Thu, 09/08/2022 - 15:20

Hurricane Kay expected to bring rain to Del Mar on Friday

Barbara D. Livingston
Del Mar, escenario de la Breeders' Cup de 2024

The remnants of a Pacific hurricane are expected to lead to wet conditions at Del Mar on Friday and Saturday and could jeopardize some turf racing.

Track officials on Thursday were closely monitoring forecasts of Hurricane Kay, which was headed north off the west coast of Baja California in Mexico.

Significant rain could force overnight races to be moved from the turf to the main track.

Thu, 09/08/2022 - 15:10

Prat has a chance to sneak into the top 10 in rider standings

Emily Shields
Flavien Prat sits aboard Flightline after their mind-blowing victory last Saturday in the Pacific Classic.

Jockey Flavien Prat will ride four days of the 31-day summer season at Del Mar and, though it seems extraordinary, might sneak into the top 10 in the standings before the meet closes on Sunday.

Prat won four races from eight mounts last Saturday, his only day of riding at the meeting. One of those victories came aboard Flightline, who won the Grade 1 Pacific Classic by 19 1/4 lengths.

Prat is booked to ride at Del Mar Friday through Sunday, with six mounts on Friday and nine on Saturday. Entries for Sunday were being drawn on Thursday.

Wed, 09/07/2022 - 13:06

Delgado wins Labor Day weekend stakes on two fronts

Ryan Thompson/Coglianese Photos
Awesome Strong wins the seven-furlong Affirmed. He will try to stretch out around two turns in the In Reality division of the Florida Sire Stakes on Oct. 1.

Trainer Jorge Delgado won a pair of stakes over Labor Day weekend and will attempt to keep the barn’s momentum going Friday with a pair of starters in overnight races at Gulfstream Park.

Delgado saddled the undefeated Awesome Strong to victory in the $200,000 Affirmed division of Florida Sire Stakes on Saturday, then made his way to Monmouth Park on Monday to send out Winfromwithin to capture the $102,000 Red Bank.

“It was a very good weekend,” said Delgado.

Delgado has divisions of his stable at Gulfstream and Monmouth and could soon branch out to New York.

Wed, 09/07/2022 - 11:01

Cigar Mile tops stakes at extended Aqueduct fall meet

Jim Sewastynowicz
First post for Aqueduct racing is scheduled for 1:20 p.m. ET on Friday.

The New York Racing Association will offer 33 stakes worth $6.375 million at the Aqueduct fall meet, which has been extended to include 11 race days in December that typically have been designated part of the winter meet.

After hosting the 28-day Belmont fall meet from Sept. 15 through Oct. 30, Aqueduct will officially host its own 29-day fall meet from Nov. 4 through Dec. 31. In previous years, Aqueduct’s fall meet would end the first weekend in December, with its winter meet beginning the following week. Now, the winter meet will start in January.

Wed, 09/07/2022 - 10:23

Moira has first post-Queen's Plate work, with next start undecided

Emily Shields
Moira gallops to victory in the Queen's Plate on Aug. 21 at Woodbine. The Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland and the E.P. Taylor Stakes at Woodbine are among the races trainer Kevin Attard is considering for her.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Moira had her first work since her impressive victory in the Aug. 21 Queen’s Plate when she breezed an easy half-mile in 50.20 in company with Gaston on the dirt training track on Wednesday at Woodbine.

“I didn’t want anything too fancy,” trainer Kevin Attard said.

Moira won $1 million Queen’s Plate, the opening race of the Canadian Triple Crown at Woodbine, by seven lengths in a synthetic track record time of 2:01.48 for the 1 1/4 miles. She earned a 97 Beyer Speed Figure.

Mon, 09/05/2022 - 20:06

2022 Saratoga meet closes with record handle of $878,211,963

Debra A. Roma
Epicenter, ridden by Joel Rosario, wins the Grade 1 Travers Stakes on Aug. 27 at Saratoga.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The rain that fell here Monday was an outlier for the last eight weeks and couldn’t dampen what was yet again a record-setting summer at Saratoga.

All-sources handle for the 40-day meet was $878,211,963, a 7.7 percent increase over last year’s previous record of $815,508,063. Ontrack handle, which includes money bet through NYRA Bets from New York residents, was $152,274,728, an increase of 10.5 percent over the 2021 figure of $137,765,882. Paid admissions, which counts season passes sold, was 1,075,586, up 2.7 percent from the 2021 figure.

Mon, 09/05/2022 - 14:00

Stakes winner Texas Wedge retired

Barbara D. Livingston
Texas Wedge won 6 of 27 starts and earned more than $484,000.

DEL MAR, Calif. – Texas Wedge, a former $50,000 claimer who won two stakes and earned $484,615, has been retired, trainer Peter Miller said over the weekend.

The decision was made after the 7-year-old Texas Wedge finished last of eight in a $25,000 claimer on turf last Thursday at Del Mar.

“We’re going to call it a day,” Miller said. “He’s been good to us. He’s been with us for five years.”

Miller said the decision was made after Texas Wedge was found to have an entrapped epiglottis after his loss.

Mon, 09/05/2022 - 13:50

Reddams selling some of their horses, but not Slow Down Andy

Emily Shields
Slow Down Andy, owned by Paul and Zillah Reddam, wins the Del Mar Derby on Saturday.

DEL MAR, Calif. – Paul and Zillah Reddam, among the most prominent owners and breeders in California, plan to significantly reduce their racing stable with a sale of more than 35 runners later this month in Pomona, Calif.

Paul Reddam said at Del Mar on Saturday that the couple has 74 horses in training, with additional stock at their Ocean Breeze Farm in Bonsall, Calif.

“We decided let’s take the bottom half and cull that,” Reddam said. “We have too many.

“There are a ton of yearlings and we’ll sell some of those, too.”

Mon, 09/05/2022 - 12:56

Maker wins six of first 17 races at meet

Barbara Livingston
Mike Maker, the all-time leading trainer at Kentucky Downs, won six of the first 17 races run at this year's meet.

FRANKLIN, Ky. – Mike Maker, the all-time Kentucky Downs leader in every major training category, was reluctant to predict how his stable would fare before the Sept. 1 opener – but he’d be justified now in saying he expects a successful meet.

Maker won six of the first 17 races – three on Sept. 1 and three more Saturday – before Towhead lost a wicked head-bob in the Juvenile Fillies.

“We’ll try to keep it going,” he said.

Mon, 09/05/2022 - 12:56

Saturday card could host five $1 million races

Barbara Livingston
Arklow, shown at Saratoga in August, will start in the Turf Cup at Kentucky Downs on Saturday for the fifth straight year.

FRANKLIN, Ky. – Kentucky Downs officials were bursting with pride when announcing earlier this year that two $1 million races would be run on the same card at its 2022 meet.

Imagine how they’re feeling now that not two – but five – $1 million events are expected to be run here Saturday, an unforeseen yet exciting expansion owing to unfolding events.

“They’ve really got it going on,” said Brad Cox, the two-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer who will saddle Arklow for one of them, the Kentucky Turf Cup.