Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez, who through Monday was second in the jockey standings at the Santa Anita winter-spring meeting, has launched an appeal of a recent three-day suspension for careless riding, according to his agent Ron Anderson.
Velazquez was cited for “failing to maintain a straight course through the stretch” on Con On the Run in the first race on Jan. 14, according to a ruling published on Saturday by track stewards Luis Jauregui, Will Meyers, and Kim Sawyer.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Brian Lynch is eyeing the Feb. 5 Holy Bull at Gulfstream Park for his Kentucky Derby hopeful Classic Causeway, who breezed five furlongs in 1:01.60 early Wednesday at the Palm Meadows training center. It was the third work for the Giant’s Causeway colt since he was second as the 7-5 favorite behind Smile Happy in the Nov. 27 Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill Downs.
“There are other races we could go for, but right now the Holy Bull is on the radar for him,” said Lynch. “This latest work was really good and has us where we want to be.”
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Todd Pletcher trains five of the 23 separately listed wagering interests in Pool 2 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager, which runs this Friday to Sunday. It’s a familiar position for a Hall of Fame trainer, whose 59 Derby starters is a record.
Mo Donegal, a last-out winner of the Dec. 4 Remsen, will be Pletcher’s only starter in the first major Derby prep of the year at Gulfstream Park, the Feb. 5 Holy Bull. The Uncle Mo colt has breezed every weekend at Pletcher’s winter base at Palm Beach Downs since Dec. 24.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Jockey Manny Franco has ended his working relationship with agent Angel Cordero Jr. and has hired Jon Panagot to represent him.
Franco and Cordero had worked together since the summer of 2015. Panagot will start working for Franco after the current condition book ends Feb. 6.
Franco, 27, led all riders in wins on the New York Racing Association circuit in 2019 and 2020 and was third, just two wins behind Irad Ortiz Jr., in 2021. Franco ranked third in purse money on the NYRA circuit in 2021 with $13.859 million.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. is still a few months away from sending a string back to New York, but he will be represented in Saturday’s $100,000 Jazil Stakes at Aqueduct with Twelve Volt Man.
The chance to run Twelve Volt Man again at 1 1/8 miles around two turns is what made the Jazil attractive to Joseph, who is atop the trainer standings at Gulfstream Park through the first six weeks of that meet. Twelve Volt Man got Joseph’s Gulfstream meet off to a good start when he won the Claiming Crown Jewel last month. It was his first start going two turns on dirt.
Cyberknife has made mistakes in all three of his starts, which, theoretically, gives him plenty of room to improve jumping from a Dec. 26 Fair Grounds dirt-route maiden win into the Grade 3, $200,000 Lecomte Stakes on Saturday.
On the other side of the same coin, Cyberknife has made mistakes in all three of his starts and, not theoretically but actually, he can’t afford to make more of them in the Lecomte.
ARCADIA, Calif. – In slightly more than 24 hours last Friday and Saturday, Craig Lewis experienced several emotions that accompany the job of Thoroughbred trainer.
Friday, Margot’s Boy was found to have a minor injury, a day before a scheduled start in the $196,000 Unusual Heat Turf Classic for older California-breds at Santa Anita.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Gerry Brooks is enjoying his new venture at Gulfstream in such a way that he could become the next horseman to base himself year-round in South Florida.
“I’m tired of moving every six months,” the 55-year-old trainer said. “If things keep working out the way they are, I might just wind up racing here all the time.”
Brooks sent out Backatya ($5.40) and Designed by Kitten ($6.60) to win here Friday, marking his second Gulfstream two-bagger since he moved his stable to Florida for the first time in late October. The first was on Nov. 13.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Kenny McPeek said he is likely to wait for the Risen Star at Fair Grounds with Smile Happy instead of having the unbeaten colt make his 3-year-old debut here at Gulfstream Park in the Holy Bull on Feb. 5 as had been originally contemplated.
McPeek said Monday he has “really thought things through” for Smile Happy and that “ideally I’ll just need two preps” toward the Kentucky Derby on May 7 for a colt who came to prominence by dominating the Kentucky Jockey Club on Nov. 27 at Churchill Downs off a debut maiden triumph.
