Average all-sources handle rose at the six-month Santa Anita meeting that ended June 23, according to statistics provided by the California Horse Racing Board.
Average handle, including from ontrack, satellite, and account-wagering sources, was $11,670,777, a gain of 3.6 percent compared to $11,255,944 at the 2017-18 meeting.
Roy H, the champion sprinter the last two years, will resume training after missing a scheduled start in the Group 1 Golden Shaheen Sprint in Dubai in March because of a foot ailment.
Trainer Peter Miller said Friday that Roy H is likely to have a single prep before the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Santa Anita on Nov. 2, a race he won at Del Mar in 2017 and at Churchill Downs last year. Miller said he is targeting the Grade 1 Santa Anita Sprint Championship in early October.
Seeking the Soul, winner of the June 15 Stephen Foster at Churchill Downs, will be pointed to the Pacific Classic at Del Mar while staying put at Churchill for the summer, trainer Dallas Stewart said this week. The Grade 1 race is set for Aug. 17.
Seeking the Soul, bred and owned by Charles Fipke, also had been considered for the Grade 1 Whitney on Aug. 3 at Saratoga, but Stewart will be using the same strategy he used to great success the last time he won a major event for Fipke at Del Mar.
No one embodies the spirit of Ellis Park more than John Hancock, who’s been a backstretch fixture at the western Kentucky since early childhood. Through the years, the 60-year-old Hancock has become well known for his work with 2-year-olds, and with Ellis starting its 29-day summer meet Sunday, he’s been fielding inquiries left and right as to how he expects his babies to fare in front of the home crowd.
“I’ve got three or four first-timers that can really run,” said Hancock. “People better be on the lookout.”
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – The potential for a Rainbow 6 pool exceeding $15 million with a mandatory payout scheduled on Sunday went by the wayside after one lucky player had the only winning Rainbow 6 ticket worth $3,151,249 Thursday at Gulfstream Park.
A victory by I Turn a Night Up, a son of Artie Schiller making his turf debut for trainer Happy Alter in the finale, completed the winning combination. I Turn a Night Up was the only horse among the 10 starters in the ninth race alive for the entire Rainbow 6 jackpot.
The New York Racing Association on Thursday fired three executives and added job titles to three others in a management shake-up that comes two weeks before the opening of the Saratoga meet.
In an internal company memo obtained by Daily Racing Form, NYRA president and CEO David O’Rourke described these moves as “an internal restructuring to the executive team that will position our organization for continued success.”
CYPRESS, Calif. – An Arkansas-bred filly bought at a sale of 2-year-olds in training in Florida in March will have her career debut at Los Alamitos on Saturday.
The well-traveled Powerfulattraction has been working steadily at Santa Anita and was pronounced fit for her first start by trainer Peter Eurton on Thursday.
“We thought she was ready to run, and we want to give it a shot,” Eurton said.
Powerfulattraction, by the A.P. Indy stallion Commissioner, was purchased for $225,000 at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. auction in March.
California’s top 3-year-old grass runners – stablemates Neptune’s Storm and Lady Prancealot – will skip Grade 1 races July 6 at Belmont Park and instead remain home to point for stakes at Del Mar, trainer Richard Baltas said this week.
The gelding Neptune’s Storm was invited to the $1 million Belmont Derby after his second stakes victory in the $150,000 Cinema Stakes on June 2 at Santa Anita. The filly Lady Prancealot was invited to the $750,000 Belmont Oaks following her victory on June 1 in the Grade 3 Honeymoon Stakes. Neither the gelding nor the filly will make the trip.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – A pair of up-and-coming 3-year-olds, Trenchtown Cat and Garter and Tie, were among the horses drawn Wednesday for the $250,000 main events on Saturday’s Summit of Speed program at Gulfstream Park, the Grade 2 Princess Rooney and Grade 3 Smile Sprint.
