Belmont Park was an occasional field trip for Jim Hudson when he was a member of the New York Jets team that won the Super Bowl in 1969, but he never really thought his post-football career would be in racing. Fast forward to 2010, and Hudson has logged more than 30 years as a trainer, and his barn houses one of the top Louisiana-breds in Snug.
AUBURN, Wash. - No Flies On Doodle is movin' up and movin' out.
A courageous winner of the 6 1/2-furlong Washington State Legislators Handicap at Emerald Downs on Monday, the 4-year-old filly is scheduled to start next in the one-mile King County Handicap here on July 4, trainer Vann Belvoir said. After that, she will be shipped to Minnesota for a race at Canterbury Park, and then to Oklahoma, where Belvoir plans to keep a string of horses at Remington Park.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Oak Tree Racing Association officials are hoping to reach a resolution in coming days with executives from Magna International Development, the parent company of Santa Anita Park, over a lease arrangement for Oak Tree's fall meeting at Santa Anita, according to Oak Tree's executive vice-president, Sherwood Chillingworth.
If an agreement can't be reached soon, the Oak Tree meeting, which has been run at Santa Anita since 1969, could be relocated to Hollywood Park in Inglewood, Calif., Chillingworth said.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Paul Buttigieg has been training horses for almost 40 years. And, with the exception of a fling in the spotlight with the talented sprinter Rushiscomingup in the late 1990s, the 63-year-old Buttigieg generally has stayed beneath the radar.
It's been hard for Buttigieg to avoid attracting attention this spring, however, as he had sent out five winners from 28 starters heading into Wednesday night's program at Woodbine while adding two wins from four starts at Fort Erie.
MIAMI - Mambo Meister became the No. 1 star at the meet after adding Monday's Grade 3 Memorial Day Handicap to his victory on opening day in the Grade 3 Miami Mile.
However, Mambo Meister will have to share some of that glory with Dubai's Connection, a 5-year-old mare who has made her name knocking around the lower-level claiming and starter-allowance ranks here this spring.
Martin Garcia is the new jockey for St Trinians, the 5-year-old mare expected to provide Zenyatta her main challenge June 13 in the Grade 1 Vanity Handicap at Hollywood Park. Trainer Mike Mitchell announced the rider change for St Trinians on Wednesday after Garcia worked St. Trinians six furlongs in 1:14, breezing.
St Trinians won her first four U.S. starts, including the Grade 2 Santa Maria Handicap, before she was roughed up finishing sixth against males in her most recent start March 6 in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap. St Trinians has been ridden by Joel Rosario.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Trainer Jorge Gutierrez could use a batch of luck this spring at Hollywood Park.
Through Monday, Gutierrez has had just one winner from 35 starters.
"It seems like nothing is going right," he said on Wednesday. "I want to win a race."
Friday evening, on a program that will have high interest from racing fans, Gutierrez has a chance to revive his slumping stable. He has starters in two of legs of a pick six that begins with a carryover of $150,594.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Ice Box has been listed as the 3-1 morning-line favorite in a field of 12 3-year-olds in the 142nd Belmont Stakes, the final leg of the Triple Crown to be run Saturday at Belmont Park.
Ice Box, assigned post 6 when entries were drawn Wednesday morning for the 1 1/2-mile race, will be making his first start since finishing second in the May 1 Kentucky Derby. Jose Lezcano has the mount back aboard Ice Box for two-time Belmont-winning trainer Nick Zito.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Richard Migliore recalled the day he knew he wanted to be a jockey.
It was Oct. 2, 1976, the day when the mighty 6-year-old Forego, carrying 137 pounds, including Bill Shoemaker, ran down the 3-year-old Honest Pleasure under Craig Perret at 119 pounds to win the Grade 1 Marlboro Cup by a head at muddy Belmont Park.
Migliore was 12 years old.
