Tag: Racing

Horse racing on the Kentucky circuit shifts to Churchill Downs on Thursday, Sept. 15 with the first of three Twilight Thursday programs at 5 p.m. (all times Eastern) as the famed Louisville racetrack opens its 10^th annual September Meet for an action-packed 14-date run through Sunday, Oct. 2.

Thursday's eight-race opener lured 93 entries (87 in the body plus six also eligible runners) for an average of 10.9 horses per race. A field of 10 older horses was entered for the featured seventh race, a $141,000 second-level allowance/optional claiming event at seven furlongs. Familiar entries include the regally-bred Gun It, the well-backed Hidden Scroll and 2020 Kentucky Derby participant Major Fed.

The opening day program also has a $134,000 second-level allowance/optional claimer for fillies and mares at one mile (Race 2); a first-level allowance/optional claimer for 2-year-old fillies at seven furlongs (Race 6); and a $120,000 maiden special weight for 2-year-olds at one mile (Race 5) headlined by the Todd Pletcher-trained Summonyourcourage, who finished second to impressive maiden winner Echo Again last month at Saratoga.

Each of the September Meet's 135 scheduled races will be contested on the main dirt track to allow the new Bermuda-hybrid turf course to continue to mature to its ultimate potential. Turf racing is projected to return for the Fall Meet (Oct. 30-Nov. 27).

Horsemen will compete for a record $13.791 million (all purses include prize money from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund) offered in Vice President of Racing Ben Huffman's September Meet condition book, including an 11-race stakes schedule cumulatively worth $3.36 million.

Average daily purses are $985,071. Maiden special weight races have a $120,000 purse while allowance races range from $127,000 to $141,000.

Both barn areas – Churchill Downs (1,325 stalls) and Trackside Louisville (490 stalls) – are at full capacity, according to Huffman. New additions to the Trackside Louisville barn area include trainers Ricky Courville, Kelsey Danner, Carlos Santamaria and Carlo Vaccarezza.

Five stakes races, including two important fixtures for juveniles that could produce starters in this year's Breeders' Cup and next spring's Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (Grade 1) and the Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1), will be showcased Saturday afternoon.

The $300,000 Iroquois (G3) kicks off the Road to the Kentucky Derby series, while the $300,000 Pocahontas (G3) starts the Road to the Kentucky Oaks.

Meanwhile Distaff and Filly & Mare Sprint prospects may surface in a pair of Saturday stakes for fillies and mares, the $400,000 Locust Grove (G3) over 1 1/16 miles and the $300,000 Open Mind (Listed) at six furlongs.

The $275,000 Louisville Thoroughbred Society, an open sprint for 3-year-olds and up at six furlongs, wraps the stakes-laden program.

Entries for Saturday's 11-race card will be taken Wednesday morning.

Other marque events during the September Meet include a stakes quartet in primetime under the light for the final Downs After Dark of the year on Saturday, Sept. 24: the $275,000 Dogwood (G3) for 3-year-old fillies at seven furlongs; $275,000 Bourbon Trail for 3-year-olds at 1 3/16 miles; $275,000 Harrods Creek for 3-year-olds at seven furlongs; and $160,000 Seneca Overnight Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles.

The post Racing Returns To Churchill Downs For Twilight Thursday Program appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman's heavy favorite Cave Rock showed blazing speed throughout Sunday at Del Mar to simply prove untouchable against eight rivals in the 75th edition of the Grade 1, $302,000 Runhappy Del Mar Futurity.

The son of the late champion Arrogate sped seven furlongs in 1:20.99 to establish a stakes record in the seven-panel headliner that shone brightest of 11 races on closing afternoon of the 31-day session. His time eclipsed the 1:21.29 mark established by juvenile champion Declan's Moon in 2004.

Juan Hernandez, the meet's leading rider, was aboard Cave Rock as they pulled away by 5 1/4 lengths at the end of Del Mar's championship race for 2-year-olds. The victory was yet another tour de force for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, who was winning his 16th Del Mar Futurity, a standard that most assuredly will never be outdone.

Finishing second in the 2-year-old special was another Baffert runner, Havnameltdown, who also is owned by the Pegram-Watson-Weitman trio. He had 4 1/4 lengths on C R K Stable's Skinner.

The winner, who went off at 2-5, paid $2.80, $2.20 and $2.10 across the board. Havnameltdown returned $4.20 and $3.40, while Skinner paid $4.80 to show.

Cave Rock collected a winner's share of $180,000. He'd won his only other start – a straight maiden affair at Del Mar on August 13 — and now sports a bankroll of $228,000.

Havnameltdown earned $60,000 for running second in the dash meaning the trio of owners picked up a total of $240,000 for their share of the race's purse.

Cave Rock cut out wicked splits in the heat of :21.56, :43.65 and 1:08.55 en route to his record final time.

The victory was the 12th of the meet for Baffert with a 2-year-old, 10 of them in maiden special weight races and two in stakes. He wound up tying trainer Phil D'Amato for most wins at the meet with 19. It is his eighth training title at Del Mar, but his first since 2003.

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JUAN HERNANDEZ (Cave Rock, winner) – “He's a good horse; very professional. And he's fast. He broke a step slow, but then he got right in gear and made the running. I tried to slow him down some, but he wasn't having it. So I just let him go on and do his thing. When we hit the quarter pole, I asked him and he changed leads and took off. He just wanted to go. He's something.”

MIKE SMITH (Havnameltdown, second) – “He's (Cave Rock) a beast. I gave myself a chance to be with him but he just took off.”

JIMMY BARNES (Assistant to trainer Bob Baffert, Cave Rock, winner) – “Very nice. Ran fast. Did exactly what he needed to do. Broke out of the gate good, no complications and just opened up. In these races you have to play the break and Juan (Hernandez) took advantage of it and never looked back. Look at the fractions, :21, :43, 1:08, 1:20.  That's race horse time.”

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FRACTIONS:  :21.56  :43.65  1:08.55  1:20.99

(The final time is a stakes record. The previous mark was 1:21.29 set by 2-year-old champion Declan's Moon in 2004.)

The stakes win was the (meet leading) 12th of the session for rider Hernandez, but his first in the Del Mar Futurity. He now has 27 stakes wins at Del Mar.

The stakes win was the fifth of the meet for trainer Baffert and his (record) 16th in the Del Mar Futurity. He now has 152 stakes wins at Del Mar, far and away the most by any conditioner.

The post Cave Rock Gives Baffert 16th Victory In Runhappy Del Mar Futurity appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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