Director of racing Bobby Pace has tinkered with the stakes schedule for Fairmount Park's 78th season of racing, which opens Friday and continues through Sept. 18.
The purse structure at the Collinsville, Ill., track will average over $60,000 per day for the 102-day meet, including Illinois breeders awards.
SUNLAND PARK, N.M. - Trainer Doug O'Neill brought a promising 3-year-old named Excessivepleasure to Sunland last year to win the inaugural running of the 1 1/16-mile WinStar Derby. Excessivepleasure went on to become one of the top stories of the racing season, winning the Grade 3 Indiana Derby and the Iowa Derby, and he is one of the favorites for the Godolphin Mile in Dubai this weekend.
This year, O'Neill will bring both Hosco and Perfect Moon to Sunday's $500,000 WinStar Derby.
Steve Bourque will collect his seventh Delta Downs riding title when the track closes out its Thoroughbred meet Saturday night. Bourque said he remembers riding for $1,600 purses at Delta. This meet, his mounts have earned more than $1.9 million at the slots-rich track, located in Vinton, La.
Bourque, 41, had won 115 races from 491 mounts through Tuesday.
"This meet has been great for me, especially since the purses have been so good," said Bourque.
The second-leading rider, Guy Smith, has won 74 races and $1.3 million this meet at Delta.
GRAND ISLAND, Neb. - The jockey colony gets a welcome boost this weekend with the addition of R.D. Williams and Kerry Kretzer and the return of Dan Beck following a spill last Sunday. Last Sunday the stewards had to scratch eight horses because of a shortage of riders.
Alvin "Bubba" Brossette, 51, became the official most victorious jockey in Quarter Horse racing history when he guided Jackspots to victory in the fifth race at Sunland Park on Tuesday. It was his 3,338th career victory, which broke the record held by hall of famer Danny Cardoza.
The victory was in a trial for the New Mexican Spring Futurity, and Jackspots qualified for the April 8 finals.
With only four days remaining at the Fair Grounds meet, Steve Asmussen is securely atop the trainers standings, looking for his fourth consecutive title. This past weekend was a relatively quiet one for his barn, which sent out only three starters and won once. But by Sunday evening, Asmussen's win total had been reduced by one, too.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Seven starts into his career, has emerged as a consistent allowance horse that bettors habitually overestimate - his odds have been 8-5 or less in his last six starts, including two wins.
Fifty-two starts into his career, Fade to Blue has reemerged as a salty veteran that upstarts often cannot handle.
has won three of his last five, and is the horse to beat in the seventh-race feature on Thursday at Santa Anita. Six older turf runners entered the two-other-than/optional $62,500 claiming race.
ALBANY, Calif. - Trainer William J. Morey Jr. nominated Texas Chili to last Saturday's Danville Handicap at Golden Gate Fields but passed on the race.
"I know he can't beat More Crafty," Morey said earlier that week, explaining why he wouldn't run.
It turned out to be a pretty good reason. More Crafty, claimed off Morey for $80,000 after winning the Albany Handicap, stunned a good group, winning the Danville by a head.
Two of America's hottest jockey-trainer combinations will participate in Saturday's $250,000 WinStar Sunland Park Oaks, as Javier Santiago will travel to the New Mexico track from California to ride Yearly Report for Bob Baffert and Steve Asmussen will have his No. 1 rider, Shane Sellers, fly in from New Orleans for the assignment on Sister Swank.
The one-mile Oaks drew 10 entrants on Tuesday.
