Racing News

Curlin   raced at Saratoga just once in his career, winning the 2008 Woodward Stakes (gr. I) at 2-5 odds during his second of two Horse of the Year campaigns. That's not much data to suggest Curlin—now a stallion at Lane's End—was unusually fond of Saratoga, but it seems his progeny have inherited the right genes to excel at the Spa, racking up four wins in the first three days of the 2015 meet. Off the Tracks, a 2-year-old half sister to grade II winner Concord Point, got it started in the opening-day Schuylerville Stakes (gr. III). Later on the card Bishop's Pond captured a first-level turf allowance; then Pulling G's won the next race, a six-furlong AOC. On Sunday, Curalina's late rush was a nose short in the Coaching Club American Oaks (gr. I), but the Curlin karma was too good—the stewards put up Curalina via DQ.

Tale of Verve, runner-up to Triple Crown winner American Pharoah in the Xpressbet.com Preakness Stakes (gr. I), continued to progress toward the Aug. 1 West Virginia Derby (gr. II) with a five-furlong workout at Churchill Downs.

Tale of Verve and stablemateCommanding Curve, the 2014 Kentucky Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) runner-up, worked in tandem and breezed five-eighths of a mile in 1:00, co-second fastest among 22 at the distance. The pair had a very strong finish, according to trainer Dallas Stewart.

California Chrome, the 2014 Horse of the Year, will return to racing for his 5-year-old season, trainer Art Sherman said July 19.

Although the original plan was to retire the son of Lucky Pulpit to stud after his 4-year-old season, it was altered when injuries derailed his 2015 campaign. The most recent came July 12, when a cannon bone bruise sidelined him for the rest of the year.

"It's all coming together now," Sherman said. "He's coming back to California."

Three $20,000 divisions of 3-year-old pacing fillies in the Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund (DSBF) stakes' first leg were contested Tuesday (June 30) at Harrington Raceway.

Let It Ride Stable, Dana Parham and Carter Racing Stable's Totally Rusty ($2.10, Corey Callahan) equaled the track record for sophomore pacing fillies with a 1:52.1 romp over Nella's Bus and Gigi Deo. Trained by Ross Croghan, Totally Rusty recorded her 13th win in 16 lifetime starts.

A daughter of Rusty's For Real, she was a 13-length winner in the $100,000 DSBF final at Dover Downs on April 8. The track record is now co-held with Seboomook Fool Yah, who achieved the feat in 2014.

Presque Isle Downs & Casino will resume live racing July 1 with an earlier post time to mitigate the chances of deer interfering with the races.

The move came June 30 after officials at the Pennsylvania track consulted with Pennsylvania Game Commission officials on how to eradicate the deer that forced the cancellation of racing June 28-29 as well as parts of two programs the previous week.

Todd Mostoller, executive director of the Pennsylvania Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, said first post time will move from 5:25 p.m. EDT to 3:05 p.m. beginning Wednesday, and will remain at that time until the issue is resolved. In addition, training hours will switch from 7-11 a.m. to 6-9 a.m.

When it comes to providing thrills for his owners, State Treasurer is money.

The 6-year-old State Treasurer, purchased for a mere $6,500 at the 2010 Standardbred Horse Sale, is a multiple-stakes-winner with more than $1 million in earnings for owners Sally and Allan MacDonald and Paul and Sophie MacDonald.

Earlier this year he won an unprecedented third Molson Pace and last season he captured the Allerage Farms Open Pace at Lexington’s Red Mile. He also missed by only a neck in last year’s Breeders Crown Open Pace, finishing third.

After winning stakes races at six and seven furlongs on the Belmont ParkWidener turf course, Zindaya will return to the surface a third straight time when she tries the one-mile Perfect Sting Stakes Friday, July 3.

In her only previous try at a mile, Zindaya led the Autumn Miss Stakes (gr. IIIT) atSanta Anita Park into the stretch before fading to third in her final start of 2014. That finish marked the first stakes-placing for the daughter of More Than Ready   trained by Christophe Clement.

Greg Grismore won five races on Northfield’s Park’s 15-race program on Monday (June 29).

Grismore’s triumphs included Untold Legends ($3.60) in race two, Won Ton Hanover ($10.80) in race three, Mybrothergeorge ($2.80) in race four, Sombrero Hall ($19.60) in race eight and Boiler Brees ($8.80) in race 11.

Two $20,000 divisions of the Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund stakes for 3-year-old pacing colts and geldings highlighted the Monday (June 29) program at Harrington Raceway.

Mo Coo Inc. and Jonathan Klee Racing's Quick Art ($4, Tony Morgan) took the first division in 1:53.2. Sent off as the even-money favorite from post position seven, theArtzina gelding assumed early command from Smoking Joey and never relented in victory. Byby Landon closed ground late to finish second, narrowly beating Roddy's Hot Again, who was third.

Trained by Josh Green, Quick Art registered his fifth win of the season, with his previous wins coming on the New York circuit.

It was a 2-year-old maiden special weight at Del Mar last summer—one that has now become the stuff of legend.

On Aug. 9, covering 6 1/2 furlongs on the synthetic track, a 22-1 shot took to the lead early and put away the field with ease, hitting the wire 7 1/4 lengths ahead of his nearest rival.

At a top-end summer meeting like Del Mar those simple stats alone would be impressive enough from just about any 2-year-old maiden, but the true context of the win only came to light the following year.

Ostrolenka, two-length winner of the Mike Lee Stakes against fellow state-breds May 25 at Belmont Park, heads a group of seven New York-bred 3-year-olds entered for the $150,000 New York Derby at Finger Lakes Gaming & Racetrack.

The top three finishers from the Mike Lee will meet again in the 1 1/16-mile New York Derby, which shares a card with the $75,000 New York Oaks for 3-year-old New York-bred fillies.

By Musket Man  , 5-2 morning-line favorite Ostrolenka will have the services of Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez, who heads up to the Farmington, N.Y., track to ride for trainer Todd Pletcher from post 5. He shares highweight assignment of 124 pounds with Chester and Mary Broman's Damage Control.

A strong field of 10 fillies and mares has been entered for the $200,000 Dr. James Penny Memorial Handicap (gr. IIIT) July 4 at Parx Racing.

The Penny Memorial, with a probable post time of 4:04 p.m. EDT,  is the eighth race on a nine-race card that begins at 12:55 p.m.

Amerman Racing's Coffee Clique, winner of the Just a Game Handicap (gr. IT) in June 2014 at Belmont Park, ran sixth in the same race June 6 this year. The 5-year-old Medaglia d'Oro   mare finished second and third in her two previous starts in grade II company this year and seeks her first win of 2015 for trainer Brian Lynch.

Genuine Reward, one of only two living foals produced by 1980 Kentucky Derby (gr. I)-winning filly Genuine Risk, has found a new home at Old Friends Thoroughbred Retirement Center near Lexington.

The 22-year-old stallion, who had been at stud near Sheridan, Wyoming, was discovered via an advertisement on Craigslist offering him to a good home for "$500 or best offer." Several fans contacted Old Friends to express their concern over the potential of Genuine Reward ending up in the wrong hands, and founder Michael Blowen confirmed June 30 that the striking chestnut had been secured by the organization. He is expected to arrive in July.

Racing Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas, a four-time winner of both the Kentucky Derby (gr. I) and Kentucky Oaks (gr. I), will be honored by Churchill Downs with the naming of a stakes race in his honor during its September meet that will feature eight stakes events with total purses of $1.025 million.

The $175,000 Lukas Classic, a listed race for 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/8 miles, was known as the Homecoming Classic during the first two years of September racing at Churchill. 

Two-time Horse of the Year Wise Danhas been cleared to resume full training, trainer Charlie LoPresti said June 30. His connections are hoping for a return to the races this fall.

The 8-year-old Wiseman's Ferry gelding has been on an every-other-day schedule jogging and galloping at Keeneland since doctors at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital near Lexington gave Lopresti the green light May 26.

Kauto Star, one of Britain's greatest and most popular racehorses, has been euthanized after sustaining pelvis and neck injuries in a fall in a paddock.

Laura Collett, who rode Kauto Star in dressage following his retirement from jump racing in 2012, said in a Twitter post June 30 that ''a decision was made to put him to sleep'' after his injuries.

Kauto Star's owner, Clive Smith, said in a statement that the horse ''looks to have jumped something, and perhaps stumbled, we're not really sure, but he injured himself.''