DEL MAR, Calif. - Hall of Fame jockeys Laffit Pincay Jr. and Jorge Velasquez were making the rounds of the Del Mar stable area on Tuesday, swapping stories of when they rode together while also informing trainers about GastroMax3, an equine ulcer medication both represent.
Velasquez was visiting Del Mar for the first time in years. His main job these days is being the jockey agent for apprentice Armando Ayuso, a native of Panama who is sixth in the standings at Monmouth Park.
DEL MAR, Calif. - City to City and All Star Heart, separated by a nose in the John Mabee Stakes on Aug. 12, will have a rematch on Monday in the Grade 2, $250,000 Yellow Ribbon Handicap for older female turf runners going 1 1/16 miles.
The Yellow Ribbon, long the name of the championship female grass race at Santa Anita’s Oak Tree meeting, is now the name of what was the Palomar Handicap. With Oak Tree no longer running a fall meet at Santa Anita, it has bequeathed the name of the race to Del Mar.
DEL MAR, Calif. - Drop the puck, baby! Howe Great and Old Time Hockey are scheduled to face off on Sunday in the Grade 2, $300,000 Del Mar Derby for 3-year-olds at 1 1/8 miles on turf. Also under consideration for the race are All Squared Away, Brother Francis, Midnight Crooner, My Best Brother, Smart Ellis, and Tones.
My Best Brother, second by a nose to Old Time Hockey in the La Jolla Handicap earlier this month, worked a half-mile in 48.20 seconds on Tuesday morning for Canani.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Jockeys Javier and Abel Castellano, brothers, both welcomed new baby boys into the world on Tuesday.
Javier’s wife, Abby, gave birth to Brady Ryan, who weighed in at 8 pounds, 15 ounces. Abel’s wife, Claudia, gave birth to Adam Antonio, who weighed 7 pounds, 13 ounces.
It was the third child for each family.
DEL MAR, Calif. – Unbeaten and barely tested in three starts, Executiveprivilege will shoot for the richest and most significant win of her brief career on Saturday when she heads the field in the Grade 1, $300,000 Del Mar Debutante for 2-year-old fillies going seven furlongs.
Evangeline Downs in Opelousas, La., squarely in the projected path of Hurricane Isaac, has canceled Wednesday night’s racing program.
The 10-race card has been rescheduled for next Tuesday. The races will be redrawn Wednesday morning along with entries for next Wednesday. Racing is expected to resume this coming Thursday.
Friend Or Foe, unraced since finishing fourth in the 2011 Whitney, is expected to rejoin trainer John Kimmel’s barn in Saratoga as he continues to attempt a comeback to the races.
Friend Or Foe, a dominant winner of the 2010 Empire Classic at Belmont Park, has been plagued by suspensory ligament issues and, more recently, foot issues, that have forced Kimmel to start and stop in his training.
Trainer Richard Dutrow Jr. said he planned to enter Trickmeister and perhaps Isn’t He Perfect as well for Saturday’s Grade 1 Woodward, but may not decide the status of either until later in the week. Entries for the Woodward were to be drawn Wednesday.
Trickmeister pressed the early pace before tiring to finish fifth in the Grade 1 Whitney Handicap on Aug. 4. He also was third behind Mucho Macho Man in the Grade 2 Suburban Handicap earlier this summer at Belmont Park. Isn’t He Perfect is coming off a second-place effort behind San Pablo in an overnight stakes here Aug. 2.
Zagora, who set a Saratoga inner-turf course record winning the Ballston Spa Stakes on Saturday, could make her next start in the Grade 1, $500,000 Spinster Stakes at Keeneland on Oct. 7.
Though Zagora has never raced on a synthetic surface, Brown said “keeping her at the right distance at this stage of her career” is important. Brown believes 1 1/16 miles to 1 1/8 miles “is her best trip.”
