Costa Rising, who gained notoriety outside of his home state of Louisiana back in 2007 when he put up two of that year's best Beyer Speed Figures, has been retired, his trainer, Glenn Delahoussaye, said on Wednesday.
Costa Rising has a torn ligament that would require an extended layoff, so the decision was made to retire him, said Delahoussaye.
A 6-year-old son of Royal Strand owned by Charles Castille, Costa Rising will stand at stud in Louisiana.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Owner-trainer Juan Olmos appears to have another talented 2-year-old in his barn in Huitzilopochtli. Last year Olmos campaigned the local juvenile champion, El Sinaloense. Huitzilopochtli took over the top spot in the local 2-year-old colts and geldings division with a 1 1/2-length win over Dyna Stroll in the $54,000 River Rock Resort Stakes last Sunday.
Unbridled Belle can put herself and trainer Todd Pletcher into the Delaware Park record book in Sunday's $1 million Delaware Handicap.
Established as the 2-1 favorite on the track's morning line when entries for the Grade 2 race were finalized Wednesday morning, Unbridled Belle will attempt to become the sixth two-time winner of Delaware's most prestigious stakes. No horse has accomplished the feat since Nastique in 1988 and 1989.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - The long-awaited launch of the California mini-satellite system begins Friday, with the opening of a betting parlor in the Commerce Casino, near downtown Los Angeles.
Commerce officials plan to open the mini-satellite for Friday's Hollywood Park evening program and intend to have a more full-scale opening for Wednesday's opening day at Del Mar.
With the Summit meeting at Thistledown ending Friday, Ernesto Oro has the riding title all wrapped up with a 48-30 lead over Weldon Cloninger Jr. the leading rider at last year's meet.
"This feels good," said Oro, a native of Peru. "I've had a very good meeting."
For the ninth consecutive season, the Summit meeting will have a different riding champion.
Trainer Ray Tracy Jr. won his 1,000th Thoroughbred race Tuesday at Prairie Meadows when Samara Street cruised home by 12 lengths over a field of maiden claimers. Samara Street is a daughter of the stakes-winning mare Miss Guts, also trained by Tracy.
Tracy began his career in 1983 under the tutelage of his father, looking after a string of Quarter Horses and Thoroughbreds in his home state of Montana. His brothers Greg and Jim have also enjoyed successful careers as horse trainers.
David Anderson saddled 38 winners to capture his eighth straight trainer title at Lincoln State Fair and his 12th title since 1992.
The 37-day meet concluded Sunday with a second consecutive year of strong increases in attendance. Attendance for the meet fell just short of 90,000, up 6 percent from 2008 and an increase of more than 24 percent since 2007. Mutuel handle ontrack was up 7 percent this year, at $2,134,332, and up 17 percent since 2007.
Preparations continue at Canterbury Park for Claiming Crown Day, the track's biggest event. More than 200 horses were nominated to the seven-race, $600,000 series, which will be contested next Saturday as part of a card that will also feature the running of the $100,000 Lady Canterbury Breeders' Cup. Russell Baze is expected to be one of the riders who will visit Shakopee for the event.
Four stakes races and the showcase Michigan Sire Stakes will have smaller purses, but Pinnacle Race Course is now set to run through Oct. 19, general manager Mike Mackey said Tuesday.
The former racing commissioner Christine White issued an executive order slashing race dates at Pinnacle and other state tracks, including harness racing and a mixed meet at Mt. Pleasant Meadows, due to the state's budget crisis.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Not Bourbon and Sand Cove, a pair of Ontario-sired 4-year-old colts who combined to win seven stakes for trainer Roger Attfield last year, both are scheduled to make their first start of the season this weekend.
Sand Cove and Not Bourbon were nominated to both Saturday's $100,000 Ontario Jockey Club, a seven-furlong turf race for Ontario foals, and Sunday's $150,000 Bold Venture, an open race at 6 1/2 furlongs on the main track.
