$600 fee required for Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont eligibility

John Asher
Churchill Downs

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Owners and trainers who wish to make their promising 3-year-old Thoroughbreds eligible to compete in the 2012 Triple Crown series of classic American races have only a few days remaining to complete that task  as the early nomination period to the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (Grade I), the Preakness (GI) and the Belmont Stakes (GI) nears its conclusion.

A payment…

Da vid Joseph
Gulfstream Park

HALLANDALE, Fla. – Ken and Sarah Ramsey’s Kitten’s Joy was America’s Eclipse Award turf champion in 2004 and has since become a highly-successful sire. Kitten’s Joy now has a $100,000 stakes race for 3-year-olds named in his honor to be run Saturday, Jan. 21 at 1 1/16th mile on the same turf he won the Palm Beach Stakes (G3) early in his championship season.

Four colts by Kitten’s Joy are nominated to Saturday’s race,…

Dan Silver
NYRA

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) saw substantial gains in on-track handle and NYRA Rewards account wagering in 2011, helping to overcome the closure of New York City Off-Track Betting (NYCOTB), which had accounted for nearly 10 percent of total handle on NYRA races in 2010.

On-track wagering*, including simulcasting, increased 59 percent, with $625 million wagered in 2011 as opposed to $393 million in 2010. On-track handle exclusively on NYRA…

David Joseph
Gulfstream Park

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – It wasn’t until a week ago that Mark Haidar of Dearborn, Mich. started to play Gulfstream’s 10-Cent Rainbow 6 wager while on a visit to South Florida.

Seven days later, Haidar and two friends are reveling in being the ones to take down the innovative and unique wager to the tune of $414,166.52.

Haidar and his friends played Saturday’s 10-Cent Rainbow 6 at Northville Downs, approximately 30 minutes from Detroit. The…

(Edited Santa Anita Park report)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Rapid Redux, who recently set a modern-era record with 22 consecutive wins by a U.S. horse and tied the great Citation with 19 wins in a single season, has been selected to receive the 2011 Secretariat Vox Populi, or “Voice of the People,” Award. The award recognizes the horse whose popularity and racing excellence best resounded with the American public and gained recognition for Thoroughbred racing. 

Although all of this year’s Vox…

Mike Willman
Santa Anita Park

ARCADIA, Calif. — Santa Anita Park, which opened its winter/spring meeting with an on-track crowd of 44,579 on Dec. 26, posted significant across the board gains through the first six days of its 79-day meet according to racetrack officials. Through six days, on-track attendance is up 21 percent, while on-track handle is up 11 percent.

“Our opening day crowd was the biggest it’s been since 1994 and our pari-mutuel figures have been up on-track…

(Edited Gulfstream Park report)

HALLANADALE BEACH, Fla. – Gulfstream Park Racing & Casino announced Jan. 1 it will offer a $200,000 guaranteed 50-cent Pick 4 and $100,000 guaranteed 50-cent Pick 5 every Saturday during the month of January.

The guaranteed Pick 4 will be on the last four races and guaranteed Pick 5 on the last five races.

GULFSTREAM’S DECEMBER DATES PROVE POPULAR

Gulfstream Park’s decision to race for the first time in its 69-year history during the month of…

(Edited Santa Anita Park report)

ARCADIA, Calif. – Jerry Hollendorfer, who this year became the fourth trainer in history to saddle 6,000 winners, will send out the most accomplished runner, City to City, Sunday in Santa Anita’s Grade II stakes race that memorializes fellow Hall of Fame trainer Bobby Frankel, the $150,000 Robert J. Frankel Stakes for fillies and mares at 1 1/8 miles on turf.

City to City, a 5-year-old mare to be ridden by Rafael Bejarano, heads a…

TOTAL POOL ON THURSDAY COULD EXCEED $750,000

Mike Willman
Santa Anita Park

ARCADIA, Calif. — A rollicking opening day crowd of 44,579 was rendered silent following the afternoon’s fourth race, as 80-1 longshot maiden Kessabtsi blew out the tote board, returning $162.80, thus guaranteeing a high likelihood of an eventual Pick Six carryover of $148,184 into Thursday.  It is expected Thursday’s  total pool will exceed $750,000.

Kessabtsi, an 0-15 California-bred son of Unusual Heat who was facing a starter…

John Asher
Churchill Downs

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – A memorial service for Julian Logan “Buck” Wheat, the longtime director of Horsemen’s Relations and the unofficial “Mayor of the Backside” at Churchill Downs, will be held at the home of the Kentucky Derby on Wednesday, Dec. 28.

Wheat, 78, died on Wednesday, Dec. 21 at University of Louisville Hospital of complications from injuries suffered in a fall at his home a day earlier.  His life was linked to Churchill Downs,…