INGLEWOOD, Calif. - It was easy to dismiss the chances of Dave's Revenge for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at Santa Anita on Oct. 24. She had only won a one-mile maiden race at Del Mar in late August in her debut and went into the Juvenile Fillies as a 64-1 outsider.
It is not so easy to dismiss Dave's Revenge now, in advance of Saturday's $421,500 Hollywood Starlet Stakes at Hollywood Park.
Jockey Eguard Tejera has moved to the top of the Retama Park standings after winning three stakes on the Texas Champions Day card last Saturday. He upset three favorites, with his most dominant score coming aboard the 2-year-old Valid Stripes, who earned a Beyer Figure of 100 for his 11-length romp in the $50,000 Groovy Stakes.
"He impressed me a lot," said Tejera, who rode Valid Stripes for trainer Amos Laborde. "He finished really strong. He never stopped."
VINTON, La. - Rolling Sea sort of came out of retirement to win the $100,000 Treasure Chest last Friday night at Delta Downs. She had been set to sell at Keeneland in November, but when she did not reach her reserve, her owner, Ro Parra, decided to target the Delta stakes upon the advice of her longtime trainer, Steve Asmussen.
"We were only able to get a live bid of $190,000 for her, and she was worth a lot more to us than that, so we decided not to sell her," Parra said, noting that the sale was affected by the economy.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Such is the life of a trainer on the East Coast this time of year that if he wants to run a horse in California, a friends and family plan works quite well. John Terranova on Tuesday already was in Florida, setting up shop at the Palm Meadows training center, where he will spend the winter. His wife, Tonja, stayed back in New York, where on Tuesday morning she oversaw the final breeze of the 2-year-old filly Laragh in preparation for the Grade 1, $250,000 Hollywood Starlet on Saturday at Hollywood Park.
Jockeys Edgar Paucar and Jose Calo escaped serious injury in a spill Monday at Beulah Park when Paucar's mount, Camelot Hunter, went down entering the turn of the sixth race, a six-furlong allowance event. Camelot Hunter was dueling for the lead when he suddenly fell, causing Gorgeous Mist and Calo to swerve to miss them, unseating Calo.
Paucar was taken to Mt. Carmel Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, kept overnight for observation, and released Tuesday. Calo was taken to Grant Medial Center in Columbus and released Monday evening.
Camelot Hunter died in the accident.
Sunland Park's opening weekend received a significant boost Tuesday, when Peppers Pride was entered in the $125,000 New Mexico State Racing Commission Handicap after breezing at the track earlier in the morning. The undefeated mare will be going for her 19th consecutive win when she starts in the six-furlong race Sunday.
"That's a great kickoff for us," said Harold Payne, general manager of Sunland.
Peppers Pride worked three furlongs in 37 seconds at Sunland on Tuesday, and provided she comes out of the drill in good order, plans are to run, trainer Joel Marr said.
Jockeys Edgar Paucar and Jose Calo were injured in a spill Monday at Beulah Park when Paucar's mount, Camleot Hunter, went down entering the turn of the sixth race, a six-furlong allowance event. Camelot Hunter was dueling for the lead when he suddenly fell, causing Gorgeous Mist and jockey Jose Calo to swerve to miss them, unseating Calo.
Paucar was taken to Mt Carmel Hospital in Columbus and will be kept overnight for observation with an apparent concussion. Calo was take to Grant Medial Center in Columbus with a possible concussion as well.
Cushion Track, the company that was hired by Santa Anita Park to convert its dirt racetrack to an artificial racing surface in 2007, has filed a third-party complaint accusing its contractors and subcontractors of supplying deficient materials for the project.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - About one-quarter of trainer Steve Asmussen's record 583 victories this year have come with his 2-year-olds. Still, one would be hard-pressed to identify which of his young horses is his best prospect moving forward into 2009.
