Ruidoso Downs in New Mexico is offering an All American Double on Sunday, a bet that links its two biggest races for Quarter Horses. But in some respects, Sarah Donaldson-Rioux has already hit it. Donaldson-Rioux, 37, is the breeder of starters in both the $1.9 million All American Derby on Sunday and the $2.6 million All American Futurity on Monday.
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SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - The equine medical director for New York said Friday “a thorough investigation” will be conducted into the 10 equine fatalities that have occurred during the Saratoga meet.
Seven of the equine deaths have occurred during the races and three have occurred during training hours. Last year at Saratoga, there were five fatalities that occurred during racing and an additional three during training hours.
AUBURN, Wash. – With her mission at Emerald Downs now complete, Stopshoppingdebbie will embark on a fall campaign at Santa Anita, trainer Tom Wenzel confirmed this week. The undefeated 4-year-old Stopshoppingdebbie will make her next start in either the Grade 1, $300,000 Zenyatta Stakes on Sept. 27 or the Grade 3, $100,000 L.A. Woman Stakes on Oct. 4.
The Grade 2, $400,000 Super Derby next Saturday, Sept. 6, at Louisiana Downs could have a sizeable field. There are at least 11 horses in the mix for the 1 1/8-mile race that will anchor a program of seven stakes worth a collective $900,000. The card is the richest of the meet in Bossier City.
Vicar’s in Trouble, the winner of the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds in March, and East Hall, who captured the $300,000 Ohio Derby in his most recent out at ThistleDown, are among the horses Louisiana Downs racing secretary David Heitzmann is expecting for the Super Derby.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Sunday is not just the final day at the New York Racing Association for race-caller Tom Durkin. Charlotte Quinn, who has worked as the secretary in the communications department since 1985, also is retiring Sunday.
In her 29-plus years on the job, Quinn served under nine full-time or interim communications directors.
Quinn, who will continue to reside in Floral Park on Long Island, said Easy Goer’s victory over Sunday Silence in the Belmont Stakes was her most memorable moment at NYRA.
“I liked Easy Goer,” Quinn said. “I was rooting for him.”
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Chad Brown has done quite well in the Breeders’ Cup races for 2-year-olds on turf and appears headed back this year with a pair of nice prospects.
Brown won Wednesday’s P.G. Johnson Stakes with the 2-year-old filly Partisan Politics and came back Thursday to win the Grade 2 With Anticipation Stakes with Startup Nation.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Following I Spent It’s victory in the Grade 2 Saratoga Special on Aug. 10, trainer Tony Dutrow’s initial inclination was to skip the Hopeful Stakes and give the colt more time ahead of the Grade 1 Champagne at Belmont Park on Oct. 4.
But in the three weeks since the Saratoga Special, Dutrow has gradually changed his mind. On Friday, he sounded as though I Spent It would indeed run in Monday’s Grade 1, $350,000 Hopeful, setting up a closing-day showdown with the impressive maiden winner Competitive Edge.
DEL MAR, Calif. – Big Cazanova set his second track record of the season with a runaway allowance victory going 1 1/8 miles Thursday and now will get a shot in graded stakes company, trainer Peter Miller said Friday.
“I think we did the right thing not running in the Pacific Classic,” Miller said. “Going forward, the most likely spot is the Awesome Again, but we’ll look at races out of town, too. He came back well from the race. Two track records in one meet – not bad.”
Santa Anita will have a live-money handicapping tournament, the Santa Anita Autumn Handicapping Challenge, the second weekend of its autumn meet, Oct. 4-5, the track announced on Friday.
The tournament will have $100,000 in prize money. In addition to $30,000 split among the top three finishers, there are five berths to the Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship next January, as well as four spots to the Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge, held over the two-day Breeders’ Cup Oct. 31-Nov. 1, and other prizes.