Fri, 10/20/2017 - 14:26

Venerable gelding Royal F J retired at 10

Shigeki Kikkawa
Royal F J has won nine races and has finished in the money 45 times among his 99 starts.

ARCADIA, Calif. – The 10-year-old gelding Royal F J has run his last race.

On Thursday at Santa Anita, Royal F J finished seventh in a $6,250 claimer as a 4-1 shot, beaten 9 1/2 lengths. He won 9 of 102 starts and earned $568,150 in a career that began with trainer Jack Carava at Santa Anita in 2009. Carava was Royal F J’s final trainer.

“I always said if he ran a bad race without an excuse, that would be it,” Carava said Friday. “He didn’t fire.

“I’ve got several offers to give him a good home. He’s a cool horse.”

Fri, 10/20/2017 - 14:26

Ocampo breaks hand, Talamo bruises thigh in spill

Coady Photography
Israel Ocampo

ARCADIA, Calif. – Jockey Israel Ocampo will be out for at least a month, and Joe Talamo will not ride this weekend after the pair sustained injuries in a two-horse spill Thursday at Santa Anita.

Ocampo was aboard Warrenscrystalized, who broke down approaching the finish of an allowance race on the hillside turf course. Talamo was aboard Hawk’s Journey, who could not avoid Warrenscrystalized and fell.

Warrenscrystalized was euthanized as a result of a leg injury, according to track stewards. Hawk’s Journey was not injured, trainer Jorge Periban said Friday.

Fri, 10/20/2017 - 13:46

Irap euthanized after developing laminitis

Debra A. Roma
Irap, who bankrolled 1,672,600 in a 13-race career, on the track at Churchill Downs in May.

Multiple graded stakes winner Irap has been euthanized after developing laminitis as a complication from an injury he sustained in the Pennsylvania Derby.

Fri, 10/20/2017 - 12:36

Ahead of Breeders' Cup, Imperial Hint proving size isn't everything

Taylor Ejdys/Equi-Photo
Imperial Hint wins the Donald LeVine Memorial last month.

The overachieving 4-year-old Imperial Hint will be Del Mar bound Tuesday for the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, in which he will be among the favorites.

Trainer Luis Carvajal Jr. will van Imperial Hint from Parx Racing to Newark Liberty International, where he will catch an afternoon FedEx flight. Carvajal plans to give Imperial Hint an easy work at Del Mar prior to the Nov. 4 Breeders’ Cup Sprint.

Fri, 10/20/2017 - 12:10

Navarro appealing post-race cocaine positive at Monmouth

Barbara D. Livingston
Trainer Jorge Navarro

Two trainers, including Jorge Navarro, have been fined by the New Jersey Racing Commission for positive tests for Class 1 substances in post-race samples of horses under their care, but the commission did not levy suspensions, citing “mitigating circumstances” that point to contamination of the samples.

Fri, 10/20/2017 - 11:46

Petrov targets Steel Valley Sprint

Keeneland/Coady Photography
Petrov wins an allowance sprint at Keeneland on Wednesday.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Trainer Ron Moquett said Petrov will be pointed to the $200,000 Steel Valley Sprint on Nov. 20 at Mahoning Valley in Ohio after keeping his non-stakes record perfect with a one-length victory in a 6 1/2-furlong allowance here Wednesday.

Petrov is winless in eight stakes tries – although he was second, third, or fourth in six of them – while having won his other three career starts. The six-furlong Steel Valley is restricted to 3-year-olds.

Solid Sunday undercard

Fri, 10/20/2017 - 11:46

Romans hoping for big November with juveniles

Coady Photography
Dak Attack was a three-length winner of Sunday's Ellis Park Juvenile Stakes.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The next six weeks could be big ones for trainer Dale Romans. His two Breeders’ Cup Juvenile hopefuls, Free Drop Billy and Hollywood Star, were flown to California on Monday, while some of his other stable stars could be in action at the 21-day Churchill Downs fall meet.

Dak Attack, who was forced to miss the BC Juvenile because of a sore shin, is back in light training and is an outside possibility for the Nov. 25 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes, Romans said.

Fri, 10/20/2017 - 11:40

McCraken readies for first test against older horses in Fayette

Barbara D. Livingston
McCraken, with exercise rider Yoni Orantes up, at the Oklahoma training track on Tuesday.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Three-year-olds begin merging into the Thoroughbred mainstream around this time of year, and trainer Ian Wilkes is as interested as anyone else to see how McCraken will match up when facing older horses for the first time.

“We’ll find out soon, huh?” Wilkes said.

A revealing test will come next Saturday at Keeneland, where McCraken is expected to line up against Neolithic, Honorable Duty, and The Player in a terrific 60th running of the closing-day feature, the Grade 2 Fayette Stakes.

Thu, 10/19/2017 - 15:56

No BC Juvenile Turf contestant for Pletcher

Michael Amoruso
Seabhac held off Voting Control by a half-length to win the Grade 3 Pilgrim on Saturday at Belmont Park.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Todd Pletcher will not have a runner in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf on Nov. 3 after two potential candidates were deemed to need additional time and a third did not work to satisfaction Thursday morning over the Belmont turf course.

Thu, 10/19/2017 - 15:46

Takaful sharp in BC Sprint drill

Susie Raisher
Takaful breezed four furlongs in 48.30 seconds over the Belmont Park training track Thursday morning.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Takaful, the Grade 1 Vosburgh winner, breezed four furlongs in 48.30 seconds over the Belmont Park training track Thursday morning preparing for a start in the $1.5 million Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Del Mar on Nov. 4.