WHO'S HOT
Luis Saez
After apparently falling out of the race for the 2009-10 Tropical at Calder jockey title when he missed a week serving a riding suspension, the young apprentice wasted little time getting back into the thick of the battle. He posted nine victories in two days last weekend, including five Sunday. Among his winners were Saturday's feature aboard Wyatt's Women and Sunday's main event aboard Jessica Is Back. Both fillies are trained by Marty Wolfson.
Eduardo Nunez
WHO'S HOT
The Ladies
Jacqueline Davis became a five-pound apprentice on the eve of the inner-track meet and wasted little time with her remaining year as an apprentice by bringing in three winners opening week at an average payoff of $47.50. Davis doubled opening day with Northern Warrior ($71.50) for Rodrigo Ubillo and Mitchell Park ($56.50) for Assaf Ronen. She also took last Saturday's nightcap with Suttle Rich ($14.60) for David Henriques.
A new race on the Fair Grounds stakes schedule will be called the New Orleans Ladies, the track announced Tuesday, while restating its hopes that the race will serve as a launching pad for Rachel Alexandra's 2010 campaign.
The $200,000 race, scheduled March 13 for 1 1/16 miles on dirt, was one of two new races in the older female route division created by the track this year. Fair Grounds also created the $100,000 Daily Racing Form Stakes on Dec. 19, bulking up a division long-neglected by the traditional stakes schedule.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Santa Anita has cut purses for some overnight races and left others unchanged for the upcoming winter-spring meeting from Dec. 26 to April 18.
The condition book, detailing the races for the first two weeks of the meeting, through Jan. 9, was published earlier this week.
Purses for some allowance races were cut $4,000, while maiden special weight races were cut $1,000. Purses for lesser horses, in the maiden claiming categories, were left unchanged.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - For 18 of his more than 40 years in the racing industry, Ken Dunn guided the fortunes of Calder Race Course, which for all its success has always lived in the shadows of nearby Gulfstream Park. Now, Dunn suddenly finds himself on the other side of the fence, having been appointed the president and general manager of Gulfstream little more than two months before the Jan. 3 opening of the 2010 racing season.
Sunland Park has never opened a meet on a higher note. Last week the track, which begins a 77-date season on Friday, was awarded Grade 3 status for its Sunland Park Derby. The race is the first graded offering for Thoroughbreds in New Mexico, and with its new status track officials said the purse will be increased from $600,000 to $800,000 when it is run on March 28.
"This has been our goal for eight years," said Harold Payne, the general manager of Sunland. "This was the purpose of the race from Day One."
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Woodbine Entertainment Group has reported a 7 percent increase in handle for the 167-day live Thoroughbred meeting which concluded last Sunday.
All-sources handled totaled $361,435,208, compared to the $337,660,570 from the 167 dates in 2008. The daily average handle this year was $2,164,282.
"We are especially proud of the healthy wagering increase on our 2009 Thoroughbred meet, as the industry is seeing a drop in betting overall," said Sean Pinsonneault, Woodbine's vice president of wagering services, in a press release.
Due to rain and high winds, Aqueduct has canceled its live card for Wednesday. The track had received 1 1/2 inches of rain by Wednesday morning and was expecting up to another half-inch to three-quarters of an inch. Winds were gusting up to 30 miles per hour.
Aqueduct will be open for simulcast and telephone wagering. Racing is scheduled to resume Thursday.
MIAMI - Paco Lopez captured his first Meadowlands jockey title on Saturday night. He celebrated that milestone the following afternoon by engaging in one of his favorite pastimes: Riding in a Quarter Horse race.
Lopez not only rode a Quarter Horse race on Sunday, he won the opening event that day at Hialeah Park aboard a first-time starter named High Bar Jesse.
