Jason Teague, racing secretary at Northlands Park, is expecting a field of nine or possibly 10 horses to run in next Saturday’s Grade 3, $300,000 Canadian Derby. The 1 3/8-mile feature closed on Wednesday with 13 horses nominated.
“It looks like the most evenly matched field we have had here in years,” said Teague.
There are no standouts among the likely starters and it is hard to predict which horse will end up being the favorite.
Judging from his recent form, Significant Cartel may not need his best effort to win Sunday’s eighth race at Los Alamitos, the second of three divisions of the Golden State Derby trials.
Significant Cartel has won his last three starts, and will be favored to make it four on Sunday. Trainer Juan Aleman is hoping that jockey Eduardo Nicasio will have enough of a margin in the last 100 yards that the rider will not have to urge his mount.
DEL MAR, Calif. - Trainer Mike Mitchell tied active Hall of Famer Ron McAnally on Del Mar’s all-time list of winningest trainers on Thursday with two wins, and will go for the record on Friday.
Mitchell began the day with 434 career wins at Del Mar and drew even with McAnally at 436 winners after Diamond Journey ($3.40) won the sixth race and So Tough ($7.40) won the eighth race. McAnally did not have any starters on Thursday.
Richard McNaughton, who for more than a decade represented jockey Cliff Berry, died at his home in Oklahoma City on Thursday, according to a number of members of the racing community at Remington Park.
McNaughton was 54, and the cause of his death is not yet known. He had been expected at Remington on Thursday morning, but did not arrive at the track, said friends. McNaughton, who also represented jockey Luis Quinonez, was a native of California. McNaughton and his wife, Michelle, who was traveling at the time of his death, have an 8-year-old daughter, Macy.
Welcome to Spa Babies! I'll break down the statistics for every juvenile contest at the meet and hope for a tidy profit.
In past years, I would list the stats for each horse before writing up my analysis, selections and wagering strategy. In order to streamline the content, this year's Spa Babies will showcase written analyses of each juvenile race. Each analysis will include relevant statistical information. Following the analysis, top three selections and wagering strategy will be provided.
Thursday's results:
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - Arlington Park and the leaders of the Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association have so far failed to reach agreement on how to pay out millions of dollars of casino impact-fee funds that became available early this week.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - There will be a pick six carryover of $82,068 into Friday's races at Saratoga after no one was able to hit the sequence on Thursday.
There is a nine-race card at Saratoga on Friday, so the pick six begins with the fourth race.
Boys At Tosconova, the 2010 Hopeful winner and runner-up to Uncle Mo in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, worked three furlongs in 39.36 seconds Thursday morning at Aqueduct. It was his first timed workout since Jan. 13 at Gulfstream Park.
Boys At Tosconova is attempting to return from an ankle injury that has delayed his 3-year-old debut. He has not run since last November’s Breeders’ Cup. He was training at Gulfstream Park before Dutrow sent him to Kentucky to be evaluated in January. The horse returned to trainer Richard Dutrow Jr.’s barn on July 1.
Trainer Todd Pletcher revealed Thursday that Overdriven, the Sanford Stakes winner, was found to have a sore left glutteal muscle after Pletcher postponed a scheduled Tuesday workout at for the undefeated colt.
Pletcher said an internal blister was done on the area and that, after jogging for a few days, Overdriven should be able to resume normal training.
Pletcher said he believes Overdriven could still make the Grade 1 Hopeful at Saratoga on Sept. 5 and may even be able to return to the work tab by Sunday or the beginning of next week.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Jockey Javier Castellano escaped a nasty-looking spill Thursday at Saratoga and is expected to ride on Friday.
Castellano was aboard Doing Great in the $76,000 Lucy Scribner Stakes when that horse, who was setting the pace in the six-horse field, fell approaching the five-sixteenths pole. New York Racing Association officials confirmed that the horse suffered a fatal cardiovascular collapse.
