The Grade 2, $250,000 Fantasy for 3-year-old fillies will open the annual Racing Festival of the South next year at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., in the biggest change to the track's 27-race stakes schedule.
The 56-date meet opens Jan. 19 and is highlighted by the Grade 2, $1 million Arkansas Derby on closing day, April 14. In all, $4.5 million in stakes will be offered during the meet.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Several sources closely associated with Churchill Downs Inc. confirmed late Tuesday that Ben Huffman has been hired as the flagship track's racing secretary.
Neither Huffman, who currently serves as racing secretary at Keeneland and Fair Grounds, nor anyone in the Churchill organization would confirm that he has been hired to replace Doug Bredar at Churchill. But an official announcement could come as early as Wednesday, said several sources.
DEL MAR, Calif. - Gone are the camera crews, the thicket of print reporters, all of which shadowed trainer Dan Hendricks from the Santa Anita Derby through the Kentucky Derby and then on to the Preakness Stakes. When Hendricks heads out of his barn office, however, the one constant in his life from then until now sticks his bay head out of the stall and looks around inquisitively. You could almost believe Brother Derek is saying, "I'm ready, already."
DEL MAR, Calif. - Downthe-dustyroad never has beaten anything other than Arkansas-breds, and never has faced older runners in a stakes race. Yet despite those two obstacles, she still poses an elusive target in Thursday's Del Mar feature, the $85,000 Adoration Handicap, because of one thing: She is the only speed in the race.
, 3, faces five older runners in the Adoration, a restricted handicap at one mile. She has not raced in more than 2 1/2 months, but has turned in a series of sharp works here and figures to control the pace under the meet's leading rider, Victor Espinoza.
DEL MAR, Calif. - Apprentice jockey Martin Garcia has made quite an impression at Del Mar this summer. He has racked up 35 wins, putting him second in the jockey standings behind the defending champion, Victor Espinoza. And he has racked up 25 days in suspensions from Del Mar's stewards for several careless riding infractions.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Nick Zito is ready for a busy final weekend of the Saratoga season. The Hall of Fame trainer has a starter for each of the final four Grade 1 races on the schedule: the Woodward, Forego, Hopeful, and Spinaway.
The flurry of stakes activity begins Saturday with Commentator in the Forego and Sun King in the Woodward. Zito will saddle Ruby Crown, from George Steinbrenner's Kinsman Farm, in the Spinaway on Sunday, and close out what has been a successful meeting - 9 for 40 through Monday's card - on Monday with Irish Ace in the Hopeful.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Spend a few minutes with Tracy Farmer and there's no mistaking he's from Kentucky. But through the thick Kentucky accent, there's also no denying his passion for New York racing.
Since 1997, when he partnered with prominent breeder Robert Clay in the champion mare Hidden Lake, Farmer, along with his wife, Carol, has won some of this circuit's biggest races, including the 2000 Jockey Club Gold Cup with Albert the Great and last year's Whitney Handicap with Commentator. Conversely, Farmer suffered some excruciating losses in big spots.
ALBANY, Calif. - It's not just handicappers who weigh the merits of sharp claimers moving up to the allowance ranks.
Trainer Andy Mathis realizes that jumping Best Tribute from $12,500 claiming company into a first-level allowance race at 1 1/16 miles on the turf Thursday at Golden Gate Fields is a bold move despite the 4-year-old filly's four-length victory in her last start. She'll meet three allowance-type runners and a fourth that just won a $40,000 starter allowance.
But there's a method behind Mathis's presumed madness.
