Four weeks ago, Richard Migliore surprised many people when he chose to ride Iron Deputy in the $500,000 Jim Dandy rather than Magic Weisner in the $1 million Haskell Invitational.
Monday, when Iron Deputy and Magic Weisner both run in the $500,000 Pennsylvania Derby at Philadelphia Park, Migliore will be back aboard Magic Weisner, the horse he rode to a second-place finish in the Preakness and a win in the Ohio Derby.
DEL MAR, Calif. - During their childhood in the barren Rio Grande Valley in the 1930's and 40's, Milo Valenzuela and his brothers were not picky when it came to find something to ride.
"We were raised with horses since I was 3 years old," he recalled. "My father showed me how to rein them. We were riding calves, mules, and horses."
The experience gave Milo, whose given name is Ismael, the foundation to later become a jockey, as did his older brother, Angel, and younger brothers A.C., Mario, and Santiago. Another brother, Martin, became a horse trainer.
The $250,000 Hollywood Turf Cup has been moved from its traditional date in early December to Nov. 23 for the upcoming autumn meeting at Hollywood Park.
The earlier date for the Grade 1 Turf Cup is the most significant change in the stakes schedule for the fall meeting, which runs from Nov. 6 to Dec. 21.
The Turf Cup will be held four weeks after the $2 million Breeders' Cup Turf at Arlington Park on Oct. 26. By running the Turf Cup in November, Hollywood Park officials are hoping the turf course will be in better shape and will not have taken too much rain.
SAN MATEO, Calif. - Trainer Jeff Bonde did all he could to make Sunday's $60,000-added San Mateo Stakes go at Bay Meadows.
He nominated four 2-year-olds and has entered three of the six who will run in the 5 1/2-furlong race.
"I was going to do everything I could to make sure the race went," Bonde said, noting that the racing office is often "quick to call off" overnight handicap races. "I even tried to nominate a fifth but was turned down because I was five minutes too late."
DEL MAR, Calif. - A self-insurance program that would have reduced workmen's compensation rates paid by California trainers collapsed in late August when a private insurance company backed out, forcing racing officials to restart the process of finding an insurance carrier.
According to Ed Halpern, the executive director of the California Thoroughbred Trainers, a deal was nearly finalized with the First American insurance company when the carrier said it would not go through with the program.
"I was at the point where I thought we had a done deal," Halpern said.
SARATOGA, N.Y. - Duplicating her performance 18 days earlier in the Adirondack Stakes, Awesome Humor shook off a pair of early challenges before pulling away to a victory over 2-1 favorite Forever Partners in Friday's $200,000 Spinaway Stakes at Saratoga.
If you're uncertain whether Monmouth Park's turf course will be firm, soft, or simply unusable for the co-featured Omnibus Stakes on Sunday's closing day program, there is a simple solution. Just figure on playing Caught Out no matter what the conditions.
Caught Out, a 4-year-old filly trained by Michael Dickinson, has proven her prowess over firm turf, soft grass, and dirt. She has identical records of 3 for 7 on both dirt and grass.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - The Atto Mile received a big boost Friday with the news that Noverre, a Group 1 winner who races for the powerful Godolphin outfit, will be here for the Sept. 8 headliner.
Noverre, based in England with trainer Saaed bin Suroor, is slated to arrive Tuesday for the Grade 1 Atto Mile, a $1 million turf race for 3-year-olds and upward.
CHICAGO - Bet on Sunshine finished third in a Thursday allowance race at Arlington, a decent enough performance for a typical horse, but another sign that at age 10 Bet on Sunshine no longer is the dominant sprinter he used to be.
Facing a stakes-quality field on a racetrack where he had won 4 of 5 starts, Bet on Sunshine raced closer to the pace than he normally does. Turning for home he dug in and tried to force his way past the two horses ahead of him, but though his mind was willing his body was not, and he simply was outrun by about a length.