OZONE PARK, N.Y. - The Gallant Fox will be without a familiar face when it is run Dec. 27 at Aqueduct. Coyote Lakes, who competed in the Gallant Fox for the past five years and won the last three runnings of the 1 5/8-mile race, has been retired.
A 9-year-old gelding, Coyote Lakes earned $728,337 in eight years of competition and retires with a 20-8-3 record in 63 starts. In his last start Oct. 25, Coyote Lakes finished eighth as the favorite in a $75,000 claiming race at Belmont Park.
NEW YORK - Federal prosecutors and the New York Racing Association have reached a deal in which the association and several of its top officials would be indicted on tax fraud and conspiracy charges but the association itself would not be prosecuted, according to published reports.
A trainer and his wife were robbed at gunpoint early Friday morning just outside the Belfort Street entrance to Fair Grounds. The trainer, Ignatius Henry, had just driven to Fair Grounds and was headed to the receiving barn with two horses he had entered to run at the track Friday.
No injuries were reported in the incident, which occurred at about 3:30 a.m. Fair Grounds security officials were working with the New Orleans Police Department on Friday to piece together more information about the robbery.
Emerald Downs was granted its request for an 89-day season in 2004 at a meeting of the Washington Horse Racing Commission on Thursday.
The Emerald season will stretch from Friday, April 16, through Monday, Sept. 20. Racing will be conducted Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays through the first four weeks of the meeting, after which Thursday racing will be added. Only the last week of the meeting will have five days of racing.
In 2003, Emerald raced 92 days from April 19 through Sept. 22.
ALBANY, Calif. - It's a familiar story: Star gets hurt; understudy steps in; understudy blossoms.
But don't expect jockey Russell Baze to become an historic footnote in jockey David Lopez's career.
No one, not even Lopez himself, expects that he will supplant Baze atop the Golden Gate Fields rider standings. But with Baze sidelined for four to six weeks with a fractured right collarbone, Lopez and other Northern California riders figure to benefit by picking up more live mounts in Baze's absence.
MIAMI - Petrina Above has dominated the local filly-and-mare turf sprint division all season. But she could prove a vulnerable favorite when she faces 11 rivals, including old friend Sea Span, in Sunday's $35,000 Bluff's Dividend, an overnight stakes at five furlongs on Calder's grass course.
Petrina Above has posted three victories and a second in four starts against females this year, with two of those wins coming in stakes races. She also finished seventh after steadying several times against males in the Calder Turf Sprint Handicap.
NEW ORLEANS - All year, it's been one step forward and two steps back for Lone Star Sky. For the first time since June 14, Lone Star Sky will step onto the track to compete in a race and take another step in the right direction.
Second to Badge of Silver in the Risen Star Stakes and fourth in the Louisiana Derby, Lone Star Sky regressed in the Illinois Derby, beaten 12 3/4 lengths, and was 15th in the Kentucky Derby. He had just come forward again with a second to Champali in the Northern Dancer at Churchill, when he suffered an injury.
Live Racing at Aqueduct was cancelled after Friday's first race due to a snowstorm in the New York area. Racing at Aqueduct was also cancelled for Saturday with snow accumulations predicted to be nearing one foot.
The $100,000-added Queens County Handicap, scheduled to be run on Saturday afternoon, will instead be reopened to the original nominees, redrawn and run next Saturday, December 13.
Racing at Aqueduct is expected to resume on Sunday with a Pick Six carryover of $20,067.