LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Tyler Gaffalione will head home to Florida at month’s end, but he still has unfinished business in Kentucky.
Seeking a sixth straight meet title at Churchill Downs, Gaffalione spotted his fellow riders a generous early lead atop the local standings when winning with just four of his first 35 mounts at a 21-day fall meet that began Oct. 31.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Domestic Spending and Jack Christopher, the two Chad Brown-trained horses who were scratched out of their respective Breeders’ Cup races at Del Mar, will both get extended time off, Brown said Sunday.
Domestic Spending, who was scratched out of the Breeders’ Cup Turf with inflammation in a front leg, will be out of training for a minimum of three months.
“Unfortunately, he suffered a suspensory ligament injury while galloping at Del Mar,” Brown said.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Following Sea, third in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint on Nov. 6 at Del Mar, is being considered for one of two Grade 1 stakes - the $750,000 Cigar Mile at Aqueduct on Dec. 4, or the $300,000 Runhappy Malibu at Santa Anita on Dec. 26 - trainer Todd Pletcher said over the weekend.
In the BC Sprint, Following Sea was beaten only 1 3/4 lengths by Aloha West, getting shut off trying to come up the rail inside the three-sixteenths pole before re-rallying in the three path down the lane. Most observers felt the rail was not the best place to be on Breeders’ Cup Saturday.
The well-traveled Ryan Curatolo is the newest member of the Southern California jockey colony.
Curatolo, 29, has spent the past eight years abroad, most recently in Dubai. He also has ridden in Japan, Macau, Qatar, Singapore, and South Korea.
A native of France, Curatolo began his career in earnest in North America and had his best year in 2011, when he won 115 races and his mounts earned more than $4 million. He was a finalist for champion apprentice jockey, which went to Kyle Frey, who also is riding here now.
Two $100,000 stakes for older runners – the Native Diver at 1 1/8 miles and the Cary Grant at seven furlongs – top the upcoming weekend’s fare at Del Mar.
The Native Diver, a Grade 3 race to be run Saturday, is expected to be headed by Midcourt, who won the race in 2019 and was second last year for trainer John Shirreffs. He worked five furlongs in 1:00.60 on Sunday morning at Del Mar.
DEL MAR, Calif. – Mo Forza suffered an injury and missed the 2020 Breeders’ Cup. He got there this year, and then his chances were eliminated in the first jump.
A week after that disastrous beginning, Mo Forza is doing well at the San Luis Rey barn of his trainer, Peter Miller. But what the future holds for Mo Forza is yet to be determined, Miller said Sunday morning at Del Mar.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - The $175,000 Kennedy Road Stakes on Nov. 27 is shaping up as one of the best races of the Woodbine meet. The Grade 2 sprint is expected to lure champions Pink Lloyd and Avie’s Flatter, as well as divisional leader Souper Stonehenge.
Clayton and Lenny K are also headed for the six-furlong event after they both prevailed in their last races with 90 Beyer Speed Figures for trainer Kevin Attard.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Joe Migliore is about to embark on the life of a double agent.
Migliore, who earlier this year left West Point Thoroughbreds to become a bloodstock agent, will add the title of jockey agent to his repertoire. Migliore will represent jockey Trevor McCarthy, who is expected to begin riding at Aqueduct next Thursday after missing the last 11 weeks due to an ankle injury.
Migliore is the son of the former jockey-turned-analyst Richard Migliore and the nephew of Michael Migliore, who is a jockey’s agent representing Dylan Davis.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – While Godolphin-owned runners Maxfield and Essential Quality will be retired to stud in 2022, the global racing enterprise could still have some significant firepower in the older male dirt division next year.
