News | Horse Racing Free Tips

Rebounding Zozos Should Be ‘Tough’ In Saturday’s Ack Ack

Multiple stakes winner Zozos will attempt to keep his perfect 2-for-2 record in races carded at one mile when he competes as the heavy 6-5 morning line favorite in Saturday's 31st running of the $400,000 Ack Ack (G3) at Churchill Downs.

Owned by Barry and Joni Butzow, Zozos has won five of seven starts after trainer Brad Cox cut the 4-year-old son of Munnings back in distance following his 10th-place finish in the 2022 Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (G1).

Zozos has won three of five starts in 2023 including a three-length romp in the Hanshin Stakes at Ellis Park.

In his last start, Zozos set the early fractions in the 1 1/16-mile Iselin (G3) at Monmouth Park but gave way to finish fourth to Whelen Springs, who is entered in the Lukas Classic (G2).

“He just didn't fire last time,” jockey Florent Geroux said. “He's run well at Churchill and he'll be tough if he can return to how he ran this spring.”

The Ack Ack goes as Race 9 of 11 with a post time of 4:58 p.m.

The field from the rail out (with jockey, trainer and morning line odds):

Seize the Night (Jon Court, Jade Cunningham, 12-1);
O Besos (Tyler Gaffalione, Greg Foley, 7-2);
Three Technique (Rafael Bejarano, Jason Cook, 3-1);
Stage Raider (Brian Hernandez Jr., Cherie DeVaux, 6-1);
Zozos (Geroux, Cox, 6-5);
Skyro (James Graham, Brian Lynch, 10-1); and
Caddo River (Declan Cannon, Wayne Lukas, 15-1).

The Ack Ack is a Breeders' Cup “Win and You're In” race for the Dirt Mile (G1). The winner will receive an all entry fees-paid berth to the Nov. 4 Dirt Mile at Santa Anita.

The post Rebounding Zozos Should Be ‘Tough’ In Saturday’s Ack Ack appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Apprentice Axel Concepcion Suspended 30 Days For ‘Extremely Careless’ Riding Which Resulted In Equine Fatality

The Delaware Thoroughbred Racing Commission has suspended apprentice jockey Axel Concepcion for 30 calendar days due to his actions in race seven at Delaware Park on Sept. 21, according to a ruling posted on the Association of Racing Commissioners International website.

Concepcion, 18, was aboard Backwoods Boogie for trainer Mary Eppler in the starter optional claiming race. Concepcion and Backwoods Boogie broke from the far outside stall in the field of 11, scheduled for one mile on the turf course.

The stewards found that Concepcion was “extremely careless in failing to control his mount, Backwoods Boogie, leaving the starting gate, impeding several horses, and causing the horse Trumpence to fall, which resulted in a fatal injury to Trumpence.”

The race was immediately suspended and declared no contest, due to the fallen horse.

Concepcion, a native of Puerto Rico, has ridden 169 winners from 840 starters in 2023, and won the leading rider title at the Laurel Park Spring Meet earlier this year.

The post Apprentice Axel Concepcion Suspended 30 Days For ‘Extremely Careless’ Riding Which Resulted In Equine Fatality appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

2023 Woodward Stakes at a Glance

After more than a decade at Saratoga Race Course, the Woodward Stakes returned to Belmont Park in 2021 and for the last two years has been part of the Belmont at the Big A meet at

Traveling Secretariat Exhibition To Visit Woodbine, Keeneland In October

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of Secretariat's historic 1973 Triple Crown sweep, the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame's traveling exhibition honoring the accomplishments and enduring legacy of the famed Meadow Stable colt will visit Woodbine Racetrack and Keeneland Race Course in October. A Tremendous Machine: Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Secretariat's Triple Crown will be at Woodbine in Toronto from Oct. 5-8 and at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky., from Oct. 25-29.

A Tremendous Machine: Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Secretariat's Triple Crown is both a traveling and on-site exhibition conceptualized by the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame with underwriting support from Churchill Downs, Inc., Keeneland Association, the Maryland Jockey Club, the New York Racing Association, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, the Virginia Equine Alliance, Woodbine, Dean Dorton Equine, and Godolphin.

The traveling version of A Tremendous Machine features Secretariat's 1973 Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, Belmont Stakes, and Triple Crown trophies. A video component of the exhibition will take fans through Secretariat's unique journey in which he set speed records in each of the Triple Crown races and tell the stories of the people who guided the horse through his remarkable career. In addition to the trophies and video components, the onsite exhibition at the Museum includes an extensive array of artwork, artifacts, photography, and pop culture items.

“It's been an honor for the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame to tell the remarkable story of Secretariat through this exhibition and visit several iconic racetracks and visit with fans of the sport,” said Cate Masterson, the Museum director. “We are really looking forward to sharing this exhibition with the great fans at Woodbine and Keeneland.”

Earlier this year, A Tremendous Machine journeyed the same path Secretariat did to become America's ninth Triple Crown winner, appearing at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., for Kentucky Derby week, Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore for the Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., for the Belmont Stakes.

Following its Triple Crown travels, the comprehensive exhibition of A Tremendous Machine opened to the public July 13 at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, coinciding with opening day at Saratoga Race Course. At the conclusion of the Saratoga racing season, A Tremendous Machine traveled to Colonial Downs in Secretariat's home state of Virginia.

The onsite exhibition at the Museum will remain on view through March 2024, culminating in a special event on March 30 in honor of Secretariat's birthday. More details will be announced about the birthday celebration in early 2024.

Bred in Virginia by Christopher T. Chenery's Meadow Stud and campaigned by Chenery's daughter, Penny, Secretariat was a chestnut son of Bold Ruler out of the Princequillo mare Somethingroyal. Trained by Hall of Famer Lucien Laurin and ridden primarily by Hall of Famer Ron Turcotte, Secretariat won the Eclipse Awards for Horse of the Year and Champion 2-Year-Old Male in 1972. The following year, he became the first Triple Crown winner since Citation in 1948, setting records in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes, all of which still stand a half-century later. Secretariat was retired at the end of his 1973 season with a record of 16-3-1 from 21 starts and earnings of $1,316,808. His sophomore year earned him Eclipse Awards for Horse of the Year, Champion 3-Year-Old Male, and Champion Male Turf Horse.

Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1974, Secretariat stood at the iconic Claiborne Farm in Paris, Ky., where he sired 57 stakes winners, including Hall of Famer Lady's Secret. After a battle with laminitis, Secretariat was euthanized on Oct. 4, 1989. He was buried at Claiborne.

For more information about the Museum, including special events and program offerings, please call (518) 584-0400 or visit our website at www.racingmuseum.org.

The post Traveling Secretariat Exhibition To Visit Woodbine, Keeneland In October appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post