Uh Oh Bango was to ship Friday to Turf Paradise, where he will winter as his connections plot a 3-year-old campaign that could run through the Kentucky Derby preps at Oaklawn or Sunland Park.
Uh Oh Bango put himself under consideration for such races after finishing second by a neck to Rule in the Grade 3, $750,000 Delta Jackpot on Dec. 4. The 1 1/16-mile race was the first two-turn start for Uh Oh Bango, and he earned a 95 Beyer Speed Figure for his performance.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Joe Talamo may seem a little lost this week.
Instead of going to the racetrack every day, working horses in the morning and riding in the afternoon, Talamo has found himself on a weeklong sojourn to ride California Flag in Sunday's Hong Kong Sprint in the Far East.
For Talamo, who turns 20 on Jan. 12, a day off, let alone nearly a week off, is for somebody else.
"I don't know what I'm going to do," he said last weekend before leaving for Hong Kong. "Maybe get some suits, do some sightseeing."
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Glen Kozak has one of those jobs where it's virtually impossible to please everyone most of the time.
As director of racing surfaces for the New York Racing Association, Kozak and his staff's performance affects horsemen, track management, and horseplayers, groups that are often at cross purposes. Listening to representatives from all groups, however, Kozak has earned rave reviews since taking over for John Passero in September 2008.
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.
