Mon, 01/03/2022 - 13:16

Simplification, Lightening Larry impress with fast stakes wins

Ryan Thompson/Coglianese Photos
Simplification wins the Mucho Macho Man Stakes on Saturday at Gulfstream, earning a Beyer Speed Figure of 90.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – If Saturday’s New Year’s Day program here was a hockey game, nobody could argue that the top three stars at the end of the day were Simplification, Lightening Larry, and Kathleeen O. The only discussion, perhaps, would be what order to put them in.

Mon, 01/03/2022 - 11:36

Newgrange must follow in big footsteps as a Baffert-trained winner of Sham Stakes

Benoit Photo
Newgrange sin enemigos en el Sham Stakes G3

ARCADIA, Calif. – Newgrange gave trainer Bob Baffert his third consecutive win in the Grade 3 Sham Stakes on Saturday at Santa Anita, and the trainer’s sixth win in the last 10 years in the early season one-mile test for 3-year-olds.

Newgrange joins outstanding company as a winner of the Sham trained by Baffert, who has claimed the exacta in the race the last three years.

Mon, 01/03/2022 - 11:26

Hot Rod Charlie will have prep in Dubai for Dubai World Cup

Benoit Photo
Hot Rod Charlie (right) is unable to hold off Express Train in the San Antonio Stakes on Dec. 26 at Santa Anita.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Hot Rod Charlie, a two-time graded stakes winner in 2021 who was beaten a nose in the Grade 2 San Antonio Stakes on Dec. 26 at Santa Anita, is scheduled to be flown to the United Arab Emirates on Jan. 17. Hot Rod Charlie is part of a group of eight runners trained by Doug O’Neill that will be sent to Meydan Racecourse in Dubai, where the horses will stay through late March.

Sun, 01/02/2022 - 18:05

Loud Mouth claimed, may start in California Cup Sprint

Benoit photo
Loud Mouth (left) paid $28 with the victory in the Cary Grant Stakes at Del Mar on Sunday.

ARCADIA, Calif. - The two-time stakes winner Loud Mouth was claimed for $80,000 at Santa Anita on Friday and could start in the $150,000 California Cup Sprint on Jan. 15, new trainer John Sadler said.

On Friday, Loud Mouth finished fifth, beaten 13 lengths, in an optional claimer at six furlongs, fading through the stretch for Thomsen Racing and trainer Steve Knapp. Loud Mouth was claimed by Hronis Racing.

Sun, 01/02/2022 - 17:57

Jockey Ellingwood out until mid-January with concussion

ARCADIA, Calif. - Apprentice jockey Emily Ellingwood will be sidelined until mid-January after suffering a concussion when she was unseated in deep stretch in the second race at Santa Anita on Friday.

Ellingwood said she will not ride the upcoming weekend, but hopes to return to riding later in the month.

“I’m going to take it easy for the next week,” Ellingwood said Sunday.

Sun, 01/02/2022 - 17:49

Luck, Lighthouse make for global New Year's celebration for Foxwoods

Coady Photography
Lighthouse is expected to run in Saturday's Las Cienegas Stakes at six furlongs on turf. She is shown winning the Music City Stakes at Kentucky Downs in September.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Globally, New Year’s Day was a milestone racing holiday for Larry, Nancy and Jaime Roth’s LNJ Foxwoods Stable. Not many stables win stakes in Australia and California on the same calendar day.

On Saturday at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, the 5-year-old Kentucky-bred mare Lighthouse remained unbeaten in four starts in Australia with a victory in the $115,900 Chester Manifold Stakes at seven furlongs.

At Santa Anita, Luck won her first stakes in the Grade 3 Robert Frankel Stakes at 1 1/8 miles for fillies and mares.

Sun, 01/02/2022 - 14:17

Dash Attack, after Smarty Jones victory, points to Southwest Stakes

Coady Photography
Dash Attack gana con comodidad el Smarty Jones S.

The unbeaten Dash Attack was in good order Sunday following his clear win in the $250,000 Smarty Jones at Oaklawn Park and will target the track’s Grade 3, $750,000 Southwest, trainer Ken McPeek said.

The Southwest, at 1 1/16 miles, will be run Jan. 29.

Dash Attack has won both of his starts, and both have come at Oaklawn. He accounted for a maiden special weight at a mile on opening weekend, then came back and picked up 10 points for the Kentucky Derby in the Smarty Jones.

Fri, 12/31/2021 - 17:13

Jockeys Vargas, Samuel test positive for COVID-19

Barbara D. Livingston
Jorge Vargas Jr. won 28 races at the Aqueduct winter meet before being injured.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Jockeys Jorge Vargas Jr. and Jalon Samuel both tested positive for COVID-19 and will be off their mounts at Aqueduct this weekend, according to a release from the New York Racing Association.

Vargas, who was not named to ride at Aqueduct Friday, was scheduled to ride five horses Saturday, including Hagler in the $150,000 Jerome Stakes. He was named on two horses Sunday. Samuel was taken off his one mount Friday and his other mount scratched. Samuel had two mounts Saturday and one Sunday.

Fri, 12/31/2021 - 15:58

Santa Anita will seed late pick five pool on Sunday with $50K

Barbara D. Livingston
The money Santa Anita is adding to the late pick five pool on Sunday is a thank you to racing fans following a difficult, weather impacted, opening week.

Santa Anita is adding $50,000 to the pool of the 50-cent late pick five on Sunday, officials announced on Friday.

In a statement, the track said the bonus money to the pool is an expression of gratitude toward racing fans for support through opening week of the winter-spring meeting, which was disrupted by poor weather.

There was no turf racing on the Dec. 26 program because of rain in the preceding days. Rain after lunch on Monday led to the transfer of turf races to the main track midway through the program.

Fri, 12/31/2021 - 14:56

Cardenas making progress as he rehabs from July spill

Barbara D. Livingston
Jockey Luis Cardenas was injured during a spill in Saratoga's final race on Friday.

When jockey Luis Cardenas was injured in a spill at Saratoga in July, it was presumed he would miss only a couple of weeks. Six months later and Cardenas has still not returned to the saddle, but he is progressing.

Cardenas, who suffered more serious head trauma than initially reported, said he is scheduled to meet with a neurologist in the third week in January. At that consultation, he is hoping to get cleared to begin getting on horses again with the goal of returning to race-riding in February.