St. John’s River is one of three horses Louisiana Downs-based trainer Andrew Leggio Jr. will have stabled at Saratoga for the meet that opens Friday. She is being pointed to a conditioned allowance July 26 and from there could run in the Grade 1, $600,000 Personal Ensign on Aug. 26.
“If she does good in this allowance, that’s what we’re kind of shooting at,” said Leggio, who trains St John’s River for Dede McGehee.
DEL MAR, Calif. – Beginning Wednesday for all of California racing, threshold levels for clenbuterol have been eliminated, so trainers have been alerted, in publications like the Del Mar condition book, to be mindful of withdrawing horses from the medication at least 21 days from a race.
Clenbuterol, a bronchodilator, will now “be treated as other drugs not specifically authorized” by the California Horse Racing Board, according to a CHRB notice in the Del Mar condition book. Any detection of clenbuterol in a post-race sample “will be reported as a violation.”
DEL MAR – There are several things at Del Mar that happen every year. You won’t be able to move at the track on opening day, but few will mind. The fish tacos at the neighboring The Brigantine will be sublime. And trainer Bob Baffert will fire early and often with his 2-year-olds.
Of all of Baffert’s accomplishments during his Hall of Fame career, he has been most dominant with 2-year-olds at Del Mar, where he has won the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity an amazing 10 times since 1996. That’s 10 times in 16 years, and, like the boys say in “Spinal Tap,” Baffert may go to 11 this year.
In 2011, 107 horses started at Del Mar who had made their previous start outside of the state, or even the nation. Those horses were eligible for bonuses that cost the racetrack and the Thoroughbred Owners of California a total of $165,000.
This year, the two groups are willing to spend more – a lot more, if necessary – to cover an expanded bonus program.
The posted speed limit in some parts of West Texas is 80 miles per hour, although you’re really not supposed to drive that fast while pulling a horse trailer.
Considering the temperature in Dallas-Fort Worth in July and August, and the allure of spending the second half of the summer at a beach town near San Diego, trainers such as Cody Autrey, Jack Bruner, Dallas Keen, and Christie Grisham can be forgiven for hustling a little bit to get to the West Coast in recent days.
Double Shuffle will try and make amends for losing his last race when he runs in a $30,000 claiming race that will serve as Wednesday’s feature at Northlands Park. The one-mile race for 3-year-olds and up drew six horses and goes as the eighth race. First post for the nine-race card is 6 p.m. Mountain.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. – The 50-day spring-summer meeting at Betfair Hollywood Park concluded Sunday with a 2 percent decline in average all-sources handle compared to the 2011 meeting, track president Jack Liebau said.
The track did not reveal extensive handle and attendance figures for the meeting.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Woodbine’s top two sprinters, Essence Hit Man and Eternal Rule, will clash over 6 1/2 furlongs Wednesday night in the $150,000 Bold Venture, which was promoted to a Grade 3 stakes this year.
Essence Hit Man, Canada’s reigning champion sprinter, hasn’t been worse than second since last year’s Bold Venture, in which he faded to fourth after setting rapid fractions. He began this campaign by capturing two Polytrack stakes, the Jacques Cartier and Grade 3 Vigil.
DEL MAR, Calif. - The first Grade 1 race of the Del Mar meeting, the $300,000 Eddie Read Stakes, will be run Saturday, and it is shaping up as a virtual walkover for Eclipse Award winner Acclamation, who has scared away just about all his rivals, and whoever was left might be reconsidering after his sharp drill on the turf here Monday morning.
Jockey John Velazquez returned to the saddle Monday morning for the first time since fracturing his collarbone in a spill at Churchill Downs on June 16.
Over the Oklahoma training track at Saratoga, Velazquez breezed the 2-year-old Archwarrior four furlongs in 48.92 seconds in company with another 2-year-old. Both horses are trained by Todd Pletcher.
Velazquez said Monday afternoon he felt no pain, but was “a little tired.”
“You’re supposed to be. . . . I’ll probably be sore tomorrow,” he said.
