HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - The undefeated stakes winner Olivia Twist is settled in at Oaklawn Park and pointing for the track’s stakes series for 3-year-old fillies, according to her trainer, Todd Fincher.
Oaklawn's first Kentucky Oaks points race is the $200,000 Martha Washington on Jan. 28. Oaklawn’s other points races for the Kentucky Oaks are the Grade 3, $300,000 Honeybee on Feb. 25 and the Grade 3, $600,000 Fantasy on April 1.
Golden Gate Fields canceled racing on Sunday for the second consecutive day following more than 24 hours of heavy rainfall in the San Francisco-Oakland area.
With dry conditions forecast for Sunday, the track intends to race on Monday, according to general manager David Duggan.
Areas near the track recorded approximately five inches of rain from early Friday to midnight on Saturday, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s website.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Due to heavy rain Saturday night, Santa Anita canceled racing for Sunday and postponed the Grade 3 Santa Ynez Stakes by one week. The sprint for 3-year-old fillies will be run Jan. 8, one week later than scheduled.
Fair Grounds canceled its Friday race card shortly before scheduled first post at 1:15 p.m. Central.
A news release from the Churchill Downs Inc.-owned property didn’t explicitly state the reason for the cancellation, saying the decision to scrap the eight-race program came “following excessive rain overnight and throughout the morning.”
The release described the cancellation as a “joint decision” after a “consultation between track management and the stewards.”
Jace’s Road took a huge step forward winning the Gun Runner Stakes by 5 1/2 lengths, earning a career-best 90 Beyer Speed Figure – and still might not have been the most impressive Brad Cox-trained 2-year-old colt to race Dec. 26 at Fair Grounds.
A few hours before Jace’s Road won the 1 1/16-mile Gun Runner, Corona Bolt rated while leading through a solid early pace before zipping a strong final quarter-mile in 24.04 for a final clocking of 1:09.96, romping by nearly seven lengths in the six-furlong Sugar Bowl.
It took nine attempts before Dicey Mo Chara won his first stakes in Monday’s Grade 2 San Gabriel Stakes on turf at Santa Anita, a victory that could lead to a start in Florida next month.
As the winner of the $201,000 San Gabriel Stakes, Dicey Mo Chara received a fees-paid berth to the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Turf at 1 1/8 miles at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 28.
“It’s a free run in a $1 million race,” trainer Leonard Powell said.
A win in the Grade 1 American Oaks at Santa Anita on Monday has changed the plans for race winner Rhea Moon.
Gone are plans for a start in a Grade 3 stakes such as the Megahertz Stakes at a mile on turf on Feb. 4. Instead, the Grade 1 Gamely Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on turf on May 29 is a long-range goal, with a likely prep in the Grade 2 Buena Vista Stakes at a mile on turf on March 4.
“That’s probably the best plan,” trainer Phil D’Amato said on Wednesday. “I think she likes to run fresh.”
ARCADIA, Calif. - Three winners, accompanied by three flying dismounts in the winner’s circle, gave legendary jockey Frankie Dettori an ideal start to his final season of riding at Santa Anita on Monday.
On a blockbuster 11-race program, Dettori needed three victories to gain a place among the three human stars on a day with six stakes.
Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert won five races, all on dirt, while jockey Juan Hernandez led all riders with four wins.
ARCADIA, Calif. -- Santa Anita had a record all-sources handle of $26,315,016 on Monday’s 11-race program on the first day of the winter-spring meeting, significantly higher than the previous mark of $23,003,159 set in 2020.
Monday’s handle figures included revenue from simulcasting and account wagering sources.
Monday’s ontrack crowd of 41,446 handled $3,165,792, according to a statement issued by the track. The ontrack crowd was much higher than the 2019 audience of 35,085, the last opening day before the pandemic.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – There were times when trainer David Duggan thought about getting out of the game. Several nonproductive years can make one look for other things to do.
“We were at that front gate multiple times,” said Duggan, who operates a small string of horses with his wife, Lara.
