Jenny Kellner
NYRA/Aqueduct Racetrack

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The battle for the training title at Aqueduct Racetrack’s spring meet came down to the final race on closing day, with favored Thisskysabeauty and jockey Cornelio Velasquez rallying through the stretch Sunday to give Linda Rice a 13-12 victory over Rudy Rodriguez.

Velasquez, who had already sewn up the jockey title, finished with 24 wins to take his second straight spring meet title. David Cohen was second with 20 victories and…

Jon Forbes
NYRA/Belmont Park

ELMONT, N.Y. – Throughout the decades, BelmontPark has boasted a deep riding colony and has attracted many of the sport’s leading trainers.  With daily purses expected to average $620,000, the competition will be tougher than ever during the meet that begins April 27 and concludes July 15.

Trainer Dale Romans, who has never had more than 10 horses at Belmont in the spring, will personally oversee 38 head this year.

“New York is heading back…

SANTA ANITA STREAK BELIEVED TO BE UNPRECEDENTED

ARCADIA, Calif. — Trainer Peter Eurton saddled his eighth consecutive winner at Santa Anita on Saturday, as Chickie Charms stormed home to win by 5 ¼ lengths in the sixth race under Joe Talamo.

Although impossible to confirm, it is believed Eurton’s feat, which began April 5,  is unprecedented in the 75-year history of Santa Anita.

“Going into last Saturday, we had four wins and 15 seconds,” said Eurton, 54.  “I thought we…

Jon Forbes
NYRA/Aqueduct Racetrack

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Rosie Napravnik, who recently began riding full-time in New York, catapulted herself into the top 10 in the Aqueduct Racetrack jockey standings by winning four races on Saturday.

Napravnik first two victories came aboard horses trained by Todd Pletcher, who had three winners on the card. Napravnik and Pletcher teamed up to win race 2 with R King of the Road ($3.60), and then added another score in race 5 with…

Hawthorne Race Course

STICKNEY, Ill. – It didn’t take long. Rider Francisco Torres came into Friday’s races at Hawthorne Race Course needing two victories to earn his 2500th win. He won the first race, for leading connections Midwest Thoroughbreds and trainer Roger Brueggemann, aboard 1-2 favorite Maltese Dog though it wasn’t easy. He had to put away repeated challengers but none as tough as Gold Legion, with Tim Thornton in the irons. They left the field far behind by midstretch…

(Edited Santa Anita Park report)

ARCADIA, Calif. — Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith became the 25th jockey in racing history to win 5,000 career races Saturday as he piloted the Bill Spawr-trained Amazombie to victory in the Grade II, $150,000 Potrero Grande Stakes at Santa Anita.   

A 46-year-old native of Roswell, New Mexico, Smith, who won the 2011 Breeders’ Cup Classic with Drosselmeyer and the 2011 Sprint with California-bred Amazombie at Churchill Downs this past November, shares the all-time…

Michael Costanzo
Calder Race Course

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Apprentice rider Keiber Coa, son of four-time Calder Meet and four-time Tropical Meet leading rider Eibar Coa, is named on two horses opening day, marking his first appearance at the Miami Gardens track where his father won over 1,600 races and is the all-time leading Tropical Meet jockey.

“We’re going to get him started here and stay for a couple of weeks before going up to Monmouth some time in…

Ed Gray
Gulfstream Park

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Eddie Plesa Jr. reached a career milestone at Gulfstream Park Friday, making his 2000th trip to the winner’s circle after saddling Salt Water Cowboy for a victory in the fourth race.

Following a winner’s circle celebration, the South Florida-based trainer reflected on his impressive body of work.

“It didn’t mean anything until you get close. Then, you look back. You’ve been in it for a lot of years and you’ve…

(Edited Santa Anita Park report)

ARCADIA, Calif. — Joe Talamo, a 22-year-old native of Marrero, Louisiana, notched his 1,000th career victory on Thursday at Santa Anita, winning the fourth race aboard heavily favored Splendid Fortune, who is conditioned by Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert and is owned by her breeder, Arnold Zetcher.  Making her second career start, Splendid Fortune was off at odds of 2-5 and won by 7¼ lengths.

“That was fun.  It’s nice to get it out…

RETURN TO FULL SCHEDULE APRIL 18

NYRA release

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – After conferring with his doctor (Dr. Stephen O’Brien) on Monday, jockey Ramon Dominguez will ride a few horses on Friday and Saturday each of the next two weeks, and aim to return to a full schedule of mounts starting on Wednesday, April 18.

“The doctor was happy with the progress I have made and the tests looked great, but he feels that we should take a conservative approach…