The Sunland Park meet is officially canceled.
The New Mexico Racing Commission on Thursday approved the cancellation of the 2020-21 meet at Sunland Park, according Izzy Trejo, the agency’s executive director.
The track, located across the border from El Paso, Texas, is the home of the Grade 3 Sunland Park Derby. The race annually awarded its winner 50 points for the Kentucky Derby. It was scheduled for March 30, according to the list of points races posted by Churchill Downs.
Aqueduct’s eight-race Thursday card has been canceled due to a forecast of four to eight inches of snow in the New York Metropolitan area on Thursday.
The snow is expected to begin Thursday morning and last throughout the day, with the possibility of snow showers lingering into Friday.
NYRA informed horsemen that training on Thursday at Belmont Park would end at 8 a.m., 2 1/2 hours earlier than normal.
Sam Houston Race Park has canceled live racing through Saturday, said Dwight Berube, vice president and general manager of the Houston track. The region is experiencing a winter storm system that has led to power outages across the state.
The Saturday card featured a number of stakes as part of the Texas Champions Preview Day program. It will be moved in its entirety to next Saturday, Feb. 27, Berube said. It will not be redrawn. Texas Champions Day will remain March 20, Berube said.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Jockey Eric Cancel is doing more preparation prior to riding races and it’s showing up in the results.
Cancel is having a terrific winter at Aqueduct. A recent run of success where he has won 20 races from 71 mounts over the last 11 cards entering this week has him firmly entrenched in second place in the standings. His 44 wins are nine fewer than Kendrick Carmouche and 12 more than Manny Franco, who is third.
“I’m riding confident and giving 100 percent,” Cancel said earlier this week. “I’ve just got one thing in mind – I want to try and win the meet.”
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Oaklawn Park on Wednesday announced the Grade 3, $750,000 Southwest Stakes will be moved to next Saturday, Feb. 27, after severe winter weather forced the postponement of the Kentucky Derby points race from its original date of Feb. 15.
Oaklawn also announced an overnight purse increase of up to $4,000 a race starting Thursday, two new race dates, and additional races to make up for the eight cards lost to the winter storm system that continued to rage on Wednesday. The added race dates are March 31 and April 28, both Wednesdays.
The 87 Beyer Speed Figure Australasia earned winning the Premier Starlet for Louisiana-breds on Feb. 10 at Delta Downs is the third-highest Beyer so far in 2021 for a 3-year-old filly. But Australasia’s connections have no plans to get ambitious. Now 3 for 3 in her career, with the Starlet win following romps in a Fair Grounds maiden race and another Louisiana-bred stakes at Delta, Australasia likely will run next in the Crescent City Oaks for Louisiana-bred 3-year-old fillies on March 20 at Fair Grounds.
Surface switches might have changed the trajectory of 2021 campaigns for two Saturday stakes winners at Fair Grounds.
Captivating Moon, who had been racing on dirt, notched a surprise win in the Fair Grounds Stakes on turf, while Just Might, who came in with high-level turf form, scored a standout dirt victory after the Colonel Power Stakes was rained off grass.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – The highlight of the coming weekend at Gulfstream is Saturday’s 30th running of the Grade 3, $100,000 Royal Delta, a 1 1/16-mile main-track race for which at least seven fillies and mares were expected.
:: Enhance your handicapping with DRF’s Gulfstream Park Clocker Report
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Shug McGaughey has confirmed Greatest Honour for the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth, a Feb. 27 race for which the bay Tapit colt surely will be a solid favorite.
After Greatest Honour posted a breakthrough victory in the Jan. 30 Holy Bull at Gulfstream Park, McGaughey had said he would monitor the colt’s training to determine whether to run back in the Fountain of Youth or wait instead for the March 27 Florida Derby, the final race in the annual Gulfstream series of Kentucky Derby preps for 3-year-olds.
Senor Buscador, the promising 3-year-old based at Sam Houston Race Park, could see Kentucky Derby prep action at Oaklawn or Santa Anita.
Trainer Todd Fincher said Monday that the Grade 2, $1 million Rebel on March 13 at Oaklawn and the Grade 1, $750,000 Santa Anita Derby on April 3 are options being discussed with owner Joe Peacock Jr.
