ELMONT, N.Y. - Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. was released from North Shore Hospital Wednesday evening after tests showed that he had not broken any bones in an ugly three-horse spill in Wednesday’s eighth race at Belmont Park. Ortiz had been transported from the turf course to a waiting ambulance on a back-board.
Cornelio Velasquez and John Velazquez, who also went down in the spill, walked off the course and were seen and released by the first-aid department.
ELMONT, N.Y. - How low will they go?
The odds on Untapable in Saturday's Grade 1, $300,000 Mother Goose at Belmont Park won't appeal to many bettors, but they probably are an accurate reflection of her chances of winning. Even-money when she dusted 11 rivals in the Kentucky Oaks eight weeks ago, Untapable should be less than half that in the Mother Goose.
Despite there being six entrants, show wagering will not be offered. A late scratch or two is not out of the question. The Mother Goose has been carded as the fourth race of the day.
Arapahoe Park in Aurora, Colo., on Friday will launch a groundbreaking bonus program rewarding trainers whose charges win races “void of any raceday medication” in their system.
The lone medication that can be administered on race day in Colorado is Lasix, though there are allowable limits on anti-inflammatory drugs that legally must be given at least 24 hours in advance of a horse’s race.
Friday marks the fourth and final Downs After Dark card of the spring meet. A $56,000, third-level turf allowance serves as the nominal feature on a 10-race card, with Pappascat, Run a Risk, and Sky Girl the main contenders in a field of nine fillies and mares.
First post is 6 p.m. Eastern, with the eighth-race feature being run at 9:50 and the last race at 10:57. General admission is $10. One other allowance (race 9) also is on tap. HRTV will have coverage throughout the night.
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas – When the Lone Star Park meet closes next month, Dave Appleton will wrap up his 17th season as one of the track’s most recognizable figures. He’s the face beaming from the paddock, giving out his selections before each race and conducting interviews after stakes. It’s been a natural fit for the Dallas market, a world-class cowboy being the face of one of the premier tracks in Texas.
Trainer Ian Wilkes said Viva Majorca most likely will make his next start July 25 in the $100,000 Curlin Stakes at Saratoga after the colt recently blasted through his first allowance condition.
Bred and owned by Marylou Whitney, Viva Majorca, by Tiago, has won twice in four starts: a 12-length maiden romp on the March 29 Florida Derby undercard and a 3 1/2-length allowance score here last Friday night. Both were at sprint distances.
Wise Dan, the reigning two-time Horse of the Year, returned early this week to his home at the Charlie LoPresti barn on the Rice Road side of the Keeneland stable area and is doing very well as he continues to recover from his May 16 colic surgery. The gelding had been convalescing at LoPresti’s farm just southeast of Lexington.
LoPresti said Wise Dan will be eased into more serious training in the coming days over the five-furlong Polytrack training surface at Keeneland, where the main track is undergoing its transformation this summer from Polytrack to dirt.
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – Ten fillies and mares, including defending champion Cozze Up Lady, were entered Wednesday for Saturday’s Grade 3, $150,000 Chicago Handicap, a seven-furlong Polytrack race.
The field, in post position order, consists of Fire Tricks, My Option, Cozze Up Lady, Allanah, Apropos, Flower Spell, Queen’s Award, Eden Prairie, Chortle, and Disco Barbie. Apropos is the starting highweight at 120 pounds, but there is only a six-pound weight spread from top to bottom.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – There are 20 fillies and mares nominated to the $75,000 Paseana Stakes here July 5. Seven of those 20, more than a third of the list, live under the same roof in the barn of trainer Marty Wolfson.
Wolfson’s magnificent seven are led by Heart Stealer, who has not run since winning the Grade 2 Inside Information Stakes here March 22. She was shipped to Churchill Downs to compete in the Grade 1 Humana Distaff but was unable to start due to a foot abscess.
ARCADIA, Calif. – When Clubhouse Ride faces Game On Dude in Saturday’s $500,000 Gold Cup at Santa Anita, the two veterans will meet for the fifth time in the last 16 months. The score so far: Game On Dude 4, Clubhouse Ride 0.
Trainer Craig Lewis has massive respect for Game On Dude but has no hesitation about starting Clubhouse Ride in the Grade 1 Gold Cup.
“Game On Dude is as good a horse as there is in the country,” Lewis said. “When he runs his race, he’s been almost unbeatable.”
If there is a chance for an upset, Saturday could be the day, Lewis said.
