OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The last Grade 1 race of the year on the New York Racing Association circuit is not the only reason to pay attention to Aqueduct on Saturday.
Following a parade of longshot winners Friday at Aqueduct, there is a $729,611 pick six carryover into Saturday’s Cigar Mile Day card.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – While trainer Michelle Nevin sends out two of her hard-knocking, stakes-winning New York-bred sprinters in Sunday’s $150,000 Thunder Rumble division of the New York Stallion Series, she appears to have a top-quality sprinter for the open-company stakes to be run in New York this winter.
Happy Medium, a 3-year-old gelding by Runhappy, has gone 2 for 2 this fall since returning from a six-month layoff. On Sept. 30, he won a six-furlong maiden race over a fast Belmont main track by 9 1/4 lengths, earning a 103 Beyer Speed Figure.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Pete Fitzgerald, who has worked on and off at the New York Racing Association since 1978, is retiring following Sunday’s card. Fitzgerald has spent the last nine years as the paddock judge at NYRA’s three tracks.
Fitzgerald, 68, said he felt it was just a good time to leave.
“I’m going to put my feet up and not be on the Belt Parkway,” Fitzgerald said.
Astronomer, the upset winner of the $152,000 Qatar Golden Mile for 2-year-olds on turf at Del Mar on Nov. 5, will not race again until the spring.
Trainer Simon Callaghan said on Friday that Astronomer was recently diagnosed with a minor injury that will require a wintertime break. Astronomer is scheduled to remain at Callaghan’s stable during the recovery and will not require surgery, he said.
“He’s had a little setback,” Callaghan said. “He just needed a little time.”
Los Alamitos nears the halfway point of its two-week December meeting on Sunday, the third day of the seven-day season.
The final week of the season is scheduled from Thursday through Dec. 12, a span that includes three stakes races led by the Grade 2 Los Alamitos Futurity at 1 1/16 miles on Dec. 11. There are two $100,000 races for statebred 2-year-olds at a mile – Friday’s Soviet Problem Stakes for fillies and Sunday’s King Glorious Stakes.
Dr. Schivel, second by a nose in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Del Mar on Nov. 6, has resumed training for a final start of the year in the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes at Santa Anita on Dec. 26.
There is a likelihood that Dr. Schivel will have a different jockey for the prestigious race, a fixture on the opening day of the track’s winter-spring meeting.
Tejano Twist, winner of the $200,000 Lively Shively on Nov. 27 at Churchill, will get a two-turn test in the $100,000 Gun Runner Stakes on Dec. 26 at Fair Grounds.
Tejano Twist, a 2-year-old Practical Joke gelding, had only a five-furlong Colonial Downs maiden win from his first six starts before romping to a Keeneland allowance-race victory in October and scoring a half-length win in the 6 1/2-furlong Lively Shively, a new race on the Churchill stakes schedule.
The Fair Grounds meet is only five racing days old and already trainer Al Stall has sent out three 2-year-old winners.
The filly Fannie and Freddie won a two-turn dirt maiden race on Nov. 26 by nearly four lengths, earning a career-best 74 Beyer Speed Figure and a stakes start Dec. 26 in the inaugural edition of the $100,000 Untapable.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Mike and Mickala Sisk of M and M Racing won the recent owner title at the fall meet at Churchill Downs and now have their sights set on Oaklawn. The North Texas couple have won the last four titles in Hot Springs.
“The Oaklawn meet is going to be longer, the money is better than it’s ever been, and the goal, obviously, is to win the owners title,” Mike Sisk said. “I like our chances. We’ve got about 20, 25 head at Oaklawn and as soon as that claiming button starts, we’ll be claiming like crazy!”
Sisk added how difficult it can be to claim at Oaklawn.
