The six stakes on Christmastide Stakes Day at Laurel Park on Saturday have come up strong, especially the $100,000 Dave’s Friend, carded as race 8.
The six-furlong Dave’s Friend has drawn a field of 10, but Do Share, who won the Gravesend at Aqueduct last Saturday, will be scratched, according to trainer Linda Rice. That still leaves a salty field that includes Recruiting Ready, Afleet Willy, Favorite Tale, El Areeb, and Struth.
This has been a career year for Claudio Gonzalez, who enters the final weekend of the Laurel Park fall meet not only on the verge of winning the training title, but, more importantly, topping the 2017 standings in Maryland.
Each year, the Maryland Jockey Club recognizes the jockey and trainer with the most combined wins at the season’s three Laurel meets and Pimlico’s spring session. Kieron Magee has won the overall title the past three years, but trails Gonzalez 81-73 coming into the Friday card.
There is a $10,245 carryover in the late pick five at Laurel on Friday. There is also a Rainbow 6 carryover of $3,157.
In race 5, a $15,000 claiming race that begins the pick five, Mythos, Matador, and Stone, who is part of an Anthony Farrior-trained entry, figure strongly.
The late-running Heaven’s Door should get a good pace setup in race 6, a $5,000 claiming sprint. Races 7 and 9 are wide-open maiden-claiming races.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – A three-other-than optional-claiming race is not often thought of as a prep for a $16 million event like the Pegasus World Cup. But that could be the case for the steadily improving Singing Bullet, a homebred who just happens to be owned by the man who conceived the Pegasus World Cup, Frank Stronach.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Santa Anita drew an ontrack crowd of 40,723 for Tuesday’s opening day of the winter-spring meeting and took in $17,279,161 in wagers from all sources, according to figures released by the track.
Last year, 46,514 attended opening day of the meeting on a Monday. The last time the meeting opened on a Tuesday, in 2006, 32,391 attended.
The 2016 opening day had an all-sources handle of $18,363,495, 6 percent more than on Tuesday. Handle Tuesday was 16 percent higher than the 2006 opening day all-sources handle of $14,940,501.
Jockey Mike Luzzi, a mainstay on the New York Racing Association circuit for more than two decades, will be moving his tack to Oaklawn Park this winter and start riding there when that meet opens on Jan. 12.
Luzzi, 48, was listed to ride one horse at Aqueduct on Thursday, but has already taken off that mount as he plans to start the drive from Long Island to Oaklawn that day and begin getting on horses over the weekend.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – It might have been a surprise to most of the experts when Luis Saez unseated five-time reigning Gulfstream Park riding champion Javier Castellano to win the 2016-17 Championship meet jockey title. But it certainly will not come as a surprise to anyone if Saez repeats the feat this winter, especially with the defending champ having gotten off to a red-hot start with 24 victories over the first 14 days of the session.
Gulfstream Park has reached an agreement with the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association and the Florida Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association that will assure $2.5 million in purse money for registered Florida-breds in 2018, $1 million of which is being earmarked for overnight races at Gulfstream and Gulfstream Park West.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Santiamen kept his record perfect and may have earned himself a stakes opportunity by outfinishing stablemate Empire Power to capture Thursday’s $50,000 main event for Cairoli Racing Stable and trainer Antonio Sano.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Todd Pletcher said that Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming shipped back into his barn on Wednesday and galloped for the first time at Palm Beach Downs on Thursday. Always Dreaming has not started since finishing ninth in the Grade 1 Travers in August.
“He looks great,” said Pletcher. “He put on a lot of weight. He’s really filled out and seems to have made a very good transition from the beginning of his 3-year-old season to the end. And he’s back now at a place we know he likes to train at.”
