The inaugural Quarter Horse meet at Louisiana Downs is setting records before its first race is run.
When the meet opens Thursday afternoon, it will offer the richest per-day purses ever for a Quarter Horse meet, with more than $4.4 million being paid in purses over the 20 days, not including money paid into futurities and derbies by horsemen.
The season runs through Dec. 12 on a Thursday-through-Sunday schedule, with a first post time of noon Central.
ALBANY, Calif. - Thursday's Golden Gate Fields feature is at the unusual distance of 4 1/2 furlongs on the turf.
Unforgetabull, who has won her past two starts and four of her most recent five, will likely be favored again, as she has in her past four starts, when she takes on a full field in the $32,000 claimer for fillies and mares 3 years old and up. Eleven signed up for the event, with Miss Masten on the also-eligible list.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Churchill Downs has banned 15 jockeys for the balance of the fall meet for refusing to be named on horses Wednesday in a dispute over health insurance coverage.
Among the jockeys who will not be permitted to ride through Nov. 27, closing day at the Churchill meet, are the current national victory leader, Rafael Bejarano, as well as Robby Albarado, Mark Guidry, Calvin Borel, and Willie Martinez.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - A late scratch of the stronger half of a favored entry in the first race at Churchill Downs on Sunday left some bettors with little time to cancel or alter their wagers, sparking a discussion among the stewards regarding wagering rules in Kentucky and whether they need to be changed.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - With championship honors in the 2-year-old division seemingly still up for grabs, trainer Todd Pletcher will give Proud Accolade a chance to claim the prize by running him in the Grade 1, $200,000 Hollywood Futurity on Dec. 18.
The futurity, run at 1 1/16 miles at Hollywood Park, is also supposed to include Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Wilko and the undefeated Declan's Moon, the Del Mar Futurity winner who skipped the Breeders' Cup.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - The opportunities to run on the grass this year in New York are dwindling, so it's no surprise that Wednesday's lone turf race on the card drew an overflow field.
Ten horses drew into the body of the first-level allowance race, with three horses on the also-eligible list. Three additional horses were entered main-track-only in the allowance, a 1 1/8-mile race for 3-year-olds and older that goes as the eighth on the card.
Wednesday's card features a $36,875 pick six carryover.
ALBANY, Calif. - New racing secretary Sean Greely received a rude introduction to racing reality in northern California for his opening-day card at Golden Gate Fields on Wednesday.
Plans to open the meeting with a stakes race had to be altered when not enough older fillies and mares entered the Star Ball Handicap, forcing the race to be postponed.
"We'll try to bring it back Sunday and close nominations Thursday at noon," Greely said after receiving only eight nominees, including one supplemental addition. He said he wasn't surprised when the race had to be postponed.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Wisdomisgold and Archie's Gal will both try to get 1 1/16 miles on Wednesday at Woodbine in the South Ocean Stakes, a $134,500 race for Ontario-sired 2-year-old fillies.
Wisdomisgold won her maiden in her fourth outing, in the six-furlong Juvenile Stakes at Fort Erie in September. She was also a distant third in the Nandi, and is coming off a closing second-place finish under Patrick Husbands in the Victorian Queen, another restricted six-furlong stakes.
STICKNEY, Ill. - There are a couple of decent Chicago-based 2-year-old fillies pointing for the Showtime Deb Stakes here at Hawthorne on Saturday, one of six Illinois-bred stakes races scheduled for the card. You could forgive their connections for lacking confidence.
A plane headed from New York to Chicago on Thursday will carry Toll Taker, who could be the heaviest favorite in any of the Saturday stakes. Toll Taker has won three in a row, a streak that culminated Oct. 17 with an easy win in the Grade 3 Astarita at Belmont.
