Trainer Frank Lucarelli, who moved a division of horses to Texas in January, will continue to have a presence in the region for the foreseeable future.
He said Tuesday he will be moving horses to Remington Park in Oklahoma following the close of the Lone Star Park meet Sunday, and also anticipates having a small string at the Oaklawn meet in Arkansas that opens Dec. 3.
Warrior’s Pride remained perfect on turf while running far and away the race of his life to upset the $100,000 Bob Umphrey Turf Sprint in wire-to-wire fashion for trainer Antonio Cioffi on Sunday.
Warrior’s Pride, the only 3-year-old in the Umphrey field, had captured his grass debut using a similar modus operandi in the Texas Glitter in spring.
While out-of-towners Ce Ce and Estilo Talentoso took home the major swag, finishing first and second in Saturday’s Grade 2, $350,000 Princess Rooney Invitational, locals earned their share of the big money up for grabs last weekend with Miles Ahead capturing the $200,000 Smile Sprint and Warrior’s Pride the $100,000 Bob Umphrey Turf Sprint.
Trainer Brad Cox and jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. opened the Ellis meet with hot hands, taking the early leads in their respective categories.
Cox won with 5 of 10 starters on the first four cards to quickly open daylight on a four-way tie for second. Meanwhile, Hernandez, also with five wins, used a four-win Friday in taking a slight lead over Florent Geroux, who has four victories. Geroux will be riding regularly at Ellis when not otherwise committed elsewhere.
Norman “Lynn” Cash is a self-professed storm chaser whose roofing company has been successful enough to allow him to chase his dreams in Thoroughbred racing.
“We operate in Wyoming and Montana,” Cash said. “When hail falls, we’re there.”
HENDERSON, Ky. – With nearly 3,900 victories in a training career dating to 1987, Tom Amoss has pretty much done it all.
Amoss has won Grade 1 races at Churchill Downs, Saratoga, Oaklawn Park, and elsewhere, just as he’s won with bottom-level claimers on his main circuits in Louisiana, Kentucky, and Indiana. His all-encompassing reputation, however, hasn’t necessarily included an acuity with 2-year-olds, although that seems to be changing forthwith.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Grade 3 Gotham winner Weyburn stands out among the 45 Canadian-bred nominees for the Queen’s Plate on Aug. 22 following an interim payment of $1,500 due June 30.
Weyburn is coming off a neck loss to Mandaloun in the Pegasus Stakes at Monmouth. Chiefswood Stables general manager Robert Landry said the son of Pioneerof the Nile is pointing to the Grade 2 Jim Dandy on July 31 at Saratoga. A strong showing in the 1 1/8-mile dirt race would propel him to the Grade 1 Travers there Aug. 28, instead of the $1 million Plate.
CYPRESS, Calif. - The Fourth of July weekend served as a successful retreat to Los Alamitos for Bob Baffert, his first home base in California when he was a thriving Quarter Horse trainer in the 1980s and early 1990s.
ELMONT, N.Y. -- There will be 47 stakes with purses totaling $11.15 million offered at the 28-day Belmont Park fall meet, the New York Racing Association announced Tuesday. Virtually all races have had their purses restored to 2019 levels after all had severe cuts in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The complexion of the Triple Crown trail will change next year as Oaklawn Park announced Tuesday that the Arkansas Derby will be run five weeks ahead of the Kentucky Derby on April 2 instead of its traditional three weeks out, and that the purse of the Grade 1 race would be boosted from $1 million to a Derby prep-high $1.25 million.
