Oct. 29, 2021
Del Mar
Weather: Sunny
Temp.: 58°
Track: Fast
DEL MAR, Calif. – Just a week out from the first day of the 2021 Breeders’ Cup and things remain relatively quiet at Del Mar, this year’s host site, with the majority of contenders in the 14 races to be decided over a two-day period here next weekend opting to complete their final major preparations for the event at their home tracks before descending en masse here early next week.
The 3-year-old filly Teona has shown such improvement in recent months that she will start against males in the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Del Mar next Saturday and not in the Filly and Mare Turf the same day.
Roger Varian, who trains Teona in England, said in a phone interview on Friday that the BC Turf distance of 1 1/2 miles is better for Teona than the Filly and Mare Turf at 1 3/8 miles.
“We think she’s a true mile and a half filly,” Varian said. “We’ve gone for the trip.”
No matter what happens in the next two months, this has been a career-defining year for California jockey Juan Hernandez. Through Thursday, Hernandez’s mounts have earned a personal-best $8,797,316, good enough to rank 13th in the nation.
“I never checked,” he said recently when reminded of his position in the standings. “That’s pretty good, right?”
Yes, very much so, particularly for a jockey who relocated from Northern California to the more lucrative Southern California circuit in the summer of 2020.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Medina Spirit on Friday morning at Santa Anita finished off his serious training for the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 6 at Del Mar, going six furlongs in company in 1:11.60, followed by an extensive gallop-out.
The work occurred shortly after the track opened following the first of the day’s renovation breaks, with the sun still below the horizon. Medina Spirit broke off at the 5 1/2-furlong pole and galloped out well into the backstretch before being brought to a stop.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – No grass, but plenty of green. When Churchill Downs begins its fall meet Sunday, there will be no available turf course once again, but purses will be at an all-time high.
Maiden-specials starting at a whopping $120,000 will be among the major selling points during a 21-day meet that again will be run exclusively on the main track. The $10 million renovation of the Churchill turf course undertaken when the spring meet ended in late June is proceeding on schedule toward being ready for the 2022 spring meet, but until then, no turf.
Shifty She came out of her win in the Grade 3 Noble Damsel at Belmont Oct. 24 in excellent shape and according to trainer, Saffie Joseph Jr., will be pointed to the inaugural running of the Grade 3, $500,000 Pegasus Filly and Mare Turf at Gulfstream Park Jan. 29.
“She is home now and doing great,” said Joseph. “The goal is the Pegasus, but we are going to start looking at a race for her before then.”
Fans will be permitted to attend the races at Aqueduct when that meet opens Nov. 11, the New York Racing Association announced Thursday.
Though the first floor at Aqueduct will remain a COVID-19 vaccination site, its footprint will be reduced and consolidated, enabling NYRA to open up to the public.
An active campaign since late August has taken a toll on the 2-year-old filly Diamond Wow, who will miss the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Del Mar on Nov. 5.
Trainer Patrick Biancone said a decision was reached on Thursday not to send the Florida-based Diamond Wow to California.
“After her last work, we found her a little stiff and the blood was not good,” he said. “We didn’t want to cross the country with a horse that was not 100 percent perfect. It’s disappointing for the team, but the horse’s health is important.”
Imperador, winner of the Grade 2 Calumet Turf Cup at Kentucky Downs last month, will miss the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Del Mar on Nov. 6, trainer Paulo Lobo said on Thursday.
“I did not like the way he galloped,” Lobo said from Kentucky. “He was a little off.”
Lobo said Imperador is scheduled to undergo veterinary tests on Friday with the hope the 5-year-old will remain in training in 2022.
“That’s why we are checking him tomorrow and hope that we can bring him back for next year,” he said.
