INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Paynter, winner of the 2012 Haskell Invitational who made a successful return to racing last month after battling colitis and laminitis last summer and fall, may start in the $200,000 San Diego Handicap at Del Mar on July 27.
Owned by Zayat Racing and trained by Bob Baffert, Paynter worked six furlongs in 1:12.60 at Santa Anita on Monday. A 4-year-old, Paynter won an allowance race June 14 in his first start of 2013. He has had three workouts since that race.
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - Donegal Racing announced Monday night on Twitter that Finnegans Wake, an anticipated starter in the Arlington Handicap on Saturday, was being redirected to the Man o' War at Belmont Park.
Donegal and trainer Dale Romans, however, still have a horse for the Arlington Handicap in Dullahan, who is set to make his first start since finishing 11th in the Dubai World Cup. The other horse Romans sent to Dubai this winter, Little Mike, made his first start since the long trip last weekend, fading to fourth after setting the pace in the United Nations Stakes.
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - Trainer Michael Matz hasn't had a runner at Arlington since 2004, and during his entire career has started only one horse at the suburban Chicago track, but Matz can only hope things work out as well this weekend with Colonial Flag as they did in his other two trips here.
In 2003, Matz took down the Grade 1 Secretariat Stakes with Kicken Kris, who one year later was promoted from second to first when Powerscourt was disqualified from the Arlington Million.
Fair Grounds Race Course on Tuesday released a 2013-2014 stakes schedule nearly identical to the one it employed during the 2012-2013 racing season. A total of 58 stakes worth $7.51 million will be offered during a meet running Nov. 22 to March 30.
Fair Grounds hosted 56 stakes during its most recent meet, but the two new races, both for Alabama-breds, are of little consequence. The track made minor changes to four Louisiana-bred stakes, including the renaming of a race for retired statebred standout Star Guitar, but the core of the 2012-2013 stakes schedule remains the same.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – A crowd of approximately 200 people, all with a stake in the future of the horse racing industry in Ontario, gathered Tuesday afternoon on the third floor at Woodbine to listen to and discuss aspects of the Horse Racing Industry Panel’s latest draft report.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Despite racing in direct conflict with neighboring Calder over the weekend, the opening week of Gulfstream Park’s first-ever summer meeting proved to be a success, according to track officials.
Overall handle for the first four programs of the 2013 summer meet totaled just under $10 million, track officials said. Gulfstream opened on Monday, July 1, ran a special program on July 4, and raced Saturday and Sunday. The track is scheduled to conduct live racing on Saturdays and Sundays through the end of November.
EAST BOSTON, Mass. – Jockey Andria Terrill remained hospitalized in good condition Tuesday and was undergoing continued evaluation and treatment after reportedly suffering a skull fracture in a spill at Suffolk Downs on Monday.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. – O K Topless was a $10,000 claim that did not pan out. A three-time winner, she was injured soon after being claimed in fall 2006.
Owner-trainer Julio Canani was stuck. The filly’s racing days were over.
“She was a beautiful mare,” Canani recalled. “So I decided to breed her.”
Good move. Canani bred her three times to a horse that he trained, Tribal Rule, a son of Storm Cat who became a leading California sire.
As for O K Topless, she is well on her way to becoming quite the successful broodmare.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Jockey Joe Talamo begins the racing week at Betfair Hollywood Park on Thursday with a four-race lead in the jockey standings. He has ridden 50 winners, four more than Rafael Bejarano, the 2012 title holder.
The track’s spring-summer meeting ends Sunday. Talamo knows his lead is not safe.
David Jacobson, whose 40th and 41st winners Sunday caught and passed Todd Pletcher’s 10-year-old record for a spring-summer meet at Belmont Park, will try to add to his record total as an abbreviated final week begins Thursday with a $40,744 carryover in the pick six.
Jacobson has six horses entered in four races, but unfortunately for pick-six bettors his strongest chances lie outside the super-exotic’s parameters with the 8-5 entry of North Ocean and Road Agent in the opener and 2-1 favorite Correspondent in race 3.
