Fri, 10/24/2014 - 15:21

Spaghetti Mouse, Wolski voted into British Columbia Horse Racing Hall of Fame

Four-Footed Fotos
Spaghetti Mouse, shown winning the 2008 S.W. Randall Plate at Hastings, will be inducted into the British Columbia Horse Racing Hall of Fame in December.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Spaghetti Mouse and Tommy Wolski recently were voted into the British Columbia Horse Racing Hall of Fame and will be inducted at the annual awards dinner at Newlands Golf and Country Club on Dec. 4.

Spaghetti Mouse, owned by Nick and Pauline Felicella, retired in 2012 with earnings of $929,850, a record for a British Columbia-bred. He raced exclusively at Hastings, where he won 12 races, including the Grade 3 British Columbia Derby in 2005 for late trainer Gary Demorest. Spaghetti Mouse also was trained by Ned Sams and Lenore Dubois.

Fri, 10/24/2014 - 15:19

Clocker: Goldencents shows he's sitting on ready

Barbara D. Livingston
Goldencents zips five furlongs in 59.26 under Rafael Bejarano on Friday at Santa Anita.

ARCADIA, Calif. – A handful of Breeders’ Cup workers, topped by defending Dirt Mile champ Goldencents and Classic contender Moreno, spiced up Friday’s training session at Santa Anita.

The main track seems to have quickened as the week has progressed. In fact, it also seemed to quicken as the morning progressed, becoming tighter after the second and third breaks than it had been earlier in the day.

:: BREEDERS’ CUP WORKOUTS: Video analysis, news, and times

Fri, 10/24/2014 - 14:27

Hastings horsemen hope to avoid horse-shortage issues next year

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – The 2014 Hastings meet ends Sunday, and the shortage of horses made it difficult for departing racing secretary Stuart Slagle to put together decent cards all year. Slagle, who did an admirable job under the circumstances, is moving on to become the racing secretary at Woodbine.

The average number of starters per race dropped to 6.80 from 7.12 in 2013. Despite that decline, handle remained steady, according to Hastings general manager Darren MacDonald.

Fri, 10/24/2014 - 14:04

Fiesolana going in Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf

Fiesolana, cross-entered in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf and the Breeders’ Cup Mile, will run in the Filly and Mare Turf, according to Alan Cooper, racing manager for her owner, the Niarchos family.

The Niarchos family, which also races under the nom de course Flaxman Holdings Corp., still has a starter for the Mile in the French shipper Karakontie, as well as one of the favorites for the Turf, the U.S.-based Main Sequence.

Fri, 10/24/2014 - 13:32

Finley has rooting interest on two fronts

Bill Denver/Equi-Photo
Twilight Eclipse (right) finishes second to Main Sequence in the U.N. Stakes at Monmouth. They will be rematched in the Breeders' Cup Turf.

ARCADIA, Calif. – When Twilight Eclipse starts in the $3 million Breeders’ Cup Turf at Santa Anita next Saturday, he will be part of a unique sporting week for Terry Finley, the president of the West Point Thoroughbreds, which owns the gelding.

Sunday afternoon, Finley will be at the StubHub Center stadium in Southern California to watch his 23-year-old son Ryan play forward for Chivas USA versus the San Jose Earthquakes in the regular-season finale of Major League Soccer.

Fri, 10/24/2014 - 13:24

Home Run Kitten hails from longshot barn

Shigeki Kikkawa
Home Run Kitten wins the Eddie D Stakes, run on the same course as the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Ignore Home Run Kitten at your own risk in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Santa Anita on Nov. 1.

Consider the record of his trainer, David Hofmans, in the Breeders’ Cup over the last two decades. Hofmans has won 3 of 15 career starts in the Breeders’ Cup, and the winners all have been longshots.

Hofmans won the 1996 Classic with Alphabet Soup (who paid $41.70), the 2003 Distaff with Adoration ($83.40), and the 2008 Turf Sprint here with Desert Code ($75). Home Run Kitten figures to be about 15-1 or 20-1 in a crowded BC Turf Sprint field.

Fri, 10/24/2014 - 13:14

Midnight Lucky retired, out of Breeders' Cup

Barbara D. Livingston
Midnight Lucky worked six furlongs Friday morning at Santa Anita.

ARCADIA, Calif. – The Breeders’ Cup incurred another major defection on Friday when Bob Baffert said that Midnight Lucky will be retired.

A 4-year-old filly who would have been one of the favorites in the $1 million BC Filly and Mare Sprint, Midnight Lucky worked six furlongs Friday morning at Santa Anita. Baffert caught her in 1:12, but said he was not satisfied with the work.

“She really had to show me something this morning if I was going to run her,” said Baffert. “But I really didn’t like it at all. She did go in 1:12, but that was on the buckle.”

Fri, 10/24/2014 - 13:11

Guillot putting his faith in voodoo

Barbara D. Livingston
Eric Guillot, trainer of Breeders' Cup Classic contender Moreno, and his voodoo wall.

Eric Guillot is practicing the voodoo that he knows so well. His attempt to ward off evil spirits worked at Saratoga when he won the Whitney with Moreno, so as part of his preparation for the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita on Nov. 1, the Louisiana-born trainer has fashioned another voodoo wall on his barn at Santa Anita.

Moreno, who had his final pre-Classic workout Friday at Santa Anita, is the only horse from last year’s Classic back for another go-round. He was 10th of 11 last year.

Fri, 10/24/2014 - 12:23

Distaff favorite Untapable displays air of confidence

Barbara D. Livingston
Untapable is scheduled for her final pre-race workout Sunday morning at Santa Anita.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Untapable was up early Friday, strutting her stuff before dawn at Santa Anita with a smug attitude, appropriate for the Breeders’ Cup Distaff favorite.

It was 5:30 a.m. when Untapable and exercise rider Carlos Rosas left the Barn 58 of trainer Steve Asmussen for a one-mile gallop. Untapable was alert and confident. The winner of the Kentucky Oaks and two other Grade 1 races, Untapable is good. And she knows it.

“She’s a little cocky right now,” assistant trainer Scott Blasi said.

Thu, 10/23/2014 - 16:10

Handle drops at Delaware Park

Average daily handle at the Delaware Park meeting, which concluded Wednesday, was down 9.6 percent from 2013.

An average of $1,285,428 per day was wagered on the Delaware Park races during this year’s 80-day season. Last year, an average of $1,421,626 was bet per day during an 81-day meet. This year’s session was scheduled for 81 days but one card was lost due to inclement weather.