(Edited Santa Anita Park report)

ARCADIA, Calif. – After stirring victories aboard his first three mounts of the afternoon on New Year’s Eve at Santa Anita while in dramatic pursuit of Jerry Bailey’s record for purse earnings in a single season, jockey Garrett Gomez needed to win with his final mount in the $76,400 Kalookan Queen Handicap, but a distant third-place finish aboard Baroness Thatcher left him just $10,982 shy of the record $23,354,960 that Bailey’s mounts earned in 2003.…

NTRA release

Finalists for the 2008 Eclipse Awards will be announced on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009. 

(Edited Santa Anita Park report)

ARCADIA, Calif. – German-bred Proudinsky, whose runner-up finish in last year’s $150,000 San Gabriel Handicap deprived trainer Bobby Frankel of a third successive victory in the Grade II turf event, won Sunday’s 62nd running of the mile-and-one-eighth competition by three-quarters of a length over Irish-bred Ferneley at Santa Anita.

(Edited Santa Anita Park report)

GOMEZ, GILCHRIST LOOK FORWARD TO NEW YEAR AFTER SAD ENDING TO 2008

Jockey Garrett Gomez and trainer Greg Gilchrist were optimistic about the future after being involved in accidents that could have been more serious than they were at Santa Anita yesterday.

Gomez, en route to his third consecutive national money title, lost several upper front teeth, suffered a gash on his left knee that did not require sutures, and a swollen left hand after…

(Edited Santa Anita Park report)

ARCADIA, Calif. – John Velazquez rode Indian Blessing, 2007’s 2-year-old filly champion, to her sixth victory of 2008 in the Grade 1, $250,000 La Brea Stakes for 3-year-old fillies, after she was upset by Ventura when second as the 9-5 favorite in October’s Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint at Santa Anita.

Jenny Kellner
Aqueduct Racetrack

Trainer Todd Beattie had always thought Fabulous Strike was capable of rating behind horses. But having consistently drawn inside, the 5-year-old son of Smart Strike just never got the opportunity and scored most of his victories on the lead .

(Edited Gulfstream Park report)

Gulfstream Park opens its 2009 live racing meet – 70 years after its first opening – Jan. 3, 2009, and sharing the marquee will be two Grade 3 events, the Spectacular Bid and the Hal’s Hope stakes.

(Edited Santa Anita Park report)

ARCADIA, Calif. – Front-running speedster Bob Black Jack, who set the pace in last May’s Kentucky Derby, made his first graded stakes victory a convincing one as he wired a stellar field of seven 3-year-olds in Friday’s Grade 1 Malibu Stakes on the opening day of Santa Anita’s 72nd season.

Ron Correll
Senior columnist
Tracksideview.com

As a voting member of the National Turf Writers Association I just submitted my votes for the 2008 Eclipse Awards.

My picks in each category are as follows:

(Edited Hollywood Park report)

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Odds-on favorite Vacare, given a perfect trip by Jose Valdivia Jr., overhauled Gotta Have Her and In My Glory in the stretch to score a one-length victory in Sunday’s $150,000 Dahlia Handicap at Hollywood Park as trainer Christophe Clement notched career win No. 1,000 in the Grade 2 event.