ELMONT, N.Y. – Some familiar jockey names will be missing from the entries to begin the Belmont Park fall meet, as several are serving suspensions handed them by the stewards for infractions incurred at the Belmont spring or Saratoga meets.
:: Enhance your handicapping with DRF’s Belmont Clocker Report
Storm the Court, the champion 2-year-old male of 2019 who was sixth in the Kentucky Derby on Sept. 5, is in the midst of a brief rest and is expected to resume his career in the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby on turf Nov. 28 at Del Mar.
Earlier this month, Storm the Court was sent to a farm near Santa Anita for a rest, but trainer Peter Eurton has brought the colt to his stable.
The $250,000 Hollywood Derby is run at 1 1/8 miles and would be Storm the Court’s second start on grass.
A massive wildfire in the mountains above Santa Anita has already led to the cancellation of two days of racing this weekend and poor air quality conditions continue to disrupt training.
There were no workouts Tuesday and 66 workouts on Wednesday in advance of the rearranged opening day of the autumn meeting on Sept. 25. The season is scheduled for 16 racing days through Oct 25.
Trainers have been advised by track management to check conditions each morning before deciding whether to work horses.
Del Mar will increase purses for its five-week meeting from Oct. 31 to Nov. 29 compared to recent autumn seasons, the track announced earlier this week.
Purses will rise by about 10 percent compared to the 2019 autumn meeting and will be slightly higher than the recently completed summer meeting. Purses for the 2019 autumn meeting were slightly lower than prize money offered at the 2018 autumn meeting.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Two years ago, trainer Leonard Powell sent a French-bred filly from California to New York for the Belmont Oaks Invitational. While Fatale Bere didn’t run very well that day, finishing sixth, she came back to win the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks in her next start.
:: Enhance your handicapping with DRF’s Belmont Clocker Report
Chris O’Dell, the 2019 champion Quarter Horse trainer, plans to move his stable from Los Alamitos to Ruidoso Downs in 2021, he said on Tuesday.
O’Dell, 59, trained in New Mexico before moving to Los Alamitos in the late 1990s, and said he plans to downsize his 40-horse stable, which has played a prominent role in leading races at Los Alamitos in recent years. The current stable star is the 4-year-old gelding Powerful Favorite, who won three derbies in 2019 and the $100,000 Go Man Go Handicap on Aug. 30, a top race for older horses.
ETOBIOKE, Ontario – War of Will, the handsome 2019 Preakness winner, drew post 8 and was pegged as the 2-1 favorite for the 24th running of Saturday’s Grade 1 Woodbine Mile, a Breeder’s Cup Win and You’re In qualifier.
War of Will began his career on the Woodbine turf in 2018, finishing third in a maiden sprint and second in the Grade 1 Summer. He had an eventful Triple Crown run last year that included a troubled trip in the Kentucky Derby.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Swiss Skydiver is under serious consideration for a run against male rivals in the Oct. 3 Preakness at Pimlico, although trainer Ken McPeek said there are other options for the star 3-year-old filly.
“I’d say we’re maybe 50-50 at this point,” McPeek said early Wednesday. “We’ve talked to the people at Pimlico and we’ll be keeping a pretty close eye on who else is planning to run.”
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Three-time Canadian champion sprinter Pink Lloyd is in the midst of a rare mid-season layoff through no fault of his own. There are no Tapeta sprints for him until the Grade 2 Kennedy Road on Nov. 21, and trainer Robert Tiller said he has no interest in trying the popular 8-year-old on the grass, a surface over which he has never competed.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The upcoming Keeneland fall meet will be closed to the general public due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic but the track will make accommodations for a “limited number” of owners, sponsors, box holders, and Keeneland Club members, the track announced on Tuesday.
The policy is a slight expansion on the protocols in place during a five-day meet this summer, when Keeneland barred spectators but allowed owners of stakes horses to attend the races on days when their horses were running. Keeneland did not hold a spring meet this year due to the pandemic.
