Sun, 09/11/2022 - 18:19

Speed Boat Beach sets Del Mar record for 5 1/2 furlongs, gets 104 Beyer

DEL MAR, Calif. - Speed Boat Beach lowered the track record for 5 1/2 furlongs to 1:01.86 with a win in a maiden special weight race for 2-year-olds in his debut at Del Mar on Saturday.

Speed Boat Beach was given a massive Beyer Speed Figure of 104, the highest of the year for a juvenile.

Ridden by Flavien Prat, Speed Boat Beach ($6.40) led throughout and won by 1 1/4 lengths over 11-10 favorite Hejazi, who was purchased for $3.55 million at auction earlier this year. Fort Bragg finished third, giving Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert a sweep of the first three positions.

Sun, 09/11/2022 - 17:26

And Tell Me Nolies targets longer-distance Chandelier Stakes

Benoit photo
And Tell Me Nolies (left) wins the Del Mar Debutante by a head over Home Cooking.

DEL MAR, Calif. - And Tell Me Nolies handled her stakes debut in Saturday’s Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante at seven furlongs in the manner of a filly who wants more ground.

That was the perspective of trainer Peter Miller, who will test the theory when And Tell Me Nolies starts in the Grade 2 Chandelier Stakes at 1 1/16 miles at Santa Anita on Oct. 8. The $200,000 Chandelier Stakes is a prep for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at the same distance at Keeneland on Nov. 4.

“She wants to run,” Miller said on Sunday. “She’s very professional for a three-start runner.

Sun, 09/11/2022 - 17:14

Flightline, after short break, returns to jogging

Emily Shields
Flightline will not race again until the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland on Nov. 5.

DEL MAR, Calif. - Flightline had only a few days off after his electrifying win in the Grade 1 Pacific Classic at Del Mar on Sept. 3.

“By the third day, in the afternoon, he was rambunctious in his stall,” said Juan Leyva, assistant to trainer John Sadler.

Flightline’s energy led to a resumption of racetrack activity at Del Mar on Sept. 7, when the colt resumed jogging. Flightline was jogged on a daily basis through Sunday. Flightline and the rest of the Sadler stable are scheduled to be vanned to Santa Anita late Monday.

Fri, 09/09/2022 - 15:04

Brayan Pena undergoes drug test in an effort to resume riding

Jockey Brayan Pena, who has not ridden since Aug. 14 at Santa Rosa after testing positive for marijuana, met with stewards at Golden Gate Fields on Friday morning and submitted a urine sample in an effort to resume riding as early as next week, according to steward Richard Lewis.

Pena, 32, must test negative before he is allowed to resume riding, Lewis said. There is a possibility Pena will be named to ride on a provisional basis for the Sept. 16 program when entries are taken on Saturday, pending the results of Friday’s test.

Fri, 09/09/2022 - 15:01

CHRB to discuss 2023 racing dates

With the exception of an additional week of racing in July, the proposed racing calendar for 2023 in Southern California is similar to the schedule in 2021 and this year.

The California Horse Racing Board’s dates committee is scheduled to meet in Sacramento on Wednesday to discuss racing dates for all venues throughout the state. After what is likely to be considerable discussion, the committee is expected to adopt a proposal to present to the full racing board on Thursday.

Fri, 09/09/2022 - 14:57

Baffert, D'Amato, O'Neill battle for Del Mar training title

Emily Shields
Doug O'Neill (above) and Bob Baffert were tied at the top of the Del Mar trainer standings entering the final three cards of the meet.

The title of leading trainer at the Del Mar summer meeting is unlikely to be decided until Sunday’s final day of the season, with a familiar names vying for the honor.

Through Thursday, with three days of racing remaining, Bob Baffert and Doug O’Neill were tied with 17 wins, one more than Phil D’Amato.

Baffert won seven consecutive training titles from 1997 to 2003, but none since. O’Neill has won five titles at summer meetings, most recently in 2019. D’Amato has won or tied for two summer training titles.

Fri, 09/09/2022 - 10:29

Woodbine will wait to decide on Queen's Plate name change

Emily Shields
Moira's victory in the Queen's Plate on Sunday at Woodbine returned $5.60.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario — Following the passing of 96-year-old Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday, speculation was that the Queen’s Plate would revert back to the King’s Plate in honor of the new monarch, King Charles III, as has been the tradition in the 163-year history of the race.

Woodbine Entertainment CEO Jim Lawson said he will meet the board of directors regarding a name change for Canada’s most prestigious horse race.

Fri, 09/09/2022 - 09:21

Dane Kobiskie to step away from training

Coady Photography
Dane Kobiskie won 672 races in 14 years as a trainer.

Dane Kobiskie, who rode 290 winners as a jockey from 2005-09 before winning another 672 races in 14 years as a trainer, has stepped aside as the trainer for the Haughey family to serve as a part-time consultant. Kobiskie ran his last starter on July 1, with Doug Cowans taking over the horses owned by PTK, the nom de course of Tom Haughey and his daughter Kaitlin.

Fri, 09/09/2022 - 09:09

Lukas Classic likely next start for Rich Strike

Emily Shields
Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike has been training at the Mercury training center in Lexington, Ky.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Rich Strike could make his next start in the Oct. 1 Lukas Classic at Churchill Downs as a prep for either the Nov. 5 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland or the Nov. 25 Clark at Churchill, trainer Eric Reed said this week.

“It’s probably where we’ll go unless something dramatic happens,” said Reed.

Thu, 09/08/2022 - 17:42

All American Futurity winner Hes Judgeandjury eyes Los Alamitos stakes

Hes Judgeandjury and Chasing Aj, the Heath Taylor-trained Quarter Horses who finished first and third in the $2.9 million All American Futurity on Monday at Ruidoso Downs, could both see stakes action later this year in Southern California. 

Hes Judgeandjury is paid up in both the Golden State Million and Los Alamitos Two Million, Taylor said Tuesday. But before plans are made with the All American winner, he will undergo a round of X-rays and other routine diagnostics to assess his general health.