Tue, 08/26/2014 - 11:30

Trujillo's move to California paying off

Benoit Photo
Jockey Elvis Trujillo steered Parranda to a win in the Grade 2 Royal Heroine Stakes at Santa Anita in June and has the mount for Monday's Yellow Ribbon Handicap.

DEL MAR, Calif. – This was not where jockey Elvis Trujillo expected to be by the end of August.

At the start of 2014, Trujillo was at Gulfstream Park, rebounding from a collarbone injury that left him sidelined in the final months of 2013. A few months into this year, he broke up with his agent and soon after received a telephone call from agent Tom Knust in California.

“Tom said, ‘Do you want an opportunity?’ ” Trujillo recalled last weekend.

Mon, 08/25/2014 - 18:47

Social Inclusion sidelined with tendon injury

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Social Inclusion, who finished third in both the Wood Memorial and Preakness earlier this year, will be sidelined indefinitely due to a tendon injury, trainer Chad Brown reported Monday.

Social Inclusion was transferred from his former trainer, Manny Azpurua, to Brown by owner Ron Sanchez within days of his seventh-place finish in the Grade 1 Haskell at Monmouth Park on July 27. Brown subsequently sent Social Inclusion to Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Kentucky to be examined by Dr. Larry Bramlage, who diagnosed Social Inclusion’s injury.

Mon, 08/25/2014 - 17:14

Alvarado rides 1,000th winner

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Jockey Junior Alvarado picked up his 1,000th career victory in North America Monday at Saratoga when he guided Skerkis to an 8 1/2-length victory in the fourth race.

“It always comes when I least expect it,” Alvarado said in the winner’s circle afterward. “I’ve been on [999] since Friday with a lot of good mounts, good horses, expecting this one will be the one.”

Alvarado went winless with 12 mounts between victories 999 and 1,000. He finished second aboard a couple of favorites in stakes on Sunday’s card.

Mon, 08/25/2014 - 16:12

Wise Dan on track for return in Saturday’s Bernard Baruch

Barbara D. Livingston
Wise Dan trains on the turf on July 25 in preparation for his comeback in Saturday's Grade 2, $500,000 Bernard Baruch at Saratoga.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The works are done. The weights seem reasonable. The weather forecast looks fine.

It appears everything is in order for Wise Dan to return to the races in Saturday’s Grade 2, $250,000 Bernard Baruch Handicap at Saratoga. The race would be the first for Wise Dan since he won the Grade 1 Turf Classic at Churchill Downs on May 3. Two weeks later, Wise Dan underwent colic surgery.

Mon, 08/25/2014 - 16:10

Miss Behaviour set for Prioress

Barbara D. Livingston
Miss Behaviour (right) finishes second to Sweet Reason in the Test Stakes on Aug. 2 at Saratoga.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Miss Behaviour, runner-up to Sweet Reason in the Grade 1 Test at Saratoga on Aug. 2, will return for Saturday’s Grade 2, $300,000 Prioress Stakes, trainer Phil Schoenthal confirmed on Monday.

Miss Behaviour came out of the Test with superficial cuts on her hind leg, but they did not interrupt her training, Schoenthal said. Last Thursday, Miss Behaviour worked four furlongs in 48.60 seconds at Laurel Park.

Mon, 08/25/2014 - 16:07

Clearly Now likely to face seven rivals in Forego

Barbara D. Livingston
Clearly Now is slated to start in Saturday's Grade 1, $500,000 Forego Stakes at Saratoga.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Clearly Now, coming off a 6 1/4-length victory in last month’s Grade 3 Belmont Sprint Championship, figures to be favored against as many as seven rivals in Saturday’s Grade 1, $500,000 Forego Stakes at Saratoga.

Among those set to challenge Clearly Now is Capo Bastone, whose last win came in the Grade 1 King’s Bishop at 28-1 here last summer.

Mon, 08/25/2014 - 13:45

Fair Grounds to update video boards

Fair Grounds announced Monday the purchase and imminent installation of two video boards, one of several enhancements the track pledged to make this past spring when the Louisiana legislature signaled it might consider denying Fair Grounds a state-issued license to host live racing and run off-track betting parlors due to problems with the facility.

The legislature asked Fair Grounds to invest more of its profits from its slot machine operations into the racing side of the business before its 2014-2015 Thoroughbred race meet.

Mon, 08/25/2014 - 13:37

Shared Belief likely to run before BC Classic

Benoit & Associates
Shared Belief earned a 115 Beyer Speed Figure and a berth in the Breeders' Cup Classic for this win in the Pacific Classic.

DEL MAR, Calif. – Jerry Hollendorfer’s work day on Monday included breezing runners at Barretts Sales and Racing in Pomona and then flying home to the Bay Area, but before all of that the Racing Hall of Fame trainer stopped by his Del Mar barn very early Monday morning to check in on Pacific Classic winner Shared Belief, who ran his record to 6 for 6 with his thrilling victory on Sunday.

“He came out of the race very well,” Hollendorfer said, emphasizing the word “very.”

“We couldn’t ask for him to be doing any better,” Hollendorfer added.

Mon, 08/25/2014 - 13:28

Impressive debut winner West Riding returns Wednesday

DEL MAR, Calif. - West Riding, an impressive debut winner going two turns on July 30, faces first-level allowance company in race 5 at Del Mar on Wednesday going 1 1/16 miles.

West Riding, 3, is a daughter of Tapit whom trainer Bob Baffert purchased as a yearling for Juddmonte Farms. She did not race until July of her 3-year-old year owing to a pastern injury early in her training career.

But she looked like a potential stakes runner in her debut.

Mon, 08/25/2014 - 13:24

Santa Anita surface renovation complete

Santa Anita has completed the renovation of its main track and will reopen for training on Sept. 2, the track announced in a press release on Monday. The stable area opens on Sunday.

Over the past two months, Santa Anita replaced its sand-and-clay mix with El Segundo sand, single-source material made available because of construction near Los Angeles International Airport.