OCEANPORT, N.J. - Having Todd Pletcher in your corner is a huge advantage for any rider.
The Eclipse Award-winning trainer helped propel John Velazquez to consecutive record-setting seasons at Saratoga. He has also helped put Chris DeCarlo back on the map at Monmouth Park.
DeCarlo rides first-call for Pletcher at the Jersey Shore this year, a spot that came open when Eibar Coa switched to New York. The results have been dramatic.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - For five straight years, from 1998 to 2002, the leading rider at Ellis Park was Jon Court. And after Court left Kentucky, the mantle was assumed by Rafael Bejarano, who thoroughly dominated in 2003 and 2004.
But when the 41-day Ellis Park meet begins Wednesday in Henderson, Ky., there will be no clear-cut favorite for leading jockey. Court is riding in Southern California, and for the first time in his rising career, Bejarano will be part of the elite jockey colony at the Saratoga meet that begins July 27.
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - It is not all BMW SUV's, high-end cell phones and $250 sunglasses, this world of the modern horse trainer.
The image from the top of the food chain is one thing. Down lower, people go white-knuckled every day trying to hang on.
Down here, Chris Richard and Bertrand de Brevedent passed like ships in the night - only they docked momentarily to say hello.
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - In a sign of things to come, jockey Don Simington and trainer Danny Pish will be teaming up in the featured eighth race Wednesday night at Lone Star Park. Simington is expected to be riding a large number of horses for Pish during the upcoming meet at Retama Park near San Antonio.
"He's supposed to come down and ride, and will be on about 80 percent of my starters," Pish said.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - There was a sense of deja vu at Woodbine Sunday, when trainer Bob Tiller and apprentice rider Corey Fraser teamed up to win the $166,350 with Top Ten List.
Tiller, a Sovereign Award winner the past two seasons, had given a leg up to Fraser, the 2004 Sovereign Award winner in his category, when the jockey registered his first stakes win with Velvet Snow in the Ontario Damsel last July 10.
Earlier on Sunday's program, Velvet Snow came up just short under Fraser when second in the allowance prep for the Royal North Handicap .
Tacirring took charge early and went on to a 1 1/4-length victory in the off-the-turf $55,000 John McSorley Stakes at Monmouth Park. Trained by Scott Lake and ridden by Stewart Elliott, Tacirring ($8.80) ran the five furlongs in 56.48 seconds.
Choose finished second, with Weigelia third.
Satan's Code ($10.60), ridden by Joe Rocco Jr., scored a 6 1/2-length victory in the $60,000 W. Meredith Bailes Memorial Stakes at Colonial Downs. Slavic's Gold was second, two lengths ahead of Standing Room Only. Satan's Code covered six furlongs in 1:10.12.
Late Night Lover finished fourth of six as the 1-2 favorite.
Woodlander continued his ascension in the 3-year-old turf division by holding off Reel Legend to win the Grade 3, $109,700 by three-quarters of a length at Belmont Park. It was the third straight victory - all on turf - for Woodlander, trained by Tom Albertrani.
Under Edgar Prado, Woodlander took the lead from Reel Legend about three furlongs into the 1 1/4-mile race. Woodlander galloped to a four-length lead in midstretch and held on while a resurgent Reel Legend, who had dropped back to last around the turn, came on again.
VALLEJO, Calif. - Greg Brent, the Solano County Fair racing secretary, is hopeful that the momentum created this spring will continue as the northern California fair season moves to its third stop of the summer.
"Our barns may be [underpopulated] from what we had in the past," he said. "Generally, horses go from Stockton to Vallejo, but this year many trainers are going from fair to fair, and we've had lots of stall applications."
Field size has turned around a bit this spring, starting with the Golden Gate Fields meeting.
Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer said Alamedan Handicap winner Yougottawanna will now be pointed to the Grade 3 Longacres Mile, a race won by stablemate Adreamisborn last year after he won the Alamedan, which is the Alameda County Fair's premier stakes.
Adreamisborn, second to his stablemate in Sunday's Alamedan, will be pointed to the $100,000 Joseph Grace on the new Santa Rosa turf course, although Hollendorfer may also run him at Del Mar.
Trainer Steve Specht, a Santa Rosa resident, said Saturday's Sam J. Whiting Handicap winner, Bonfante, would also run next in Santa Rosa.
