Santa Anita has increased the purses for eight stakes and cut the purse for one important race at its winter-spring meeting, which runs from Dec. 26 through April 22, 2012.
The richest races of the meeting will be worth $750,000 – the Santa Anita Handicap on March 3 and Santa Anita Derby on April 7. The purse for the Santa Anita Derby is down $250,000 from 2011, but equal to the prize offered from 1997-99, and from 2001 through 2010.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Trainer Bret Calhoun said he doubted Speedacious could win following a 3 1/2-month layoff when she returned to action Nov. 11 at Churchill Downs in an allowance sprint, a race the trainer hoped would set the filly up perfectly for an expected run on the Dec. 10 Louisiana Champions Day program at Fair Grounds.
Calhoun was right. Speedacious got beat a half-length.
“I wasn’t real right,” he laughed.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario — The Sovereign Award for the champion female sprinter will be up for grabs Sunday at Woodbine, when contenders Ariana D, Atlantic Hurricane, and Embur’s Song clash over seven furlongs in the Grade 3, $150,000 Bessarabian Stakes.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Jockey Patrick Valenzuela, who did not ride his assigned mounts at Hollywood Park on Thursday after failing to contact racing officials or his agent, will not resume riding until Nov. 26 at the earliest to deal with personal matters related to his fiancée, his agent, Tom Knust, said on Friday.
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SHAKOPEE, Minn. - Canterbury Park received approval from the Minnesota Racing Commission on Thursday to conduct a 62-day Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse race meet in 2012. The meet will begin Friday, May 18, and run through Monday, Sept. 3. Thursday and Friday racing will begin at 7 p.m., with weekend and holiday racing beginning at 1:30 p.m.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Jockey Patrick Valenzuela contacted his agent early Thursday evening after failing to appear to ride at Hollywood Park earlier in the day, and said he missed his mounts because of concern for his girlfriend’s well being.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Jockey Patrick Valenzuela failed to appear at Hollywood Park to ride on Thursday, leaving his agent concerned about his well being. Valenzuela was scheduled to ride five of the eight races on Thursday.
"I don't know what's happening," said his agent, Tom Knust. "I've been trying to call him and get a hold of him."
STICKNEY, Ill. - Multiple Grade 1 winner Giant Oak suffered a hind-end injury during a training mishap Thursday at Hawthorne Race Course. The specific nature of the injury has not yet been diagnosed, but Giant Oak certainly is out of the Nov. 26 Clark Handicap and therefore almost certainly finished racing in 2011.
Giant Oak's owners, Rudy and Virginia Tarra, plan to bring the 5-year-old horse back to race in 2012, but if it turns out he is badly hurt, Giant Oak, a well-bred son of Giant's Causeway, could go off to stud in the upcoming breeding season.
