Fri, 11/07/2014 - 14:15

Jockey Lopez back in Florida

Barbara D. Livingston
Paco Lopez returned to Florida after successful stints at Monmouth Park over the summer and at Keeneland this fall.

After an extraordinarily successful summer and fall in New Jersey and Kentucky, jockey Paco Lopez has come home to Florida.

Lopez dominated the standings at Monmouth Park this summer, winning 120 races at the meet, more than twice as many as runner-up Gabriel Saez. Lopez set a record for victories in a day at Monmouth, winning seven races on a card not once but twice.

The title was the third at Monmouth for Lopez, who also led the standings in 2013 and 2010. He was second at Monmouth in both 2011 and 2012.

Fri, 11/07/2014 - 13:50

Keeneland proves to be solid prep spot for Breeders' Cup

Tom Keyser
Dayatthespa, with Javier Castellano aboard, wires the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf on Saturday.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The results of the Breeders’ Cup last weekend at Santa Anita were met with delight by officials at Keeneland, the Lexington, Ky., track where the championships will be held for the first time next Oct. 30-31.

Three of the 13 Breeders’ Cup winners – Dayatthespa, Work All Week, and Take Charge Brandi – ran their final prep races at Keeneland, while a fourth, Judy the Beauty, trained toward the Breeders’ Cup exclusively at Keeneland.

Fri, 11/07/2014 - 13:40

NYRA seeking input from fans

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The New York Racing Association will begin holding quarterly meetings seeking input from horseplayers, fans, and members of the local communities of its three tracks – Aqueduct, Belmont, and Saratoga. The first meeting is scheduled for Nov. 15 at 9:30 a.m. at Longshots, a simulcasting facility on the second floor at Aqueduct.

Christopher Kay, NYRA’s chief executive and president, said each quarterly meeting will be scheduled for a Saturday in order to make it convenient for people to attend.

Fri, 11/07/2014 - 13:38

Comely next for House Rules

Adam Coglianese/NYRA
House Rules wins an allowance race over the muddy Aqueduct track on Thursday.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – House Rules, who won an off-the-turf second-level allowance race in the mud Thursday, likely will make her next start in the Grade 3, $400,000 Comely Stakes for 3-year-old fillies on Nov. 29, trainer Jimmy Jerkens said Friday.

It was the second allowance win in the last three starts for House Rules, who in between finished last behind Untapable in the Grade 1 Cotillion at Parx on Sept. 20. Jerkens, who took over the training of House Rules earlier this year from his father, Allen, said Javier Castellano rode the filly Thursday the way she wants to be ridden.

Fri, 11/07/2014 - 13:34

Veterans to be honored on Monday

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Aqueduct will be open for live racing Monday, the day before Veterans Day, and will take the time to salute war veterans. First post for Monday’s nine-race card is 12:20 p.m.

Following the fourth race, the New York Racing Association will conduct a special trophy presentation recognizing the courage and sacrifices made by service members and veteran-services employees.

Fri, 11/07/2014 - 13:32

Goldencents gone from barn, but memories remain

Nikki Sherman
Goldencents, two-time winner of the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, will begin his stallion career next spring at Spendthrift Farm in Kentucky.

This has been a bittersweet week at the barn of trainer Leandro Mora, for less than 24 hours after Goldencents won the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile for the second straight year, he was on a plane to Kentucky, where he will begin his stud career next spring at Spendthrift Farm.

“It’s a bit of a void,” said Jack Sisterson, an assistant to Mora and Mora’s boss, Doug O’Neill, who is currently on suspension. “He was in the first stall, next to the office. You’d walk in at 3:30 or 4 in the morning, and his head was always out, ready to go.”

Fri, 11/07/2014 - 13:10

Slim chance Shared Belief will run in Malibu

Barbara D. Livingston
Shared Belief could run once more this season in the Dec. 26 Malibu at Santa Anita.

DEL MAR, Calif. – Shared Belief is back at Golden Gate Fields and won’t be leaving anytime soon. His trainer and co-owner, Jerry Hollendorfer, said Shared Belief is being freshened, and the only chance he would run before the end of the year is if Hollendorfer decides to go in the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes at Santa Anita on that track’s opening day, Dec. 26. Otherwise, Shared Belief will await 2015.

Fri, 11/07/2014 - 12:50

New York VLT revenue to help pay for jockeys' insurance

A bill passed this year by the New York state legislature will allow qualifying jockeys to have their health insurance paid for from a portion of video-lottery-terminal revenue previously earmarked for purses.

Fri, 11/07/2014 - 12:46

Belmont Park fall meet business declines

Barbara D. Livingston
Attendance fell almost 19 percent compared to last year's fall meet.

Due in part to wet weather, Belmont Park’s fall meet suffered near-double-digit declines in total and ontrack handle compared with a year ago.

All-sources handle for the 38-day meet was $294,710,551, a 9.8 percent decrease from last year’s total of $326,878,686 for 37 cards. Ontrack handle for this year’s meet was $42,697,719, a 9.6 percent decline from last year’s figure of $47,238,016.

Thu, 11/06/2014 - 14:17

Upstart getting freshened for next year

Tom Keyser
Upstart will skip the Remsen and head to Florida to prepare for a 3-year-old campaign.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Upstart, third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, is back in New York, but only briefly.

Trainer Rick Violette said Upstart won’t run in the Grade 2, $400,000 Remsen Stakes and instead will soon ship to south Florida to begin preparing for a 3-year-old campaign.

With Upstart, Violette hopes to get a New York-bred to the Kentucky Derby for a second straight year. This year, he finished fifth with Samraat, the winner of the Withers and Gotham stakes.