Wed, 10/09/2013 - 14:12

Belmont: Rosario eager to resume riding Friday

Tom Keyser
Joel Rosario, sidelined since Aug. 23 with a broken foot, has three mounts on Friday's card at Belmont.

ELMONT, N.Y. – There is never a good time for a jockey to get injured, but the timing of Joel Rosario’s broken foot could not have been worse.

On Aug. 23, Rosario was injured when his mount, Casual Elegance, stumbled past the finish line, unseating him, resulting in a broken bone in his foot. The following day, Rosario was scheduled to ride Kentucky Derby winner Orb in the $1 million Travers at Saratoga. The day after that, he was named to ride Game On Dude, the leading older horse in the country, in the $1 million Pacific Classic at Del Mar.

Wed, 10/09/2013 - 14:10

Keeneland: Alterite heads cast of nine in Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup

Barbara D. Livingston
Kitten's Dumplings, winning the Lake George at Saratoga, is among the contenders in the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – A field of nine 3-year-old fillies has passed the entry box for Saturday’s 30th running of the $400,000 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup, the sixth and last Grade 1 race of the Keeneland fall meet.

Alterite, a French import who made her North American debut a winning one last month in the Grade 1 Garden City at Belmont Park, was assigned post 4 as the likely favorite in the 1 1/8-mile turf race. John Velazquez has a return mount for trainer Chad Brown.

Wed, 10/09/2013 - 13:58

Keeneland notes: Breeders' Cup horses ready for take-off

John Bambury
Joe Hirsch Turf Classic winner Little Mike leaves for Santa Anita on Monday.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – It won’t be long at all before the first of six scheduled charter flights transporting Breeders’ Cup horses from Kentucky will touch down in Southern California.

Wed, 10/09/2013 - 13:52

Santa Anita: Broadway Empire, Holy Lute to pre-enter Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile

Dustin Orona Photography
Rico Walcott wins the Grade 3 Oklahoma Derby aboard Broadway Empire in his first U.S. mount.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Three-year-olds Broadway Empire and Holy Lute will be pre-entered for the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, run at Santa Anita on Nov. 1, their trainers said Tuesday.

Broadway Empire, trained by Robertino Diodoro, won the Oklahoma Derby at Remington Park on Sept. 29 for his third consecutive stakes win, Broadway Empire will make his first start against older horses in the BC Dirt Mile. He would be the first Breeders’ Cup starter for Diodoro and jockey Rico Walcott.

Wed, 10/09/2013 - 13:03

Woodbine notes: Blessed One asked to step up in Carotene Stakes

Michael Burns
Go Greeley wins the open Colin Stakes at six furlongs on July 20.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – There are some proven stakes performers in Saturday’s $150,000 Carotene, such as Smartyfly and Professor’s Ride, set for the 1 1/8-mile turf race for Ontario-bred 3-year-old fillies. But trainer Danny Vella will look to play spoiler with Blessed One, who has seen action just twice and is coming off a nice maiden score at a mile on grass here on July 27.

“She was injured last year – that kept her from racing,” said Vella, who conditions Blessed One for Derek Chin. “We took our time getting her ready this year. We always liked her.”

Wed, 10/09/2013 - 11:53

Florida notes: Kaplan loaded for crosstown raid on Festival of the Sun

Coady Photography
Scandalous Act, trained by Kathleen O'Connell, will try to sweep the filly division of the Florida Stallion Stakes.

MIAMI – You can take the trainer out of Calder, but apparently you can’t take Calder completely out of the trainer.

Case in point is Bill Kaplan, who was a longtime mainstay at Calder before relocating his entire stable to Gulfstream Park this summer. Kaplan will return to Calder on Saturday, and in a big way, having entered eight horses in the four stakes races on the Festival of the Sun program, including three each in the My Dear Girl and Frances Genter stakes.

Wed, 10/09/2013 - 11:10

Meadowlands: Last hurrah for grandstand as all-turf fall meet begins Friday

Bill Denver/Equi-Photo
Fans will have one last chance to view live racing from the four-story, glassed-in grandstand when the Meadowlands launches its 10-day, all-turf meet Friday.

New Jersey horsemen will get a few more opportunities to run their turf horses this fall, and fans will have one last chance to view live racing from the four-story, glassed-in grandstand when the Meadowlands launches its 10-day, all-turf meet Friday.

There are no stakes scheduled and just six races per day during the afternoon programs that begin at 2:15 p.m. Eastern. There will be four weekends of action on Fridays and Saturdays through Nov. 2, plus a pair of Monday cards on Columbus Day (Oct. 14) and Oct. 28.

Tue, 10/08/2013 - 15:41

Keeneland: DRF Plus handicapping report for October 9, 2013

Race 1

Vulnerable Favorites:

MORE THAN KRAZY (#8) has no obvious drawbacks, and she can certainly win this, but taking a short price on a horse with no main-track form besides a sprint where she earned a 28 Beyer, for a barn with one win in 31 starts on the year, sure seems silly.-Kenny Peck

Tue, 10/08/2013 - 15:39

Belmont: DRF Plus handicapping report for October 9, 2013

Race 1

Spot Plays:

Correspondent (#3, 7-2) starts for winning owners and comes off a close runner-up finish; second start off a layoff.. – Byron King

Tue, 10/08/2013 - 15:12

Santa Anita notes: Nesso taking Breeders’ Cup shot

Benoit & Associates
Beholder, ridden by Gary Stevens, wins the Grade 1 Zenyatta Stakes by 1 1/4 lengths Saturday.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Nesso, second to Clenor in Sunday’s Surfer Girl Stakes, will give trainer Vann Belvoir his first Breeders’ Cup runner in the $1 million BC Juvenile Fillies Turf on Nov. 1.

A former jockey and leading trainer in Washington, Belvoir, 39, said Nesso earned a spot in the BC Juvenile Fillies Turf for her effort in Sunday’s race and a second to Clenor in the Oak Tree Juvenile Fillies Turf at Del Mar on Sept. 2.

“I think we’ll take a shot at it,” he said. “It will be exciting.”