Wed, 07/15/2020 - 16:36

Starting Friday, up to eight licensed owners per horse will be allowed to attend Saratoga to watch a horse they own run

Barbara D. Livingston
To be allowed on-site, horse owners will have to request to be put on an admissions list in advance of the day they have a horse racing.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Owners of horses racing at New York tracks will be able to attend the races on days when they have a horse running and will have access to the backstretch to watch their horses train in the morning, according to the New York State Gaming Commission, which posted the information on its website Wednesday afternoon, the day before the opening of Saratoga’s 40-day Thoroughbred meet.

Fans still will not be permitted to attend the races or morning training.

Wed, 07/15/2020 - 16:10

Correas will take his shots at Saratoga this summer

Coady Photography
Trainer Ignacio Correas runs Bundibunan in Friday's first race at 1 3/8 miles.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Over the last three Saratoga meets, trainer Ignacio “Nacho” Correas has two wins and three seconds from 10 starts, including a victory by Blue Prize in last year’s Summer Colony Stakes. Blue Prize went on to win the Spinster and the Breeders’ Cup Distaff.

Correas, who is based in Kentucky, is back in Saratoga with two horses for Friday’s card and has two more for later in the meet, including the exciting 2-year-old Therideofalifetime.

Wed, 07/15/2020 - 16:06

Decorated Invader tries 1 1/8 miles in National Museum of Racing Stakes

Barbara D. Livingston
Decorated Invader has won 4 of his last 5 starts, including the Grade 2 Pennine Ridge Stakes (above) on June 20.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Decorated Invader is expected to face just four rivals in Saturday’s Grade 2, $150,000 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Stakes for 3-year-olds at 1 1/8 miles on turf.

Christophe Clement, who trains Decorated Invader, also entered Gufo, who on July 4 won the Grade 3 Kent Stakes at Delaware Park. While Clement said “you should never be blasé about winning Grade 2 races” he also said he is likely to hold Gufo out for the Saratoga Derby on Aug. 15. However, Gufo was supplemented for a fee of $2,250.

Wed, 07/15/2020 - 16:06

Baffert sends in Crystal Ball for Coaching Club American Oaks

Benoit Photo
Crystal Ball will jump from this June 14 maiden win into the Grade 1 CCA Oaks.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – While trainer Bob Baffert will give Gamine more time to recover from her ultra-impressive victory in the Grade 1 Acorn at Belmont Park last month, he will seek another major Grade 1 victory for 3-year-old fillies when he sends out Crystal Ball in Saturday’s Grade 1, $350,000 Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga.

Crystal Ball, a daughter of Malibu Moon, finished third in her debut going a mile in May at Santa Anita and then came back to win a 1 1/16-mile maiden race by 6 1/4 lengths on June 14, racing on the lead throughout.

Wed, 07/15/2020 - 15:26

Monmouth releases more Haskell tickets

Monmouth Park in New Jersey is making two additional blocs of tickets available for Saturday’s Haskell Stakes, with the tickets set to go on sale online at the track’s website at 6 p.m. Eastern Wednesday.

The track plans to sell 500 general-admission tickets that will provide access to the track’s picnic area, after selling 500 general-admission tickets online last week. The general-admission tickets will cost $100 each and provide a ticket-holder with admission, a hat, a program, and parking.

Wed, 07/15/2020 - 15:19

Canterbury puts restrictions on jockey colony

Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minn., will close off its jockey colony to outside riders beginning with Wednesday’s card, the track announced Wednesday, and will consolidate its Quarter Horse racing schedule to three live racing dates, under measures it has adopted to mitigate the risk of coronavirus spreading at the track.

Wed, 07/15/2020 - 14:22

Louisiana Downs puts jockey safety protocols into place

Louisiana Downs in Bossier City has put in place a policy that will require any outside jockey who wants to ride at the track to self-quarantine for 14 days and test negative for the coronavirus, effective with today’s card, the track announced on Wednesday.

The measure, which is identical to a policy put in place at Indiana Grand last week, will also apply to any rider currently at the track who leaves to ride at another track. The measures “will be in effect until further notice,” the track said in a release.

Wed, 07/15/2020 - 14:20

Haskell a critical race for Authentic, the 4-5 favorite in a field of seven

Bill Denver/Equi-Photo
Authentic trains at Monmouth Park on Wednesday. He suffered his first career defeat last out in the Santa Anita Derby.

Bob Baffert has won the Kentucky Derby five times, and the Haskell Invitational a record eight times. American Pharoah, the 2015 Triple Crown winner, and War Emblem are the only two of his who have won both. Authentic will be the latest to give it a try, but the first to do so in reverse order from the norm, which is becoming the norm in this abnormal year.

Wed, 07/15/2020 - 14:16

Rispoli gets off to quick start at Del Mar

Benoit Photo
Hit the Road, with jockey Umberto Rispoli riding, wins the Runhappy Oceanside Stakes on opening day at Del Mar.

Jockey Umberto Rispoli’s three-day introduction to Del Mar last weekend included repeated trips to a makeshift winner’s circle, twice after stakes, and the satisfaction of holding an early lead in the jockey standings.

The start of his second week did not begin well.

Wednesday, Rispoli wrote on Twitter that he had tested positive for coronavirus and was asymptomatic.

“I have tested positive for COVID-19,” he said, referring to the coronavirus.

Wed, 07/15/2020 - 14:10

Handle strong first week at Del Mar

Benoit Photo
Del Mar averaged more than $17 million per day in all-sources handle during its opening weekend.

Del Mar had an 18 percent increase in all-sources handle on opening weekend when compared to similar days on the corresponding weekend of the 2019 summer meeting, track president Josh Rubinstein said Tuesday.

“We averaged over $17 million a day,” Rubinstein said. “We were pleased with the results. It was competitive racing.”

Fields averaged 8.17 runners for each of the 30 races over the three days compared to 7.86 runners in 43 races over five days on opening week in 2019.