Mon, 05/17/2021 - 15:16

Dreams of Tomorrow delivers on promise

Barbara D. Livingston
Point of Honor, training last Saturday at Saratoga, was being considered for the Clement Hirsch at Del Mar or the Personal Ensign at Saratoga.

ELMONT, N.Y. – It took longer than trainer Shug McGaughey would have liked, but Dreams of Tomorrow finally delivered a big performance Saturday at Belmont Park, winning a first-level allowance by 4 1/4 lengths.

Dreams of Tomorrow, a son of Speightstown, ran a mile over firm ground in 1:32.10 and earned a career-best 94 Beyer Speed Figure.

“Pretty impressive,” McGaughey said. “He finally ran the way we thought he could run. I think the blinkers off helped him settle more. With the blinkers, he was a little more aggressive.”

Mon, 05/17/2021 - 15:10

Gulfstream modifies claiming rule

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – An updated claiming rule will go into effect with the start of the next condition book on May 28, automatically voiding a claim if the horse in question is observed to have bled or is declared unsound on examination by the track veterinarian within 30 minutes after the race. A successful claimant does have the option to request that a voided claim still be allowed within 15 minutes of the track veterinarian’s notification to the stewards.

Mon, 05/17/2021 - 15:10

Two allowance races top Thursday card

Emily Shields
Admiral Lynch is a leading contender in the Thursday feature, which is part of a Rainbow 6 that offers a guaranteed jackpot of $900,000.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – The new racing week begins Thursday at Gulfstream Park with an eight-race program that offers a pair of allowance races along with the first maiden race of the meet carded for 2-year-olds on the turf.

The afternoon’s co-features will be decided on the main track, with the fourth race at six furlongs for 3-year-olds and up, and the seventh race at seven-eighths restricted to 3-year-old Florida-bred fillies.

Mon, 05/17/2021 - 15:06

Clement extends hot start to meet with three-bagger on Saturday

Joe Labozzetta/NYRA
Bye Bye wins the Soaring Softly on Saturday for trainer Christophe Clement, who is second in the trainer standings.

ELMONT, N.Y. – It has been a great, bordering on sensational, start to the Belmont Park spring/summer meet for trainer Christophe Clement.

On Saturday, Clement won three races, including the Grade 3 Soaring Softly Stakes with Bye Bye. Clement has 13 wins and 9 seconds from 42 starts through the first 16 days of the meet. Clement is second in wins to only Chad Brown, who has 15.

Mon, 05/17/2021 - 13:50

Apprentice Jessica Pyfer wins four Sunday races

ARCADIA, Calif. – Apprentice jockey Jessica Pyfer won a career-best four races from eight mounts on Sunday’s nine-race program to move into sixth in the standings at Santa Anita’s winter-spring meeting.

Pyfer won three races on a program at Los Alamitos in December, shortly after she began riding last September.

Sunday, Pyfer won the second race with Rakassah ($6.20), third with Joe Don Looney ($4.40), seventh with Lofty ($7.40), and ninth with Sweet Devil ($10).

“It’s insane,” Pyfer said. “When I won three, I thought, ‘Wow, I did it again.’ ”

Mon, 05/17/2021 - 13:40

Miller making plans for his top runners

Barbara D. Livingston
Get Her Number, fourth in the Arkansas Derby last out, will make his next start in the Belmont Stakes or Texas Derby.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Through Sunday’s program at Santa Anita, the 62nd day of the six-month winter-spring meeting, Peter Miller was very much in contention for leading trainer.

Phil D’Amato topped the table with 39 winners, closely followed by Miller with 37 and Bob Baffert with 33. The season ends on June 20, sufficient time for Miller to challenge D’Amato.

Mon, 05/17/2021 - 13:06

Belmont Stakes 2021: Rombauer arrives at Belmont Park

Barbara D. Livingston
The Belmont Stakes field will include Rombauer plus a number of Derby starters who skipped the Preakness. The undefeated filly Malathaat is also possible for the race.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Rombauer, the Preakness winner, arrived just before 10 a.m. Monday at Belmont Park where he will soon begin preparations for an expected start in the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes on June 5.

Whereas Rombauer defeated nine opponents in the Preakness – three of whom had run in the Kentucky Derby – he could face a significantly larger field in the Belmont, including a bevy of horses who ran in the Derby but skipped the Preakness.

Mon, 05/17/2021 - 11:10

Return of fans, Longacres Mile highlights of Emerald Downs meet

Reed Palmer Photography/Emerald Downs
Emerald Downs is scheduled to open its 2020 meet on April 18.

The 25th season at Emerald Downs gets under way Wednesday with an eight-race card that begins at 6 p.m. Pacific. The 50-day meet runs through Sept. 23.

During the first part of the season, racing will be conducted on Wednesday and Thursday with a 6 p.m. post time both days. Sunday racing begins June 20 and continues through Sept. 5. Post time Sundays is 2:30 p.m.

Sun, 05/16/2021 - 22:47

Santa Anita's 20-cent Rainbow Pick Six pays $267.20

The 20-cent Rainbow Pick Six paid a mere $267.20 at Santa Anita on Sunday, a day with a mandatory payout, a massive pool, and very formful results.

The program began with a carryover of $548,172 from Saturday. Bettors added $4,623,265 on Sunday.

The winners of the pick six races – the fourth through ninth – were Predictable Tully ($4.80), Mount Pelliar ($6.40), Mr. Impossible ($6.40), Lofty ($7.40), Tobacco Road ($4.60), and Sweet Devil ($10).

Sun, 05/16/2021 - 18:24

Gamine works half-mile, next start is uncertain

Emily Shields
Gamine resuelve a su favor el Derby City Distaff G1

ARCADIA, Calif. - Gamine, the champion female sprinter of 2020, worked a half-mile in 48 seconds at Santa Anita on Sunday, her first major exercise since a win in the Grade 1 Derby City Distaff at seven furlongs at Churchill Downs on May 1.

Owned by Michael Petersen, Gamine is unbeaten in her last three starts, a span that includes the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Keeneland last November, and the Grade 3 Las Flores Stakes at Santa Anita on April 4.