Irap continues to recuperate at the New Bolton Center in Kennett Square, Pa., three weeks after having surgery to repair the fractured sesamoids of his left front leg.
Irap was injured during the Pennsylvania Derby on Sept. 23 at Parx Racing. He finished second in the Grade 1 race but was pulled up nearing the turn on his gallop-out by jockey Mario Gutierrez and vanned back to his stall.
It’s been a while since a hurricane stole a jackpot from Delta Downs in Vinton, La.
Rita did it in 2005, and Harvey has done so for the 84-date meet that opens Wednesday night. The storm that made landfall in August crippled the Texas markets that have long patronized Delta’s slots casino, and in September it was announced the Grade 3, $1 million Delta Downs Jackpot was canceled for 2017.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Time and Motion and Hunter O’Riley were back on the work tab Sunday at Belmont Park for trainer Jimmy Toner, with both preparing for fall stakes.
Time and Motion, winless in four starts this year, worked five furlongs in 1:01.34 over Belmont Park’s turf course. She is being pointed to the Grade 3, $200,000 Athenia on Oct. 28 at Belmont. Time and Motion is coming out of a fourth-place finish behind Off Limits in the Grade 3 Noble Damsel.
ELMONT, N.Y. – The retired Twilight Eclipse won’t be making a fifth consecutive appearance in the Breeders’ Cup Turf, but his former trainer, Tom Albertrani, will be back in the $4 million race Nov. 4 at Del Mar.
Albertrani will making his fifth straight and sixth overall appearance in the Turf, this time with Sadler’s Joy, who Monday worked a half-mile in 49.72 seconds over the Belmont Park main track. It was the first work for Sadler’s Joy since his fourth-place finish as the favorite in the Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic on Sept. 30.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Drefong is the defending winner of the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, and judging by the way he worked Monday, he is going to be all set for a defense of his victory on Nov. 4 at Del Mar.
Working six furlongs from the gate in company with Met Mile winner Mor Spirit, Drefong was going easily under jockey Drayden Van Dyke before pulling away late. He was timed in 1:12.20, with Mor Spirit – who is a notoriously moderate work horse – finishing up in 1:12.80 in his prep for the BC Dirt Mile. Drefong’s time was the best of 12 at the distance Monday.
ARCADIA, Calif. – With the Breeders’ Cup Classic less than three weeks away, the tone of workouts for Arrogate and Gun Runner was cranked up a notch Monday morning at Santa Anita, with both putting in demanding drills in company designed to have them at their best for a showdown for Horse of the Year on Nov. 4 at Del Mar.
Arrogate, who won last year’s Classic at Santa Anita, worked six furlongs in company in 1:13.20, then galloped out a full mile in 1:39.80, according to Santa Anita’s clockers. Rafael Bejarano, who has been on Arrogate in his recent drills, was aboard.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Two locally based 2-year-old fillies are heading off to Del Mar for the Breeders’ Cup following stakes wins here two weekends ago.
Wonder Gadot, who was a six-length winner of the Grade 3 Mazarine Stakes on Tapeta on Oct. 7, will run in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies on dirt, while Dixie Moon, who beat males in the Cup and Saucer Stakes on turf on Oct. 8, will run in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Grade 1 Canadian International Stakes winner Bullards Alley was on his way back Monday morning to trainer Tim Glyshaw’s base at Churchill Downs following his 10 3/4-length victory over Oscar Nominated on Sunday evening.
Bullards Alley got a 114 Beyer for the International, the highest Beyer on turf this year and the highest turf figure since 2008.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – A couple of young jockeys posted notable firsts Sunday at Keeneland.
Alex Canchari, a perennial top jockey at Canterbury Park, registered his first victory in Kentucky by winning the Sunday opener aboard Boxer Boy ($29.20) for trainer Doug Anderson. Canchari, 23, had gone 0 for 56 on this circuit since moving here in late August, although he does have three wins at Indiana Grand during that span.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – It’s not often that you see a horse run back in five days, or make his fifth start in barely more than six weeks. But that will be the case Thursday when Tobias runs as a longshot in the Grade 3 Sycamore at 1 1/2 miles on the Keeneland turf.
