NEW ORLEANS Steve Asmussen was all smiles Thursday afternoon after his longtime assistant Scott Blasi won the feature race at Fair Grounds with Wild As Elle. It was Asmussens first day at the races since July 10 when he began serving a six-month suspension for medication violations. He chatted with jockey Donnie Meche in the paddock before the race, but stayed out of the winners circle.
Skip to main content
Create Your DRF Account
New to DRF?
Everything you could possibly
need in one place
need in one place
Register
Don't have an account?
Register Here
DRF Past Performances
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Todd Pletcher may be out of sight while serving the remainder of a 45-day suspension for a positive drug test on one of his horses in New York. But the Eclipse Award-winning trainer is never out of mind, especially during the Gulfstream Park meet, which he has dominated for the last three years.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Gary Contessa must have really enjoyed winning the Busanda Stakes last year. Sunday, Contessa sends out three of the eight fillies entered in the $65,000 stakes for 3-year-old fillies at a mile and 70 yards over Aqueduct's inner track.
Contessa believes he is holding a strong hand with Bare Dancer, My Kitty, and That Girl Is Mine, though he is extremely excited about saddling the latter. Bare Dancer and My Kitty will be coupled, as they are both owned by Darlene Bilinksi. That Girl Is Mine will be a separate betting interest.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Churchill Downs on Friday released the stakes schedules for both the 2007 spring and fall meets with numerous purse increases and other notable revisions.
In all, 47 stakes, including 37 graded events, will be run at Churchill this year, with purses totaling more than $11.3 million, marking the first time the track has exceeded the $11 million mark.
ALBANY, Calif. - There are two things trainer O.J. Jauregui knows about Cut the Mustard: she may be the quickest mare in northern California, and she always gives her best.
Those are two pretty good qualities to have, and she makes her 2007 debut against nine rivals in a six-furlong $50,000 optional claimer.
Cut the Mustard earned $129,025 while winning 5 of 14 starts last year. Her two poor efforts came in stakes races when she faded after rapid opening half-miles.
ARCADIA, Calif. - In one way or another, the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes at Santa Anita on Dec. 26 was a mess for Arson Squad, Brother Derek, and Midnight Lute. Trouble at the start for Arson Squad and Midnight Lute and traffic in the stretch for Brother Derek kept them from showing their best.
The three return in Saturday's $200,000 San Fernando Breeders' Cup Stakes over 1 1/16 miles. Even though all three have run brilliant races in the past, their collective presence has not scared off any rivals.
ALBANY, Calif. - What seems the cream of northern California's 3-year-old filly crop has signed up to meet a Southern California stakes winner in Saturday's $50,000-added Tiburon Handicap at Golden Gate Fields.
The six-furlong race attracted six runners, including three for trainer Jerry Hollendorfer: Glorification, Storming Starlet, and Black Pulpit, who are coming off maiden victories and drew posts 1, 2, and 3.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - The well-traveled Naissance Royale, who shipped cross-country only to suffer a frustrating nose setback in Hollywood's Grade 2 Dahlia Handicap in her 2006 finale, should get back on the winning track when she returns to south Florida for Saturday's $60,000 Marshua's River Stakes.
Naissance Royale, a 5-year-old daughter of Giant's Causeway, is one of two mares trainer Christophe Clement will send out in the 1 1/16-mile Marshua's River, along with Bright Abundance. The pair will race uncoupled in the wagering.
ARCADIA, Calif. - In a reflection of the wide-open nature of Saturday's $150,000 San Rafael Stakes at Santa Anita, only one of the seven entrants has more than one victory.
The race, for 3-year-olds, may lack a standout, but it will determine whether some in the field deserve to start in further preps for the Santa Anita Derby in April.
"They're 3-year-olds, and people want to see where they fit in the picture," said trainer David Hofmans, who starts the maiden winner Silent Soul. "If you don't start now, you'll never know."