OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The sibling battle for an Eclipse Award will play out coast to coast this coming weekend.
Irad Ortiz Jr. is hoping to dethrone his brother Jose as the Eclipse Award-winning jockey for 2018 and is hoping one more big weekend can seal the deal.
Entering the final five weeks of the year, Irad Ortiz Jr. leads the nation in wins (314) and purse money won ($26,143,923). Jose ranks third in wins (252) – Tim Thornton has 253 – and second in purse money won ($25,663,559).
The connections who won a Grade 1 race with Wake Forest in 2016 claimed the horse back on Saturday for $8,000 at Gulfstream Park West to retire him. He will be sent to Old Friends, a retirement facility in Lexington, Ky.
Owner Michael Dubb said he was alerted by a friend that Wake Forest was in for $8,000 claiming at Gulfstream Park West. Wake Forest had won the Grade 1 Man o’ War for Dubb and partners Sol Kumin and Michael Caruso in 2016. The horse, owned by Randy Hill and trained by Danny Gargan, finished ninth of 11 on Saturday.
Frank Mirahmadi grew up in Southern California, where he became not only a passionate fan of racing, but a passionate fan of race calling.
While developing his own style, he also worshiped at the altar of Santa Anita announcers such as Dave Johnson and Trevor Denman – mimicking their intonations and pet phrases – and on Monday he fulfilled a lifelong dream by joining a list that includes Johnson and Denman by becoming the new track announcer at Santa Anita.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – One of the new shooters on Saturday’s Claiming Crown Day at Gulfstream Park will be trainer Robertino Diodoro, who shipped three horses here, including Chris and Dave and St. Louie Guy for the Jewel.
Chris and Dave is coming off a high-level optional-claiming win in New York, while St. Louie Guy has been idle since finishing third in a conditioned allowance race at Delaware Park on Sept. 6.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Trainer Kevin Attard won the Grade 3 Valedictory Stakes with Melmich in 2015, and has seen the son of Wilko run second in that event in back-to-back years. This year, Attard is pointing both Melmich and Pumpkin Rumble to the Valedictory, which will be run over 1 3/4 miles on Woodbine’s Tapeta on Dec. 9.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Avie’s Flatter stamped himself a leading contender for next summer’s Queen’s Plate with a half-length victory over Federal Law in last Sunday’s Coronation Futurity.
Trainer Josie Carroll said Avie’s Flatter came out of the Coronation Futurity in good order, and will get some time off before resuming his training at Palm Meadows training center in Florida this winter.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Most trainers would love to be able to run a half-dozen horses on Saturday’s Claiming Crown program at Gulfstream Park. But for Mike Maker, who has been king of this event since its 1999 inception, starting only six runners in the nine Claiming Crown races on opening day of the 2018-19 Gulfstream Park Championship meet may almost seem like a day off.
Maker added to his record here a year ago when Special Ops won the Emerald, giving him his 16th Claiming Crown winner, the overwhelming majority coming for owners Ken and Sarah Ramsey.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Following her ninth-place finish in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Churchill Downs on Nov. 2, My Gal Betty is now down in Florida with trainer Roger Attfield at Payson Park training center. Attfield said My Gal Betty would get a few weeks off before picking up her training toward the end of December.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Trainer Brad Cox said the $9 million Pegasus World Cup is an outside possibility for Leofric, but it’s more likely the gray 5-year-old will get a short break prior to being pointed to the Oaklawn Handicap in April.
Leofric, owned by Steve Landers, won the annual signature race of the Churchill Downs fall meet, the Grade 1 Clark Handicap on Friday, holding off Bravazo in a torrid stretch duel. Seeking the Soul, the 3-2 favorite and defending champion, was third.
“He came out of it really good, so we’ve got options,” Cox said.
