Jockey Evin Roman, who led the standings at the Golden Gate Fields winter-spring meeting earlier this year, has been suspended seven racing days beginning Sunday for repeated whip violations.
Leo Rodriguez, Roman’s agent, said the jockey is attempting to appeal the decision, which covers the final four racing days of the Golden Gate meeting, which ends on Oct. 2, and the first three days of the Big Fresno Fair, Oct. 7-9.
Part of the purse of the $75,000 Silky Sullivan Stakes for California-bred 3-year-olds at Golden Gate Fields on May 1 has been ordered redistributed after third-place finisher Worse Read Sanchez tested positive for the painkiller lidocaine.
According to a ruling published by stewards at Golden Gate Fields on Sept. 9, Worse Read Sanchez has been disqualified from purse earnings and is officially listed as unplaced. The stewards ordered that $9,000 in purses and incentive awards earned by owners Paul and Zillah Reddam, trainer Doug O’Neill and jockey Armando Ayuso be returned.
Count Again, the winner of the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile at Santa Anita in May, has been taken out of training and will miss the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Keeneland on Nov. 5.
Trainer Phil D’Amato said on Wednesday that he was unsatisfied with the way Count Again has trained in the last month. The 7-year-old gelding will be rested for a 2023 campaign.
“We’re going to back off on him,” D’Amato said.
D’Amato said Count Again did not have a specific injury, but cited “a bunch of little that things that always culminate at the same time.”
Delaware Park in Wilmington canceled its live Wednesday race card roughly one hour before first post after a power outage disrupted operations in the stable area, the track said.
Delaware had an eight-race card scheduled for Wednesday, with a first post of 12:30 p.m. Eastern. The track said that live racing is expected to resume on Thursday.
Delaware races on a Wednesday-Saturday schedule. The track’s 2022 meet is scheduled to run through Nov. 5.
The total handle of $67,686,501 at the recently concluded Emerald Downs meet was up 4 percent compared to last year. The average daily handle of $1,301,663 was down 2 percent from the previous year but was up 15 percent from pre-COVID in 2019. Part of the reason for the increase in total handle was a 32 percent rise in ontrack wagering at the Auburn, Wash., track.
“We are pretty happy with how the meet went,” said Phil Ziegler, Emerald’s president. “A big positive is that we gave out more than $7 million in purses, which was an increase of 26.5 percent over last year.”
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike had his final pre-race breeze toward the Oct. 1 Lukas Classic, shipping in for a five-furlong workout well before dawn Wednesday under the Churchill Downs lights.
With regular exercise rider Gabriel Lagunes aboard, Rich Strike went in 1:01.40 over a fast track.
“Gabriel said it was like he was just galloping,” trainer Eric Reed said afterward.
The Assiniboia Downs meet has been extended an extra day following a recent cancellation, and closing day will now be Wednesday, Sept. 28.
The Winnipeg, Manitoba, track had an unexpected malfunction with a small section of the track lighting following the first race on Sept. 14. As a result, the remainder of the race card was canceled. The issue has since been rectified.
Cyberknife and Taiba, separated by a head in the Grade 1 Haskell at Monmouth Park, head a field of 11 3-year-olds entered Monday for Saturday’s Grade 1, $1 million Pennsylvania Derby at Parx.
In addition to Cyberknife and Taiba, the field includes two additional Grade 1 winners - Zandon and White Abarrio.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - The undefeated Fingal’s Cave, who was being considered for Saturday’s Grade 1 Cotillion at Parx Racing, will pass that race and will now target one of two races on the Oct. 30 New York Showcase Day program, trainer David Donk said Monday.
Donk elected to bypass a workout over the weekend for Fingal’s Cave saying the 3-year-old New York-bred filly was “a little too dull” in her training.
With Flightline booked to have his next start in the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 5 at Keeneland, several runners who finished well behind him in the Pacific Classic at Del Mar earlier this month will have the Grade 1 Awesome Again Stakes to themselves on Oct. 1 at Santa Anita.
Country Grammer, second by 19 1/4 lengths in the Pacific Classic, worked a half-mile in 48.60 seconds on Sunday for the $300,000 Awesome Again. Royal Ship, third by 26 3/4 lengths in the Pacific Classic, went the same distance in 48.80, but is not a certain runner in the Awesome Again.
