic winner Camelot in the Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp, Frankie Dettori will be here to ride Cogito in the Grade 1, $400,000 Jamaica Handicap on Saturday.
Cogito, a Virginia-bred son of Giant’s Causeway, makes his North American debut against seven others, including Dullahan, in the $400,000 Jamaica, scheduled for 1 1/8 miles on turf.
STICKNEY, Ill. – Deep in the quiet heart of one of Hawthorne’s heavily winterized barns Wednesday morning, Donnie Von Hemel turned the corner of a shed row leading a rich bay horse on a shank. The sight was unexpected. Von Hemel has recently summered at Arlington but doesn’t stick around Chicago in the fall. He has come this week to Hawthorne because Alternation races Saturday in the Grade 2, $500,000 Hawthorne Gold Cup. The Gold Cup headlines opening weekend of Hawthorne’s fall-winter meet. It headlines, in fact, the entire meeting.
