MIAMI – Jockey Ivaldo Santana has wasted little time making his presence felt locally.
Santana, a 35-year-old native of Brazil, registered his first U.S. victory on Sunday across town at Gulfstream Park, came right back to spring a 30-1 upset on Wednesday’s opening day here at Gulfstream Park West aboard Miss Lotus Flower, and added a third win when getting Bama Bound up in the final strides to capture the second race on Thursday.
MIAMI – Trainer David Fawkes ended the Gulfstream Park summer meet in style, winning a pair of stakes on last Saturday’s Florida Sire Stakes card with the veteran turf horse Galleon Mast and the 2-year-old Renaissance Frolic.
Galleon Mast posted his third consecutive stakes win with a neck decision over Galton in the Mr. Steele Stakes, the only one of the four scheduled turf stakes on the card to be run on grass. The switch to the main track did not affect Renaissance Frolic, however, as he drew off to a three-length victory in the Armed Forces.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – All jockeys who ride at Keeneland this fall will be required to complete a “baseline concussion assessment” as part of a pilot program that is designed to establish protocols for dealing with head injuries, the track announced on Thursday, one day prior to the opening of its meet.
MIAMI - A live-stream Spanish broadcast of racing from both Gulfstsream Park and Gulfstream Park West began on opening day here Wednesday. The high-definition broadcast is independent of the track’s English broadcast, with separate producers, directors, cameras, on-air talent and race caller.
The broadcast is available online at gulfstreampark.com and at Gulfstream’s facilities on channel 17-1.
Oklahoma Derby hero Untrapped will target the $200,000 Zia Derby on Nov. 22, said trainer Steve Asmussen on Monday. The 1 1/16-mile race is one of the final straight 3-year-old stakes on the national calendar.
The Zia Derby will be part of the Land of Enchantment card of stakes at the New Mexico track that includes the $300,000 Zia Park Oaks.
McCormick, the runner-up in the Iowa Derby who finished seventh in the Oklahoma Derby, could move back to turf for his next start, trainer Ian Wilkes said.
The Downs at Albuquerque closed its 57-date meet for Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses on Sept. 24 with an increase in average daily handle and average daily purses, according to a press release from the New Mexico track.
Albuquerque handled an average $229,453 a day on its races, up 8 percent from $211,772 a day during the corresponding 60-date meet in 2016.
Purses averaged $163,465 a day this meet, up 4 percent from $156,771 at the corresponding meet a year ago.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Frostmourne, the impressive winner of the Kent Stakes at Delaware Park on July 15, returns to the races in Saturday’s Grade 3, $500,000 Hill Prince Stakes going 1 1/8 miles at Belmont Park.
Frostmourne drew post 4 in a field of nine 3-year-olds entered Wednesday for the Hill Prince.
Frostmourne was being pointed to the Secretariat at Arlington this summer, but trainer Christophe Clement didn’t feel he was training well enough in early August to take on that challenge.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Trainers Jason Servis and Eric Guillot each entered two horses in a field of 12 for Saturday’s Grade 1, $500,000 Champagne that lacks a clear favorite. Servis entered Firenze Fire and Full of Run, while Guillot entered Stronger and the maiden Master Manipulator.
ELMONT, N.Y. – To say that Pavel has come a long way in a short period of time understates the cliché.
On July 1, Pavel won a 6 1/2-furlong maiden race at Santa Anita. Four weeks later, he was swapping punches with the Kentucky Derby and Preakness winners in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy at Saratoga. Now, after a visually impressive victory in the Grade 3 Smarty Jones Stakes at Parx on Labor Day, Pavel is meeting older horses in Saturday’s Grade 1, $750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Lady Aurelia has logged thousands of frequent flyer miles already. From that standpoint, a flight to California later this month for the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint will be a breeze for the Keeneland-based European champion.
For now, though, the 3-year-old filly continues to train at her home base, with Wesley Ward focusing on her mental preparations as much as physical. In company, Lady Aurelia breezed five furlongs Tuesday morning on the turf.
