ARCADIA, Calif. – Bolt d’Oro has been taking it fairly easy since the Breeders’ Cup, but soon he and the rest of the 3-year-old class of 2018 at Santa Anita will begin their serious preparations toward the May 5 Kentucky Derby, which locally based horses have won four times in the last six years, with California Chrome, Nyquist, I’ll Have Another, and, of course, Triple Crown winner American Pharoah.
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The California Horse Racing Board on Friday released a list of horses known or believed to have perished in the Dec. 7 Lilac fire that swept through the San Luis Rey Downs training center in San Diego County.
In all, 46 horses are believed to have died, with 43 having been identified and three more still unknown. As previously reported, Scott Hansen suffered the worst losses among San Luis Rey trainers with 15 horses killed in the tragedy.
Issued with a Sacramento dateline, the CHRB released the following statement:
ARCADIA, Calif. – Unique Bella, who disappointed last time out in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Del Mar, will be looking to re-establish her position among the local 3-year-old fillies when she competes Tuesday in the Grade 1, $300,000 La Brea Stakes.
Unique Bella had her final prep for the La Brea here at Santa Anita on Thursday morning, covering a half-mile in 48.60 seconds.
ARCADIA, Calif. – The Grade 1 Malibu Stakes will have a pacesetter after all.
City of Light, a lightly raced speedster who posted two bullet works this month at Santa Anita, has jumped into the seven-furlong Malibu, which will be run Dec. 26, opening day of the Santa Anita winter meet. Post positions were to be drawn Thursday.
Even though he is eligible to a first-level allowance, City of Light is a threat to wire a Malibu field that is otherwise short on pace. The $300,000 Malibu, for 3-year-olds, has been won by the pacesetter four times in the past nine years.
Classic Rock returned from a 5 1/2-month layoff to capture Wednesday’s $51,000 optional-claiming feature at Gulfstream Park, setting the pace before pulling away to an impressive victory under leading rider Luis Saez. The win was the fourth in eight career starts for the son of Maclean’s Music, who is trained by Kathy Ritvo for owners Dean and Patti Reeves.
Classic Rock, winner of the Roar Stakes here in April, ran without blinkers for the first time since his 2-year-old debut.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Stanley Gold stepped things up with his star 2-year-old Blonde Bomber, sending the third-place finisher in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies out to work six furlongs in 1:13.46 with regular exercise rider Jocelyn Kenny aboard after the renovation break on Wednesday at Gulfsteam Park.
Hall of Fame trainer LeRoy Jolley, who twice won the Kentucky Derby and played a role in one of the most famous match races in Thoroughbred history, died Monday at Albany Medical Center in Albany, N.Y., from lung cancer. He was 80.
Born in Hot Springs, Ark., Jolley was in racing virtually his entire life. He grew up mostly in Florida as the son of highly successful trainer Moody Jolley. “All I ever wanted to do was train horses,” Jolley said in an Aug. 1975 article in People magazine.
ARCADIA, Calif. – The Grade 1 Malibu Stakes will have a distinct East Coast-Midwest flavor when it is run Dec. 26 at Santa Anita, opening day of the California winter racing season.
Favorable Outcome from New York, C Z Rocket from Kentucky, and Game Over from Florida are among the leading contenders.
Favorable Outcome, a Grade 2 winner at the seven-furlong distance of the Malibu, arrived at Santa Anita this week and could start favored following a second-level allowance win at Aqueduct.
Racing history has taken note of what Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez did earlier this year when he commuted from Gulfstream to Tampa for just one mount. The special trip was to ride Always Dreaming, who won a Jan. 25 maiden race by 11 1/2 lengths en route to becoming a Kentucky Derby winner for trainer Todd Pletcher and an ownership group that included the St. Elias Stable of Vinnie Viola.