Bless the Broken, third to Good Cheer in the Kentucky Oaks, is being pointed to a rematch with that undefeated filly in the Grade 1, $500,000 Acorn on June 6 at Saratoga, trainer Will Walden said.
Bless the Broken, winner of the Bourbonette Oaks, had a bit of a wide trip in the Oaks. She finished 3 1/2 lengths behind Good Cheer and 1 1/4 lengths behind runner-up Drexel Hill, who rallied inside of Bless the Broken in the stretch.
Locked, the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap winner who finished fourth in the Alysheba Stakes at Churchill Downs two weeks ago, will be pointed to the Grade 2, $400,000 Suburban Stakes on July 4 at Saratoga, owner Aron Wellman said Friday.
Jockey Diego Herrera has been suspended seven racing days, from Friday through May 26, for two incidents in which his mounts were disqualified in races at Santa Anita in late April and early May, according to rules recently published by Santa Anita stewards.
Del Mar is adding three new bets to its extensive wagering menu this summer, all of which have been in place at times during the current Santa Anita meeting.
The track will offer a 50-cent middle pick four on the fourth through seventh races, a $3 pick three on the final three races, and a $5 double on the last two races, according to documents submitted to the California Horse Racing Board.
The track received approval from the racing board on Thursday for a 31-day meeting from July 18 to Sept. 7.
Under new management for the first time in decades, Laurel Park in Maryland started off slowly this year, according to a handle analysis conducted by Daily Racing Form, but wagering figures skyrocketed over the last three weeks of its meet.
Delaware Park canceled its opening day card on Wednesday due to inclement weather. Though all eight races were scheduled for the dirt, consistent rain in the region was deemed a hazard for horses and riders.
"Due to unsafe track conditions caused by the inclement weather, Delaware Park has cancelled the Opening Day live racing card scheduled for today," a press release from the track read.
While saying he wasn’t disappointed that Sovereignty was not running in Saturday’s Preakness Stakes, Michael McCarthy, trainer of Kentucky Derby runner-up Journalism, said he’d look forward to a rematch at some point in the future.
“Hopefully, Journalism stays healthy and Sovereignty stays healthy, and somewhere down the road, we get to hook up,” McCarthy said. “I think it’d be great for the fans, really great for the sport.”
McCarthy said it’s possible Journalism could run back June 7 at Saratoga in the Belmont Stakes, the race Sovereignty is targeting.
BALTIMORE – Different venue, same surface.
The sloppy track that was in play for the Kentucky Derby two weeks ago at Churchill Downs has greeted horsemen this week at Pimlico as preparations continued Wednesday morning toward Saturday’s 150th Preakness.
Led by Kentucky Derby runner-up Journalism, seven of the nine horses entered in the Preakness were on the main track Wednesday morning at Pimlico, most going at a controlled pace over an extremely wet surface.
On Tuesday, the Louisiana Racing Commission awarded traditional racing dates to Fair Grounds racetrack in New Orleans despite a warning from an official of the track’s parent company, Churchill Downs Inc., that the track was “unable and unwilling” to commit to a meet without legislative help.
BALTIMORE – Journalism, the Kentucky Derby runner-up, drew post 2 and was installed as the strong favorite in a field of nine entered Monday for Saturday’s 150th Preakness Stakes at Pimlico.
Pimlico linemaker Dan Illman made Journalism the 8-5 favorite, while Daily Racing Form’s David Aragona pegged Journalism as the 6-5 choice. Journalism was the 3-1 favorite in the Kentucky Derby, finishing second by 1 1/2 lengths to Sovereignty.
