Latest Horse Racing News
State officials and New Jersey horse racing industry leaders say they have reached an agreement to reduce the number of racing dates at Monmouth Park this summer but boost purses to $1 million a day, tops in the nation. Under the agreement reached Monday, the track will conduct a 50-day meet, racing Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, plus three Monday holidays, from May 22 to Sept.
The wait is almost over for Rachel Alexandra. The 2009 Horse of the Year will face four rivals when she makes her first start in six months in Saturday's $200,000 New Orleans Ladies at the Fair Grounds. The 4-year-old filly drew the No. 2 post position Monday and regular rider Calvin Borel will be aboard.
Todd Pletcher is going to the spread offense. Many of the trainer's top 3-year-olds will be strategically deployed over the next few weeks in a move to win races, earn money and run in the Kentucky Derby on May 1. Some big plays may unfold as early as Saturday, when Pletcher plans to send out Super Saver in the Tampa Bay Derby and Interactif in the San Felipe Stakes.
The company that owns Indiana's Hoosier Park casino and horse track and a Colorado casino has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Centaur LLC says normal operations will continue at Hoosier Park in Anderson and Fortune Valley Hotel & Casino in Central City, Colo., despite Sunday's filing.
A day after they combined to win the Santa Anita Handicap with Misremembered, trainer Bob Baffert and jockey Martin Garcia teamed up to win the $60,350 Joe Hernandez Handicap at Santa Anita with Sangaree. Garcia, whose win in Saturday's Grade I Big 'Cap was the biggest of his career, led Sangaree between horses in the stretch for a half-length, come-from-behind win in a race that was moved...
Understatement rolled to a 3 3/4 -length win over National Pride on Sunday in the $65,000 Stymie Stakes at Aqueduct. The Stymie was rescheduled when a snow storm wiped out the Feb. 27 card. The additional time was a boon to trainer Todd Pletcher, who entered a trio in the postponed stakes: Understatement, third-place finisher Nite Light and Atoned, who ran sixth.
No one is more surprised to find herself on the Triple Crown trail than Alexis Barba. The veteran trainer is there courtesy of Alphie's Bet, who won the $150,000 Sham Stakes by 2 lengths Saturday, helping him establish his credentials for the Kentucky Derby. "Isn't that amazing?" Barba asked, clutching a bouquet of red-and-white flowers in the winner's circle.
Bob Baffert was so bummed after Misremembered finished second for the third consecutive time in his last start, he decided to shake things up. The Hall of Fame trainer switched jockeys and gave different riding instructions for Saturday's $750,000 Santa Anita Handicap. Misremembered won by a half-length over fast-closing Neko Bay, putting a smile on Baffert's face as he walked into the...
Paddy O'Prado picked the perfect time to earn his first career win Saturday in the $150,000 Palm Beach Stakes at Gulfstream Park. The 3-year-old colt changed his running style to take advantage of a firm turf course that was favoring speed to win the top grass race for sophomores in South Florida.
The return trip to America was worth it: Awesome Act made his debut on dirt a winning one in the Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct and moved closer to a trip to the Kentucky Derby. Awesome Act rallied in the stretch to beat Yawanna Twist by 1 lengths in Saturday's $250,000 Gotham, and will remain in New York to prepare for next month's Wood Memorial, a final prep before the Derby on May 1.
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