Mon, 11/06/2017 - 13:46

Bookies Luck points to King Glorious Stakes

Barbara D. Livingston
Golden State Juvenile winner Bookies Luck will face Cal-breds again in the King Glorious Stakes on Dec. 16 at Los Alamitos.

DEL MAR, Calif. – Bookies Luck will be pointed to a third consecutive stakes win against California-breds in the $100,000 King Glorious Stakes on Dec. 16 at Los Alamitos, trainer Jeff Bonde said Sunday.

Bookies Luck is in the midst of an excellent year, having won the I’m Smokin Stakes on Sept. 1 at Del Mar and the Golden State Juvenile at Del Mar last Saturday. In the seven-furlong Golden State Juvenile, Bookies Luck led throughout and held off a late run from an unlucky Smokem to win by a nose as the 8-5 favorite.

Mon, 11/06/2017 - 13:36

One Fast Broad getting time off

Emily Shields
One Fast Broad, ridden by Corey Nakatani, wins the Golden State Juvenile Fillies by one length.

DEL MAR, Calif. – One Fast Broad will not race until early 2018 after winning the first stakes of her career in the $200,345 Golden State Juvenile Fillies last Friday at Del Mar.

Owner and trainer Mick Ruis said One Fast Broad will be pointed to the Santa Anita winter-spring meeting. Bolt d’Oro, the beaten favorite in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on Saturday, will have the same schedule as One Fast Broad.

“We’ll give her 60 days, like Bolt d’Oro,” Ruis said. “We’ll let her grow up and get ready for her 3-year-old campaign. She deserves a little break.”

Mon, 11/06/2017 - 13:36

For trainer John Sadler, time to regroup

Barbara D. Livingston
Stellar Wind finished eighth and last in the Breeders' Cup Distaff, her final career start.

DEL MAR, Calif. – November will be a rebuilding month for prominent California trainer John Sadler.

Last Friday, Sadler had two leading hopes in Breeders’ Cup races at Del Mar, but sustained disappointing results. Accelerate finished ninth of 10 at odds of 7-2 in the BC Dirt Mile. Stellar Wind was last of eight at 3-1 in the BC Distaff.

Mon, 11/06/2017 - 12:00

Godolphin and McLaughlin might have two for Remsen

Alysse Jacobs/NYRA photo
Avery Island, ridden by Joe Bravo, wins the Nashua Stakes by 4 3/4 lengths.

Following Avery Island’s impressive Sunday victory in the Grade 2 Nashua at Aqueduct, Godolphin and trainer Kiaran McLaughlin could have two starters in the Remsen Stakes at Aqueduct.

Enticed, the third-place finisher in the Grade 1 Champagne at Belmont Park, also is being pointed to the Grade 2, $250,000 Remsen, a 1 1/8-mile race for 2-year-olds Dec. 2.

Mon, 11/06/2017 - 11:56

Southern California jockey Garcia moving to Aqueduct

Shigeki Kikkawa
American Pharoah, like all Thoroughbreds, is fragile and any race could be his last.

DEL MAR, Calif. – Martin Garcia, the rider of Breeders’ Cup Classic runner-up Collected, will move his tack to New York and plans to begin riding at Aqueduct starting Nov. 15, he said Sunday.

Sun, 11/05/2017 - 19:52

All in all, not a bad weekend for Chad Brown

Debra A. Roma
Chad Brown's Good Magic won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile by 4 1/4 lengths.

DEL MAR, Calif. - Trainer Chad Brown returned to New York on Sunday morning with two more Breeders’ Cup trophies, the promise of a legitimate Kentucky Derby candidate for 2018 and the ability to lay claim to multiple Eclipse Awards.

Brown won Friday’s $1 million Juvenile Fillies Turf with Rushing Fall - his fourth victory in 10 runnings of that race - and Saturday’s $2 million Juvenile with Good Magic, the first maiden to win in the 34-year history of the race. The two wins give Brown 10 in the Breeders’ Cup series, placing him fourth in that category.

Sun, 11/05/2017 - 17:58

Good Magic is Eclipse Award-worthy, Brown says

Susie Raisher
Trainer Chad Brown said he believes Good Magic's win in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile should be good enough for an Eclipse Award as champion 2-year-old.

DEL MAR, Calif. - Good Magic, who at Del Mar on Saturday became the first maiden to win the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, shipped to south Florida on Sunday for a brief vacation before gearing up for a run toward the Kentucky Derby next May.

Good Magic, who had finished second in a maiden race at Saratoga and the Grade 1 Champagne at Belmont Park, galloped to a 4 1/4-length victory over the pace-prompting Solomini in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Saturday at Del Mar. The previously undefeated Bolt d’Oro, the 3-5 favorite, was another length back in third.

Sun, 11/05/2017 - 15:09

Del Mar likely to seek to host Breeders' Cup again soon

DEL MAR, Calif. – Del Mar successfully hosted the Breeders’ Cup races for the first time on Friday and Saturday, and it may not be long before the San Diego-area racetrack seeks the event again.

“I think we’ll be back,” track president Joe Harper said on Sunday. “It’s up to the Breeders’ Cup.

“The Breeders’ Cup people – the ones I talked to – were happy. I think we’ll be looked at in a different light.

“Everything went fairly smoothly. I didn’t have too many concerns.”

Sun, 11/05/2017 - 14:28

Gun Runner points to Pegasus World Cup, but then what?

Barbara D. Livingston
Gun Runner earned a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 117 for his win in the Breeders' Cup Classic.

DEL MAR, Calif. – Gun Runner, who emerged as the slam-dunk favorite to be named Horse of the Year with his victory in the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Saturday at Del Mar, will remain in training for the immediate future, though his plans for all of 2018 have yet to be ironed out.

Sun, 11/05/2017 - 14:08

Trainer Miller savors Breeders' Cup double

Debra A. Roma
Roy H paid $11.80 in winning the Breeders' Cup Sprint at Del Mar on Saturday.

DEL MAR, Calif. – Trainer Peter Miller said he received a phone call Saturday night from owner Gary Hartunian of Rockingham Ranch, who asked, “Did that really happen today?” Hartunian was referring to the pair’s Breeders’ Cup wins with Stormy Liberal in the Turf Sprint and Roy H in the Sprint.

Miller, whose feat arguably earned him the No. 2 star on Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup program at Del Mar behind only Classic winner Gun Runner, said his reply was simply, “Everyone is telling me it did.”

By Sunday morning, the enormity of the accomplishment still had not totally sunk in.