Mike Smith Tests Positive For COVID-19, Off Weekend Mounts At Los Al

Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith has tested positive for COVID-19 and will not ride at Los Alamitos this weekend, according to TVG on Twitter. The news was first reported by DRF's Steve Andersen.

“The good news is that he's feeling great,” said TVG's Brittney Eurton. “He's showing no signs of COVID-19. He did take two rapid tests, they came back positive. He's going to re-test with a normal one, a traditional test on Monday.”

All jockeys and valets are required to test for COVID-19 at Los Alamitos.

Smith was listed to ride morning-line favorite Astute for trainer Richard Mandella in the G1 Starlet Stakes on Saturday, but will now be replaced by jockey Flavien Prat.

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Mike Smith Positive for COVID-19; Will Miss Weekend Mounts

Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith has tested positive for COVID-19, forcing him to bypass this weekend’s stakes action at Los Alamitos, according to the DRF‘s Steve Andersen Friday.
“I don’t have any symptoms,” he told DRF. “I’ll have to wait a few days and test again. Hopefully, I’ll be back up for the following week. I’ll watch a little Netflix.”
Smith, whose positive was determined following a test at Santa Anita Friday, was scheduled to accompany Astute (Speightstown) in Saturday’s GI Starlet S. and Proud Emma (Include) in Sunday’s GIII Bayakoa S. He did not have any other mounts on the opening weekend of the Los Angeles County Fair meeting at Los Alamitos from Friday through Sunday.
In light of Smith’s forced defection, Flavien Prat will ride Astute, while Juan Hernandez has the mount on Proud Emma.

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TVG’s Weekend Coverage Features Cigar Mile, Opening Of Los Al, Gulfstream

The Cigar Mile (G1) headlines horse racing coverage from coast to coast this weekend on TVG featuring racing from Aqueduct, Fair Grounds and Tampa Bay Downs alongside opening weekend cards from Los Alamitos and Gulfstream Park.

The prestigious Cigar Mile (G1) is the tenth and final race of the day on a star-studded card from Aqueduct which includes three additional graded stakes races – the $150,000 Remsen Stakes (G2), the $100,000 Go for Wand Handicap (G3) and the $150,000 Demoiselle Stakes (G2). The Cigar Mile has attracted a contentious field of nine including multiple graded stakes winner Firenze Fire, last seen finishing third in the Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) for trainer Kelly Breen.

Los Alamitos will kick off their afternoon Thoroughbred meet on Friday and TVG's Christina Blacker and Britney Eurton will be live trackside throughout the weekend with analysis and selections. Saturday's featured race is the $300,000 Starlet Stakes (G1) for juvenile fillies. Princess Noor tops the field of five for trainer Bob Baffert and jockey Victor Espinoza. The two-time graded stakes winning daughter of Not This Time will be trying to improve off of a fifth-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1). The Thoroughbred meet at Los Alamitos will run through Sunday, Dec. 20.

Gulfstream Park began their Championship Meet on Wednesday and this weekend will host the popular Claiming Crown which will feature an eleven-race card, nine of which are stakes races, and purses over $800,000. The stakes races include the $150,000 Claiming Crown Jewel which will be run at 1 1/8 miles and has drawn an accomplished field of eight including Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) runner-up Jesus' Team for trainer Jose Francisco D'Angelo. Luis Saez will be aboard the 3-year-old son of Tapiture who rose up from the claiming ranks this spring to finish third in the Preakness Stakes (G1).

The stakes action will continue at Fair Grounds on Saturday with the $75,000 Pan Zareta Stakes, the featured race on the nine-race program. A turf sprint for fillies and mares, the race has drawn a full field of fourteen contenders including Into Mystic, the 5-2 morning line favorite for trainer Brendan Walsh. A 4-year-old daughter of Into Mischief, she is trying to rebound off of a twelfth-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1) and will have Ricardo Santana, Jr. in the irons.

In addition to racing from Aqueduct, Los Alamitos, Gulfstream Park and Fair Grounds, TVG will also be featuring Tampa Bay Downs, Laurel Park and more. Fans can tune in on TVG, TVG2 and the Watch TVG app which is available on Amazon Fire, Roku and connected Apple TV devices.

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Astute Looks to Remain Perfect in Starlet

LNJ Foxwoods’ Astute (Speightstown) looks to take her record to three-for-three Saturday in the GI Starlet S. at Los Alamitos. Graduating in her career bow sprinting on turf at Santa Anita Oct. 12, the $425,000 KEESEP purchase romped by 7 1/2 lengths next out on dirt in Del Mar’s Desi Arnaz S. Nov. 14.

Princess Noor (Not This Time) hopes to return to winning ways as she sheds the blinkers here after finishing fifth as the favorite in the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Keeneland last out Nov. 6. A debut winner at Del Mar in August, the $1.35-million OBSAPR topper captured both the Sept. 6 GI Del Mar Debutante and Sept. 26 GII Chandelier S. by a combined 14 3/4 lengths.

Her trainer Bob Baffert also saddles Varda (Distorted Humor) and Kalypso (Brody’s Cause). Varda finished second in the Chandelier after a first-out score at Del Mar Aug. 30. Kalypso earned her diploma in the Anoakia S. Oct. 18 after hitting the board in her first two outings.

Completing the quintet is Nasreddine (Nyquist), who graduated at second asking in SoCal Nov. 7.

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