Rosemary Homeister, second on the all-time wins list among female riders in North America, has gone on maternity leave and will be out for an indefinite period, according to her agent, Steve Elzey.
Currently the third-leading rider at the Tampa Bay Downs meet in Oldsmar, Fla., Homeister lives with fellow jockey Irwin Rosendo. Contacted Friday morning, she said she was “just not up to talking right now.”
Evening Jewel, preparing to return to the turf in the Grade 2, $150,000 Buena Vista Handicap on Feb. 21 at Santa Anita, worked five furlongs on the grass on Thursday morning in 1:02.40 for trainer Jim Cassidy.
Eclair de Lune, last year’s Beverly D. winner, worked the same distance in 1:02 for trainer Ron McAnally. She also could end up in the Buena Vista.
Orange cones, known as dogs, were put up past the middle of the course.
A strong group of maiden 3-year-olds are in Saturday’s third race at Santa Anita, most notably Albergatti, a highly regarded Steve Asmussen-trained colt who finished second in a fast maiden race on Jan. 16 in which the victorious Da Ruler sped 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:14.42. That was Albergatti’s first start. He stretches out to seven furlongs on Saturday.
After Bella Medaglia sustained an injury that led to a long layoff, and returned with a modest Dec. 13 comeback race wearing front bandages for the first time, it seemed fair to wonder if the 4-year-old filly had hit her career peak early in 2010, when she finished second in the Tiffany Lass Stakes. One start later, after a sharp Jan. 21 allowance win, it seems fair to wonder if there might be a graded stakes somewhere out there that will prove to be within Bella Medaglia’s scope.
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Grade 3 Endeavour - Tampa Bay Downs - Race 11
Est. Post Time: 4:52 p.m. Eastern - Feb. 12, 2010
OLDSMAR, Fla. – Entering a horse in a graded stakes going a middle distance off a more than five-month layoff would normally draw more than a fair share of skeptics and naysayers.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Richard Migliore is returning to the New York racing scene.
The former jockey will join the New York Racing Association in a multi-faceted capacity that will include television work, participating in the track’s apprentice rider program, and conducting seminars for new and prospective Thoroughbred owners. Migliore will be permitted to continue his current role as an analyst for HRTV.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Grandacious got the call to travel to Oaklawn Park for Saturday’s $75,000 Martha Washington for a handful of different reasons. Her trainer, Bret Calhoun, said he believes the Louisiana-based Grandacious will take to both the local racing surface and the configuration of the one-mile stakes that will end at the sixteenth pole.
Even though Tornado Betty ran seventh by eight lengths in her most recent start, it was arguably the best race of her career. She set a hot pace in the Grade 1 La Brea at Santa Anita on Dec. 26 then was overtaken by Switch, who is one of the top female sprinters in North America.
ARCADIA, Calif. – There were 157 works at Santa Anita on Thursday, a mere two on the infield training track. But one of them turned heads. Blind Luck, expected to head the field on Sunday in the Grade 2, $150,000 La Canada Stakes, worked a half-mile on the bullring in 49.20 seconds with jockey Rafael Bejarano. Considering all her recent works here had been on the main track, what was up with that?
