Mon, 07/08/2019 - 08:10

Game Winner will be heavy favorite in Los Alamitos Derby

Barbara D. Livingston
Pending a workout Sunday at Los Alamitos, Game Winner could make his 3-year-old debut in Oaklawn’s Grade 2 Rebel.

CYPRESS, Calif. – Game Winner, the champion 2-year-old male of 2018, is expected to have his first start since the Kentucky Derby in Saturday’s Grade 3 Los Alamitos Derby where he will be a massive favorite in the $150,000 race.

Over the weekend, trainer Bob Baffert said he planned to have two runners and is considering starting Kingly, who won the California Derby in April at Golden Gate Fields. The race drew only six nominations, but there is a $4,000 supplemental stage at entry time Wednesday.

Mon, 07/08/2019 - 07:46

Mott, Brown, Pletcher rich with juvenile talent at Saratoga

Coady Photography
Frank’s Rockette, trained by Bill Mott, wins her debut by 8 3/4 lengths on June 21 at Churchill Downs. The 2-year-old filly could return in a race like the Adirondack or Spinaway during the Saratoga meet.

The record will show that trainer Bill Mott’s 2-year-old class of 2018 produced the first- and third-place finishers of the 2019 Kentucky Derby. While neither Country House nor Tacitus made to the races until the fall, Mott’s three wins with 2-year-olds at the 2018 Saratoga meet equaled his most productive showing in that category since 2007, when he won 11 juvenile races at the Spa.

Sun, 07/07/2019 - 18:49

Jockey Ferrer injured in spill, will miss four weeks

Tom Keyser
Jockey Jose Ferrer will be honored with the 2018 George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award.

Jockey Jose Ferrer will be sidelined approximately four weeks, according to doctors at the Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch, N.J., after sustaining a cervical spinous process fracture to his upper spine and neck area, his agent, Steve Worsley, said Sunday evening.

Ferrer was injured in race 4 at Monmouth Park when his mount, Metallic, broke down nearing the far turn of the one-mile, $12,500 claiming race. Ferrer was thrown hard to the ground, and then The Best Candy, who was immediately behind him, fell over Metallic.

Sun, 07/07/2019 - 18:05

Lezcano wins Belmont riding title; Brown repeats as leading trainer

Keeneland/Coady Photography
Jose Lezcano will be based at Aqueduct this winter instead of in South Florida.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Jose Lezcano’s decision to stay in New York last winter continues to pay dividends this spring and summer as he captured the Belmont Park riding title with 44 victories, one more than Luis Saez.

Jose Ortiz finished third in the standings with 40 wins, one more than his brother Irad Ortiz Jr. and Joel Rosario, who tied for fourth with 39 wins apiece.

Lezcano’s $3.34 million in purse earnings were fourth-best behind Rosario, who had $4.22 million, aided largely by his victory aboard Sir Winston in the Belmont Stakes.

Sun, 07/07/2019 - 15:57

Concrete Rose settled at Spa, pointing for Saratoga Oaks

Barbara D. Livingston
Concrete Rose earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 90 for her win in Saturday's Belmont Oaks.

About 12 hours after she won the Grade 1, $750,000 Belmont Oaks Invitational, Concrete Rose left Belmont Park by van for Saratoga where she was bedded down by late Sunday morning.

Trainer Rusty Arnold said provided all goes well over the next four weeks, Concrete Rose will run in the inaugural $750,000 Saratoga Oaks on Aug. 2. That race is run at 1 3/16 miles.

Sun, 07/07/2019 - 14:26

Henley's Joy plans to advance to Saratoga Derby

Barbara D. Livingston
Henley's Joy earned a 97 Beyer Speed Figure for his win Saturday in the Belmont Derby.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Henley’s Joy appears to be a horse who thrives on racing and he most likely will make his seventh start of the year in the $1 million Saratoga Derby on Aug. 4, trainer Mike Maker said Sunday morning.

Henley’s Joy ended a five-race losing streak with a three-quarter-length victory over Social Paranoia in Saturday’s Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Derby. Maker, who was in Kentucky over the weekend, said all reports are the horse came out of the race in good order.

Sun, 07/07/2019 - 14:20

Preservationist may await Woodward

Joe Labozzetta/NYRA
Suburban winner Preservationist is likely to make his first Grade 1 start in the Aug. 31 Woodward Stakes.

ELMONT, N.Y. – After making a successful stakes debut winning Saturday’s Grade 2, $700,000 Suburban Stakes, Preservationist will now move north to Saratoga where he most likely will skip the Grade 1 Whitney on Aug. 3 and point to the Grade 1 Woodward on Aug. 31.

Preservationist earned a career-best 108 Beyer Speed Figure for his 4 1/2-length victory over Catholic Boy in the Suburban and running back in four weeks off a lifetime-best figure may not be prudent.

“Most likely won’t go there,” Jerkens said of the Whitney.

Sun, 07/07/2019 - 14:04

Jim Dandy likely next for Code of Honor

Barbara D. Livingston
Code of Honor's ultimate summer goal is the Grade 1 Travers on Aug. 24.

ELMONT, N.Y. – With his primary summer target the Grade 1 Travers on Aug. 24, trainer Shug McGaughey said Sunday that if all goes well, Code of Honor would make his next start in the Grade 2, $600,000 Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga on July 27.

McGaughey said Code of Honor came out of his 3 1/4-length victory in Saturday’s Grade 3 Dwyer Stakes fine and he was shipped early Sunday morning to Saratoga. In rallying from last to win the Dwyer, Code of Honor ran a mile in 1:35.81 and earned a career-best 97 Beyer Speed Figure.

Sun, 07/07/2019 - 10:47

Kevin Patterson breaks record for consecutive wins with 15th straight score

Trainer Kevin Patterson broke the late Frank Passero’s record of 14 straight wins Saturday night when he sent out Flashy Dragon Girl to win the seventh race at Charles Town. Flashy Dragon Girl won the first-level allowance by 4 1/2 lengths.

Patterson has now won with 15 consecutive starters dating back to May 31. All of the wins during his streak have come at either Charles Town or Mountaineer Park.

Passero won 14 straight races at Gulfstream Park in 1996.

Sat, 07/06/2019 - 17:27

Insufficient entries force Los Alamitos to drop Thursday card

Los Alamitos Race Course
The Los Alamitos summer meeting runs from June 27 through July 14.

CYPRESS, Calif. – Los Alamitos will not race on Thursday after the track failed to draw sufficient horses when entries were compiled on Saturday.

Track officials said nine-race programs are tentatively scheduled for Friday through Sunday, the final three days of the summer meeting that began on June 29.

Because of the cancellation, Los Alamitos will run a maximum of nine of the 12 scheduled days for the summer meeting. Programs on June 27-28, a Thursday and Friday, were scrapped in early June due to concern over a shortage of available horses, officials said at the time.