Sun, 12/06/2020 - 13:01

Princess Noor retired after soft-tissue injury in Starlet Stakes

Emily Shields
Princess Noor has been perfect in three starts, but her races have not translated to big Beyer Speed Figures.

CYPRESS, Calif. - Princess Noor, the winner of two graded stakes for 2-year-old fillies in California during September, has been retired after sustaining a soft-tissue injury in Saturday’s Grade 1 Starlet Stakes at Los Alamitos.

Trainer Bob Baffert said Sunday that Princess Noor was not in any distress, but that owner Amr Zedan had made the decision to retire the filly. Princess Noor is expected to be bred in early 2021.

“She’s not uncomfortable,” Baffert said. “She’s going to need some time off anyway. She’s worth a lot of money.”

Fri, 12/04/2020 - 21:21

Sunland Park gets permission to delay start of meet

Sunland Park received approval to postpone the beginning of its meet by 30 days during a special meeting of the New Mexico Racing Commission on Friday. The track was to have opened its mixed meet on Dec. 26.

The issue will be revisited at a January meeting. The vote was unanimous.

Fri, 12/04/2020 - 15:50

The filly Goin' Good faces the boys in Sunday turf sprint

Coady Photography
Goin' Good wins her debut, a turf sprint at Indiana Grand on Sept. 21.

Goin’ Good was much too good for Indiana Grand fillies debuting in a turf sprint Sept. 21, and on Sunday she’ll take on allowance males in the featured fourth race at Fair Grounds.

This race, for 2-year-olds, is open to first-level allowance horses or $50,000 claimers and carded at about 5 1/2 furlongs on grass. The temporary turf rail is scheduled to be set at eight feet, as has been the case all racing week.

:: Click to learn about our DRF's Free Past Performance program.

Fri, 12/04/2020 - 15:46

Mystic Guide starts march toward Pegasus World Cup

Susie Raisher/NYRA
Mystic Guide won the Jim Dandy at Saratoga in September, and trainer Mike Stidham thinks he'll be even better next year.

Mystic Guide is back on the work tab as his connections plot a path to the Pegasus World Cup Invitational. The progressive 3-year-old colt, trained by Mike Stidham for Godophin, worked a half mile in 48.80 seconds on Tuesday at Fair Grounds, his first breeze following a short fall freshening.

Mystic Guide’s most recent start came Oct. 10, when he finished second to fellow 3-year-old Happy Saver in the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup, after which Stidham lightened up on the colt’s training before a push toward his 4-year-old campaign.

Fri, 12/04/2020 - 15:32

Mike Smith tests positive for coronavirus

Barbara D. Livingston
Mike Smith was suspended 11 days and fined $210,000 by Saudi Arabia officials last weekend.

Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith will miss two mounts in graded stakes at Los Alamitos this weekend after testing positive for the coronavirus on Friday.

Smith said he was asymptomatic and was resting.

“I don’t have any symptoms,” he said. “I’ll have to wait a few days and test again. Hopefully, I’ll be back up for the following week. I’ll watch a little Netflix.”

Smith was notified of the positive after undergoing a test at Santa Anita on Friday, he said.

Fri, 12/04/2020 - 14:26

Mucho Gusto works six furlongs for San Antonio Stakes

Barbara D. Livingston
Mucho Gusto, unraced since February, worked six furlongs in 1:12.60 at Santa Anita on Friday.

Mucho Gusto, unraced since a fourth-place finish in the $20 million Saudi Cup in Saudi Arabia in February, is likely to start in the Grade 2 San Antonio Stakes at 1 1/16 miles at Santa Anita on Dec. 26.

“Right now that’s the race we’re looking at,” trainer Bob Baffert said.

Friday at Santa Anita, Mucho Gusto worked six furlongs in 1:12.60.

“Mucho Gusto worked well,” Baffert said. “He’s getting close. I wanted to see how he worked and how he came out of it.”

Fri, 12/04/2020 - 14:26

Warren's Showtime skips Bayakoa, will race in one of three opening-day stakes at Santa Anita

Benoit Photo
Warren's Showtime (left) wins the Grade 3 Autumn Miss Stakes on Oct. 17 at Santa Anita. .

Warren’s Showtime was held out of Sunday’s Grade 3 Bayakoa Stakes at Los Alamitos in favor of a stakes appearance at Santa Anita.

“We gave it a lot of thought, but there are a lot of opportunities for her at Santa Anita,” trainer Craig Lewis said.

Fri, 12/04/2020 - 14:26

Bob Hope winner Red Flag to be supplemented to Los Alamitos Futurity

Emily Shields
Red Flag, a winner of 2 of 3 starts for John Shirreffs, won the Nov. 15 Bob Hope Stakes by 7 1/4 lengths at 10-1.

Red Flag, the easy winner of the Grade 3 Bob Hope Stakes at Del Mar in his stakes debut on Nov. 15, is likely to be supplemented to the Grade 2 Los Alamitos Futurity, to be run on Dec. 19.

Trainer John Shirreffs said on Friday that the timing of the $200,000 Los Alamitos Futurity at 1 1/16 miles and the need to separate a few of his 3-year-old prospects for 2021 are the leading reasons for the decision. Red Flag has won 2 of 3 starts and is owned by Jerry and Tina Moss.

Fri, 12/04/2020 - 14:00

Amadora tries to make amends for subpar effort in the Sunday feature

Lauren King/Coglianese Photos
Amadora, winning a maiden race at Gulfstream in May, goes a mile on turf in the Sunday feature at Gulfstream.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer J.K. Sweezey was among the stars on opening day of the meet Wednesday, winning with both his starters. He’ll look to add to his success in Sunday’s featured eighth race, a $47,000 allowance event carded at a mile on the turf, with Amadora among many logical contenders in a full field of 12 fillies and mares.

Fri, 12/04/2020 - 13:50

Gulfstream vows to run its races on time

Lauren King/Coglianese Photos
Gulfstream says it will run every race at the scheduled post time.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Opening day of the 2020-21 Gulfstream Park Championship meet on Wednesday featured a strong performance from the up-and-coming 3-year-old Ournationonparade winning the afternoon’s main event and a hat trick by jockey Paco Lopez. But what really had the racing world buzzing on Wednesday was that every race on the card went off at or very near the scheduled post time, a policy Gulfstream Park officials have decided to embrace throughout the entire 90-day session, which continues until March 28.