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James Mulvihill
Fair Grounds

NEW ORLEANS, La. – Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots will reduce the purses of three stakes races still to be run this season—the Grade II Fair Grounds Oaks, the Grade II Mervin H. Muniz Jr. Memorial Handicap and the Grade II New Orleans Handicap—by $100,000 each, to $300,000. Read the rest of this entry »

$5.8-MILLION STAKES SCHEDULE FOR SPRING/SUMMER MEET

Mike Mooney
Hollywood Park

INGLEWOOD, Calif.  — Hollywood Park, in an effort to protect overnight purses, has responded to the declining economy by shuffling its stakes calendar for the 60-day Spring/Summer Meet, which opens Wednesday, April 21. Read the rest of this entry »

Graham Ross
Fair Grounds

NEW ORLEANS, La. – The “buzz” concerning Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra’s rivals in Saturday’s $200,000 New Orleans Ladies mostly surrounds the Brazilian-bred mare Zardana.

That’s because she is conditioned by John Shirreffs, who also trains Zenyatta, Rachel Alexandra’s projected rival in Oaklawn Park’s Apple Blossom April 9. Read the rest of this entry »

ARLINGTON PREPS INCLUDED
Entry Fees and Starting Fees Waived for Million, Beverly D. and Secretariat Stakes

David Zenner
Arlington Park

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – Arlington Park officials announced that the track will offer automatic starting berths into the Arlington Million and other International Festival of Racing events plus waive entry and starting fees for the winners of selected Group I races overseas as well as the top finishers in the track’s local Festival prep races. Read the rest of this entry »

HORSE OF THE YEAR HAS FINAL WORK BEFORE RACE ON MARCH 13

Jim Mulvihill
Fair Grounds
 
NEW ORLEANS, La. – Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra drew post position No. 2 in a five-horse field for her 2010 debut in Saturday’s $200,000 New Orleans Ladies. Regular rider Calvin Borel will be aboard, carrying 123 pounds, the maximum weight as the conditions are written. Read the rest of this entry »

(Edited Santa Anita Park report)

ARCADIA, Calif. – One day after Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert provided 25-year-old jockey Martin Garcia with the biggest win of his career while riding Misremembered to a one-half length victory in the Grade I Santa Anita Handicap, the pair struck again Sunday with Sangaree in Santa Anita’s $60,350 Joe Hernandez Stakes. Read the rest of this entry »

Graham Ross
Fair Grounds

NEW ORLEANS, La. – Steve Hartman’s Snakebite Kit broke on top, made the pace most of the way in Fair Grounds $44,500 featured race at about one mile over the Stall-Wilson turf course and withstood Red Oak Stable’s Kissimmee Kyle in the late stages to be best by a length at the wire. Read the rest of this entry »

Penelope P. Miller
Tampa Bay Downs

OLDSMAR, Fla. – Grade III $300,000 Tampa Bay Derby hopefuls Schoolyard Dreams and Uptowncharlybrown both worked Sunday morning in preparation for March 13’s 1 1/16 miles test. Schoolyard Dreams is a three-year-old Steven Got Even colt who was second in February’s Grade III Sam F. Davis Stakes here for trainer Derek Ryan and owner Eric Fein (the same connections who captured the 2009 edition of the Tampa Bay Derby with Musket Man.) Schoolyard Dreams breezed a half mile in :47.3, the fastest of 64 works at that distance. Read the rest of this entry »

Jenny Kellner
NYRA/Aqueduct Racetrack

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Understatement ran his inner track record to 4-for-4 Sunday afternoon at Aqueduct Racetrack, coming from off the pace to post a 3¾ -length victory over National Pride in the 55th running of the $65,000 Stymie.

Under a perfect ride from jockey David Cohen, who scored his third winner of the day in the race, Understatement relaxed in second behind early fractions of 23.78, 48.50 and 1:12.71 set by National Pride, then accelerated to take the lead midway around the far turn and cruised home under a hand ride. Read the rest of this entry »

Graham Ross
Fair Grounds

NEW ORLEANS, La. – Although he has been prominent in Fair Grounds’ jockey standings during three of the four seasons he has ridden here (he broke his shoulder in the other), Peruvian-born jockey John Jacinto may not be able to fly under the radar anymore at Fair Grounds after riding nine winners in the last two racing days in New Orleans through Saturday. Read the rest of this entry »