Craig Dado recently left his position as a vice-president and chief marketing officer at Del Mar, ending a 30-year involvement in the promotion of Southern California racing.
In a statement released by Del Mar on Wednesday, Dado, 54, said he planned to pursue other business opportunities. Dado left Del Mar shortly after the conclusion of the track’s autumn meeting in late November.
Rockefeller, the winner of the Grade 3 Nashua Stakes at Aqueduct on Nov. 7, and Mackinnon, third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Del Mar on Nov. 5, are part of an expected small field in Saturday’s Grade 3 Sham Stakes at Santa Anita.
The $100,000 Sham Stakes at a mile is the first race for 3-year-olds at the track’s winter spring meeting. The 3-year-old series leads to the Grade 1 Runhappy Santa Anita Derby on April 9.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Untreated won a two-turn maiden race impressively last March at Tampa Bay Downs, so his connections did what connections of a talented 3-year-old typically do at that time of year – ran him in a graded stakes race. Untreated finished eighth in the Grade 2 Blue Grass, 33 3/4 lengths behind winner Essential Quality.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – On New Year’s Day 2020, trainer Michael Trombetta won the Jerome Stakes at Aqueduct with a 3-year-old son of Constitution named Independence Hall. On New Year’s Day 2022, Trombetta try to pen some more Jerome history in the 152nd running of the race with another 3-year-old son of Constitution, named Mr Jefferson.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez has relocated to Santa Anita for the winter-spring meeting for the first time and plans to stay through the end of March. Judging from the first two days of the season, the 50-year-old Velazquez could very well depart for Keeneland in early April at or near the top of the standings.
Velazquez had four wins on Sunday’s opening day, including the Grade 1 La Brea Stakes for 3-year-old fillies, and had one win on Monday’s program. Velazquez is booked to ride five horses on Friday’s nine-race program.
Trainer Bret Calhoun won Fair Grounds 3-year-old grass stakes on Monday with Excess Magic, who captured the Woodchopper, and Lovely Ride, who won the Pago Hop.
The day before, he found out what he needed to know regarding Tejano Twist, who loomed and faded in the Gun Runner, finishing second but beaten more than six lengths while making his two-turn debut. Tejano Twist was coming off a pair of sharp Kentucky sprint wins, and connections won’t press on with route racing.
Midnight Bourbon and Mandaloun faced each other five times during their 3-year-old seasons of 2021 and are on course to meet again in their first races at age 4.
Both colts are aimed toward the Jan. 22 Louisiana Stakes at Fair Grounds and the two could hook up again in the $20 million Saudi Cup.
Mandaloun has been out of action since being placed first via Hot Rod Charlie’s disqualification in the July 17 Haskell Stakes. On Dec. 27 at Fair Grounds, Mandaloun posted the fifth timed workout of his comeback, going a bullet five furlongs in 59.60 seconds.
Midnight Bourbon won the 2020 Lecomte Stakes for trainer Steve Asmussen and owner Ron Winchell’s Winchell Thoroughbreds and will make his 4-year-old debut at Fair Grounds on the same Jan. 22 card as the 2022 Lecomte. Moreover, owner and trainer, if all goes to plan, will have a leading Lecomte contender in Epicenter, who won his stakes and two-turn debut Sunday in the inaugural edition of the $100,000 Gun Runner.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – The old year will go out and the new year come in with a flourish, at least on the racetrack at Gulfstream Park, with nine stakes races to be decided in little more than a 24-hour period here Friday and Saturday afternoons.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – On Dec. 18, Geno, after making his first three starts on turf, tried dirt for the first time and won the $500,000 Great White Way division of the New York Stallion Series.
The connections of Ohtwoohthreefive are hoping the same surface switch works for their son of Union Rags when he tries dirt for the first time in Saturday’s $150,000 Jerome Stakes at Aqueduct. The Jerome, at a mile, is the first stakes for newly turned 3-year-olds and does offer its top four finishers points (10-4-2-1) toward the May 7 Kentucky Derby.
