DEL MAR, Calif. – One of the most important 3-year-olds at Del Mar this summer weighs approximately 1.5 pounds and has feathers.
A Harris’s hawk and his handler, Conor Bucalo, have been positioned on the rooftop since late July as part of the three-man team operating the drone that records the races. Images from the drone provide an overhead view shown to the public during replays and are used by stewards to review inquiries.
DEL MAR, Calif. – The days of chasing leading rider trophies are long gone for Hall of Fame rider Victor Espinoza. The mementoes that accompany big-race wins provide a suitable substitute.
Espinoza, 50, has won seven stakes this year, surpassing the six stakes wins he had in 2021. He has expectations for greater success before the end of the Del Mar meeting on Sept. 11, and beyond.
“I want to keep it going and win a few more,” Espinoza said on the backstretch on Sunday morning between workers.
DEL MAR, Calif. - Carmelita’s Man has been the star California-bred in turf stakes in recent months, winning the Crystal Water Stakes at Santa Anita in May and Saturday’s California Dreamin’ Stakes at Del Mar.
Without a similar race in coming months, Carmelita’s Man is likely to appear in an allowance race on turf before the end of the Del Mar summer meeting on Sept. 11.
DEL MAR, Calif. - The benefit of race experience in recent weeks and months helped Packs a Wahlop and Mister Iceman win maiden special weight races at Del Mar on Friday and Saturday, and moved the promising colts closer to their first start in stakes.
Packs a Wahlop, trained by Jeff Mullins for Red Barons Barn and Rancho Temescal, won his California debut in a maiden race at five furlongs on turf on Friday. Ridden by Mike Smith, Packs a Wahlop stalked the pace to early stretch before pulling clear to win by 1 1/2 lengths in 58.03 seconds.
Racing will not be held at the Sonoma County Fair in Santa Rosa, Calif., on Thursday because of insufficient entries.
Racing secretary Bob Moreno attemptrd to draw a program on Saturday, but said he did not have an adequate number of horses.
Racing remains scheduled for Aug. 12-14, the final weekend of the two-week meeting. Moreno said as many as eight races could be held on Aug. 12, with as many as nine on Aug. 13-14, if entries are strong.
DEL MAR, Calif. -- The 20-cent Rainbow pick six has a mandatory payout on Saturday and begins with a carryover of $608,415 from Friday.
Bettors may add $4 million to the pool on Saturday. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.
:: DRF's Del Mar headquarters – Stakes schedule, previews, recaps, past performances, and more
The pick six covers the sixth through 11th races, with a post time of 4:34 p.m. Pacific for the sixth race.
Here’s a glance at late scratches.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. -- Cyberknife, among the leaders of the 3-year-old division with two Grade 1 stakes victories, returned to the work tab Saturday morning, breezing a half-mile in 49.96 seconds over the Saratoga main track as he prepares for the Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers Stakes here on Aug. 27.
“Nice, easy half-mile, came out if it in good order, looked good, scoped good, happy with what we saw,” trainer Brad Cox said. “We’ll do more next week.”
Flavien Prat was aboard for the work, though Florent Geroux will ride Cyberknife in the Travers.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. -- Some horsemen have expressed concern with Saratoga’s main track, specifically that the inside is too deep in the stretch, but is not that way on the backside.
The issue came to light Saturday morning when a horse trained by Robert Falcone Jr. fell down near the finish line while galloping out following a workout. Additionally, trainer Todd Pletcher, after watching horses work early Saturday morning, reached out to Glen Kozak, NYRA’s senior vice president/operations and capital projects, to express some concern about the inside.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Trainer Mike Maker won his 3,000th career race on Friday - twice.
At Saratoga, Maker thought he had reached that milestone when Laugh and Play won race 2, a $50,000 claimer. However, after a jockey’s objection from Javier Castellano aboard the runner-up, Quaria Thunder, the Saratoga stewards disqualified Laugh and Play from first and placed her second, though they had left similar incidents earlier in the week alone.
Maker was one of many who disagreed with the call.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Jockey Julien Leparoux was selected as the winner of the 2022 Mike Venezia Memorial Award, the New York Racing Association announced Friday.
The Venezia, named in honor of the jockey who died in 1988 as result of injuries suffered in a spill at Belmont Park, is awarded to a jockey who displays the extraordinary sportsmanship and citizenship that personified Venezia, who won more than 2,300 races during his 25-year career.
