Tag: santa anita

Geaux Rocket Ride Returns To the Worktab

Pin Oak Stud LLC's Geaux Rocket Ride (Candy Ride {Arg}), winner of the GI TVG.com Haskell S. ahead of a runner-up effort in the GI TVG Pacific Classic, breezed three-quarters of a mile in 1:13.80 over the Santa Anita main track Friday morning as he resumed his serious preparations for the GI Breeders' Cup Classic Nov. 4.

Taking to the track at around 7:45 a.m. PT, the $350,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga graduate was put through his paces by regular rider and four-time Classic winner Mike Smith, who pronounced himself pleased with the move.

“It was a good work, especially for him,” Smith said of Geaux Rocket Ride. “He's never been the flashiest horse in the morning.”

Geaux Rocket Ride breezed five furlongs in 1:00.20 (3/11) Oct. 3 and also went six panels on Oct. 9, but a time was not recorded owing to heavy morning fog. Trainer Richard Mandella said that the colt spiked a bit of a temperature out of that work, but recovered quickly.

“We had to put him on an antibiotic,” said the conditioner, who saddled Pleasant Perfect (Pleasant Colony) to victory in the 2003 Classic, one of an historic four wins on the program. “Luckily, he got right through it. It didn't amount to much. We're happy. Next week he'll have a better work.”

 

 

 

Three stakes winners from two weekends ago also returned to the tab Friday morning. Chatalas (Gun Runner), victorious in the GII Chandelier S. for trainer Mark Glatt, drilled a half-mile in :47.40 (3/48) and is expected to make her next appearance in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Nov. 3. Amerman Racing's Endlessly (Oscar Performance), who remained unbeaten in three starts in the GIII Zuma Beach S., geared up for the GI Juvenile Turf with a four-furlong move that was timed in :48.20 (19/48). Slider (Jimmy Creed), who earned a berth in the field for the GI Juvenile Turf Sprint courtesy of his score in the Speakeasy S., went a similar distance in :47.40.

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Pletcher Breezes Breeders’ Cup Dozen at Keeneland

Trainer Todd Pletcher breezed a remarkable 12 of his intended Breeders' Cup starters at Keeneland on Thursday morning over the main track. 

Heading the dozen was GI Breeders' Cup Classic hopeful Bright Future (Curlin), who arrived in Kentucky this week from Saratoga. He worked five furlongs in 1:01.40. Also working five furlongs for a possible Breeders' Cup start was Charge It (Tapit), who covered the distance in 1:01.20. 

“We originally were going to work all of our Saturday (Nov. 4) horses tomorrow but with rain in the forecast for tomorrow, we moved it up a day,” Pletcher said. “It was a good morning, and I was pleased with all the works. They did what we wanted them to.” 

Among the dozen workers were three Grade I winners from Keeneland's Fall Stars Weekend. 

Coolmore Turf Mile winner Up to the Mark (Not This Time) breezed a half-mile in :50.20 in company with 2022 Coolmore Turf Mile winner Annapolis (War Front); Darley Alcibiades winner Candied (Candy Ride {Arg}) worked a half-mile in :49; and Claiborne Breeders' Futurity winner and `TDN Rising Star' Locked (Gun Runner) worked a half-mile in :48.20. 

The remainder of the Pletcher brigade each worked half-miles: `TDN Rising Star' Agate Road (Quality Road) (:49.60), `TDN Rising Star' Fierceness (City of Light) (:48.40), Life Talk (Gun Runner) (:49), Life's an Audible (Audible) (:50), Noted  (Cairo Prince) (:49.60) and Scalable (Speightstown) (:49.60). 

Pletcher said he planned to give his runners one more work at Keeneland next Thursday or Friday before shipping to Santa Anita on Oct. 28. 

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Del Mar to Trim Fall Meet Purses in 3-11% Range

Purses at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club are getting a haircut for the 13-date fall meet that spans Nov. 10-Dec. 3.

Del Mar executives speaking about the meet at Thursday's California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) meeting did not initially mention the purse cuts when making their standard presentation for licensure, which the CHRB unanimously granted.

But Del Mar's president, Josh Rubinstein, detailed the reductions when directly queried about the state of purses by CHRB vice chair Oscar Gonzales.

“We have reduced purses slightly for this fall meet,” Rubinstein said. “[We're] coming off two years of record wagering at Del Mar in 2021 and '22, and what we've seen nationally this year across the board in the industry, handle has been down eight of nine months.

“We think there are multiple reasons for that,” Rubinstein continued. “My own personal view is we're in a fairly soft economy right now–higher interest rates, inflation concerns–and there's just less discretionary income that people have. So we are matching purse levels to what we believe will be the handle generation for the meet.”

Rubinstein termed the cuts as “a market correction from where we were the last two years. So depending on the race, anywhere from 3% to 11%, but still some of the highest purses in the country during this time.”

Tom Robbins, Del Mar's executive vice president for racing and industry relations, told the CHRB that the 15-stakes schedule “remains intact” compared to last fall's meet.

Rubinstein noted that the fall season at Del Mar is traditionally a scaled-back version of racing compared to the track's nationally prominent summertime flagship meet that extends over two months. Instead of some 2,000 horses being stabled on the grounds, there are more like 350-400, with the remainder of runners shipping in from Santa Anita Park or Los Alamitos Race Course.

To help defray the costs of travel, Del Mar will be paying trainers a $250 stipend on each racing day they participate in the fall meet.

“We realize it's expensive for trainers to come down to Del Mar,” Rubinstein said.

Del Mar will race Fridays (8 races), plus Saturdays and Sundays (nine races). A Thanksgiving Thursday holiday program will also be carded.

Horses will be allowed to ship in for stabling Sunday, Nov. 5, the day after the Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita. Del Mar opens for morning training Nov. 6.

Del Mar has scheduled November/December fall meets regularly since 2014, when the track filled a void in the Southern California racing schedule after Hollywood Park's 2013 closure. Prior to 2014, Del Mar's only other attempt at autumn racing was a 20-date October meet in 1967.

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Breeders’ Cup Pre-Entry Announcement to be Televised and Streamed Live

The announcement of pre-entered fields for this year's Breeders' Cup championship weekend will be televised live on FanDuel TV and on Breeders' Cup website, official Mobile App, and Facebook, X, and YouTube channels Oct. 25 at 9 a.m. PT/12:00 p.m. ET.

The pre-entry announcement will be hosted by FanDuel TV talent Christina Blacker and Joaquin Jaime.

Featuring 14 Grade I races and $31 million in purses and awards, the 40th running of the Breeders' Cup World Championships will be held Nov. 2 and 4 at Santa Anita. Fields for the races will be drawn Oct. 30.

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