Horse Racing | Horse Racing Free Tips

Together Again: Kent Desormeaux Teams Up With Agent Tony Matos

Two Kentucky Derby wins and two decades later, Kent Desormeaux and Tony Matos are together again.

The Hall of Fame jockey, who turns 51 on Saturday, and the veteran agent, still prevalent and positive at 76, are business buddies for the first time since 2000, when they won the Kentucky Derby on Fusaichi Pegasus for trainer Neil Drysdale.

“Kent asked me to work for him and I'm very happy to get together again,” said Matos, who has won the Run for the Roses six times, with Angel Cordero Jr. twice (Cannonade in 1974 and Bold Forbes in 1976); Laffit Pincay Jr. (Swale, 1984); Desormeaux (Real Quiet 1998 and Fusaichi Pegasus); and Victor Espinoza (War Emblem 2002).

Cordero, Pincay, Desormeaux and Espinoza are members of the Hall of Fame, as are two other former Matos clients, the late Garrett Gomez and Gary Stevens.

Matos has represented Edwin Maldonado for a year come May and will continue to do so with Desormeaux now on board.

“Kent has three Kentucky Derby wins (Big Brown in 2008 in addition to Real Quiet and Fusaichi Pegasus), so maybe each one of us can add one more to our resumes,” Matos said. “We did well together in the past. It's been a good relationship and we remain good friends.

“I'm really looking forward to representing him and Maldonado. Kent is working horses in the morning and focused on getting his business back together.”

The post Together Again: Kent Desormeaux Teams Up With Agent Tony Matos appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Gulfstream Boosts Overnight Purses 10 Percent Beginning March 3

Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla. announced Friday that it will increase all overnight purses 10 percent effective Wednesday, March 3.

Mike Lakow, Gulfstream's Vice President of Racing, said the increase is due to the quality of the live program throughout the Championship Meet.

“We are pleased to be in a position to raise purses for horsemen who have been so supportive during this racing season,” he added.

Gulfstream enters the ninth weekend of its Championship Meet with nine stakes (eight graded) Saturday highlighted by the $300,000 Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth (G2), $200,000 Davona Dale (G2), and $200,000 WinStar Gulfstream Park Mile (G2). The three races will be three of the five graded stakes making up the Rainbow 6. The Late Pick 4 Saturday will include all graded stakes.

The post Gulfstream Boosts Overnight Purses 10 Percent Beginning March 3 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

‘Restart And A Reboot’: Drayden Van Dyke Will Shift Tack To Kentucky In April

Jockey Drayden Van Dyke will move his tack from Southern California to Kentucky beginning with the Keeneland meet in April, reports the Daily Racing Form. Represented by Hall of Famer Gary Stevens, Van Dyke will stay through at least the Churchill meet.

Though he earned leading rider titles at both Del Mar meets in 2018, Van Dyke has had a slow winter at Santa Anita, winning with six of his 72 mounts.

“We've got to do a restart and a reboot,” Stevens told drf.com.

Van Dyke won the Eclipse Award for champion apprentice jockey in 2014, and is originally from Kentucky.

Live Racing Returns To Will Rogers Downs On March 22

Join in the excitement of live horse racing this spring at Cherokee Casino Will Rogers Downs.

For the 12th consecutive year, top Thoroughbred contenders will compete in more than 270 races from March 22 to May 26 at Cherokee Casino Will Rogers Downs in Claremore, Okla. Races begin at 1:00 p.m.

“As one of only a few tracks running last spring, we are now very rehearsed in conducting a safe race meet under pandemic restrictions and CDC guidelines,” said John Lies, racing secretary, announcer and oddsmaker at Cherokee Casino Will Rogers Downs. “We broke new ground with the extended audience we reached last spring and look forward to keeping their attention with another exciting meet.”

Stakes races begin April 12 with the $50,000 guaranteed Wilma Mankiller Stakes, followed by the $50,000 guaranteed Highland Ice Stakes on April 13. A purse of $55,000 is also guaranteed for the Miranda Diane Stakes on May 3, the TRAO Classic Sprint on May 4, the Cinema Stakes on May 24, and the Will Rogers Stakes on May 25.

Closing out the spring meet stakes races on May 26 are the More Than Even Stakes and the Cherokee Nation Classic Cup. Both races carry a purse of $55,000 guaranteed.

“We worked with the Thoroughbred Racing Association of Oklahoma to adjust purses and to create the most competitive racing program possible,” Lies said. “Our hope is that the heightened class levels help us retain the stronger collection of shippers we enjoyed last year, while also providing richer opportunities for the local stock.”

The post Live Racing Returns To Will Rogers Downs On March 22 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post