ELMONT, N.Y. – Apprentice jockey Charlie Marquez, 17, will begin riding at Belmont Park on Friday, having moved his tack from Laurel. He will be represented by Angel Cordero Jr., the Hall of Fame rider who also is the agent for Manny Franco.
Marquez is the son of jockey Carlos Marquez Jr. and the grandson of Carlos Marquez Sr., whom Cordero said he rode with in the 1970s. Carlos Marquez Sr. also was a teacher at Puerto Rico’s Escuela Vocacional Hipica jockey school.
ELMONT. N.Y. – Volatile, winner of the Grade 1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt in July at Saratoga, may have only three challengers in Saturday’s Grade 2, $150,000 Vosburgh Stakes at Belmont Park.
As of Sunday, the racing office listed Firenze Fire, T Loves a Fight, and Share the Ride as others expected to run in the Vosburgh, which offers a fees-paid berth into the Breeders’ Cup Sprint on Nov. 7 at Keeneland.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Code of Honor worked five furlongs in 1:03.06 on Monday morning over Belmont Park’s main track in preparation for a start in the Grade 2, $150,000 Kelso Handicap here Oct. 3.
Javier Castellano was aboard Code of Honor on Monday morning and will ride him in the Kelso. John Velazquez, Code of Honor’s regular rider, is scheduled to ride Authentic that same day in the Preakness at Pimlico.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Maximum Security and Improbable will see a lot of each other this fall, but trainer Bob Baffert kept them apart for key workouts Monday morning at Santa Anita as they prepare for their first of two autumn showdowns.
Although the country’s top older males worked five furlongs an hour apart on Monday, their autumn race schedule is the same. Maximum Security and Improbable both run Saturday in the Grade 1 Awesome Again Stakes at Santa Anita, followed by the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 7 at Keeneland.
The New York Gaming Commission hopes to hold a hearing in October to discuss restrictions on the use of the whip as the next step in devising new whip-use rules, members of the commission said at a meeting on Monday.
Magic Attitude added some much-needed depth to the 3-year-old filly turf division with a solid 1 1/4-length victory in Saturday’s Grade 1, $250,000 Belmont Oaks Invitational.
In her North America debut, Magic Attitude was last of five early on under Javier Castellano before making an eye-catching move on the turn to seize control of the race by upper stretch. She covered 1 1/4 miles in 2:01.14 and earned a 93 Beyer Speed Figure.
Jesus’ Team has been confirmed as a supplemental entry for the Oct. 3 Preakness at Pimlico following his latest workout.
Trainer Jose D’Angelo said the half-mile breeze in 47.80 seconds Saturday at Monmouth Park was enough to convince him to commit to the final leg of the 2020 Triple Crown.
“He’s very, very good right now, and the Preakness is a great race for us,” said D’Angelo, a Venezuela native.
:: Preakness 2020: Contenders, news, past performances, and more
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The weekend of the 2020 Kentucky Derby was a whitewash for untold thousands, but it was a watershed for Greg Foley.
A lifetime in racing came to a peak for Foley when he saddled Major Fed for the Sept. 5 Derby, from which fans were barred because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. It was his first-ever Derby starter in nearly 40 years as a licensed trainer.
“It was a really awesome week for our family and owners,” said Foley, who recently surpassed 1,400 career wins.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Trainer Barbara Heads is heading to Century Mile where she will have a strong presence with four possible starters on the biggest day of racing in Alberta on Sunday.
Foremost is Synergy, who could be favored in the Grade 3, $100,000 Canadian Derby. The 1 1/4-mile derby is supported by the $75,000 Century Mile Handicap for 3-year-olds and up, the $75,000 Century Casino Oaks, and the $75,000 Northlands Park Distaff for fillies and mares.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – A Churchill Downs backstretch visitor caught sight of Steve Asmussen early Saturday and asked him to raise nine fingers. Asmussen grinned and complied – without even trying.
“How’s this?” said Asmussen, quickly referring to what little remains of his left thumb.
Asmussen had achieved the incredible feat of 9,000 career victories the previous night when Troy Ounce won the second race at Remington Park in Oklahoma, so the nine digits are symbolic. Asmussen, now 54, was 10 years old when he lost most of his thumb.
