Jimmy Graham said he intends to ride this summer at Del Mar in Southern California, where Brad Pegram has agreed to take his book.
Graham, the leading jockey at the 2014 Arlington and 2014-15 Fair Grounds meets, will be leaving his comfort zone in the Midwest.
“If we take off, that’s great,” said Graham, 36. “If not, well, we’re going to give it our best.”
CYPRESS, Calif. – California Chrome, the 2014 Horse of the Year, is scheduled to have a workout at Ascot in England on Thursday in advance of the Group 1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes at the same venue June 17.
Jockey Frankie Dettori is scheduled to work California Chrome and might ride the popular 4-year-old in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at 1 1/4 miles on turf, trainer Art Sherman said.
“If he likes him, I think he will” ride him, Sherman said on Friday from his base at Los Alamitos. “He hasn’t given me a commitment.”
VANCOUVER, British Columbia – David Lopez has been a welcome addition to the jockey colony at Hastings this year. The veteran rider has won 1,160 races since he arrived in North America in 2001. His first win came at Hialeah Park.
“I think it was the last year they ran there,” Lopez said. “It was a shame because it was a beautiful track.”
Lopez is originally from Peru, where he grew up in a racing family. He was the leading apprentice in his home country before moving to the United States. He started his riding career in 1996.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – After 29 years and more than 55,000 race calls, Dan Loiselle will call his final race Sunday at Woodbine.
The $125,000 Lady Angela Stakes, race 4 on the program, will be Loiselle’s final call. Loiselle will present the trophy to the winning connections after the race and will greet fans on the second-floor grandstand during a ceremonial cake-cutting. Dawn Lupul will call the remainder of Sunday’s card, and Robert Geller, formerly the track announcer at Emerald Downs, will be the permanent replacement.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Much to the excitement of trainer Charlie LoPresti, two-time Horse of the Year Wise Dan had his first day back to galloping Friday when going about six furlongs over the training track at Keeneland.
Sidelined since last fall due to an ankle injury that did not require surgery, Wise Dan has been back in light training for about a month.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – At Churchill Downs, Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner American Pharoah was out Friday morning for his first gallop since his Tuesday breeze, going through a 10-minute exercise routine that included a brief schooling session in the starting gate.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Tonalist, looking to add the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap to an impressive résumé of graded stakes victories at Belmont Park, worked five furlongs in 1:00.95 on Friday morning at Belmont Park.
Breaking off at the half-mile pole under exercise rider Lee Vickers, Tonalist, working by himself, was clocked in fractions of 12.20 seconds, 24.37, and 48.15. He galloped out six furlongs in 1:14.59. It was his third breeze since winning the Grade 3 Westchester here May 2.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Trainer Todd Pletcher sent out stakes hopefuls Rock Fall and Unitarian to breeze over the Belmont training track on Thursday. Rock Fall will compete against Clearly Now in the True North here next Friday, while Unitarian is being pointed for the Grade 2 Brooklyn here next Saturday.
Rock Fall breezed an easy half-mile in 49.15 seconds and galloped out five-eighths in 1:02.35 in company with Touch the Moon. Unitarian worked five furlongs in 1:00.81 with his maiden stablemate Blame Dixie before galloping out six furlongs in 1:14.46.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Trainer Brian Lynch thought he’d found an easy spot for his turf-sprint specialist Power Alert in Saturday’s $300,000 Evangeline Downs Turf Sprint. But the devastating weather that has plagued that part of the country this past week has forced Lynch to go to Plan B – next Saturday’s Grade 3 Jaipur Invitational at Belmont Park.
