Racing News

After not winning a stakes in his first two seasons of racing, Salutos Amigos nailed down the third of his 4-year-old campaign when he drew off in the stretch to win the $98,000 Gravesend Dec. 26 at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Campaigned by Southern Equine Stable and trainer David Jacobson, 6-5 choice Salutos Amigos delivered a 2 1/2-length score in the Gravesend even though jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. appeared to have lost the whip during the inner track race.

Salutos Amigos has won stakes races in three of his past four starts. He entered Friday’s race against four opponents off a clear victory in the Fall Highweight Handicap (gr. III) Nov. 27 on the Aqueduct main track. He also won the Bold Ruler Handicap (gr. III) Oct. 25 at Belmont Parkbefore finishing seventh in the XpressBet Breeders’ Cup Sprint (gr. I) atSanta Anita Park.

Jockey Edgar Prado was off his mounts atGulfstream Park Dec. 26, recovering from a spill four days earlier in the seventh race. 

Prado's agent, Bob Klesaris, said Prado is "day to day." The Hall of Fame rider went down Dec. 23 when his mount,Equilibrium, clipped heels with another horse in the 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight event.

"He's doing OK," Klesaris said. "There was nothing career-ending or life-threatening. He had a pretty good laceration above his eye and on the corner of his eye, and he had a little bit of plastic surgery. He just looked like he came out of a prize fight. I guess, in reality, he's going to miss three or four days. He's already missed two, and he's off his mounts today, so I'd say he's day to day."

Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I) winnerBayern, a leading contender for Horse of the Year and male 3-year-old honors for 2014, worked four furlongs on the Santa Anita Park the morning of Dec. 19 in a bullet :46 1/5.

Jockey Martin Garcia was aboard Kaleem Shah's Bayern, whose 2015 season debut is yet to be determined by trainer Bob Baffert.

Working in company with Pearl Spectre, who was timed in :46 2/5 over a fast main track, Bayern's clocking equaled that of the Richard Baltas-trained Brother Soldier. The time was the co-fastest of 43 at the distance.

Northern California stalwarts Jerry Hollendorfer and Russell Baze teamed up once again in the $75,000 Gold Rush Stakes for 2-year-olds atGolden Gate Fields Dec. 6, when Stand and Salutedenied Kentucky invader Broughton Kitten(VIDEO). 

Stalking the pace throughout the one-mile Tapeta test, Stand and Salute found an opening along the inside to get the lead from 32-1 Rye Patch in deep stretch and held on gamely under strong handling to post a half-length victory at odds of 11-2. The winning time was 1:39.26. 

Catholic Cowboy recovered from two lackluster efforts at Keeneland in the fall to grind out a victory in the $200,000 Claiming Crown Jewel Stakes Dec. 6 at Gulfstream Park, upsetting a group of 14 older horses at odds of 17-1 (VIDEO).

Trained by Hall of Famer Nick Zito, who also won the 2013 edition of the Jewel with Nevada Kid, Mossarosa's 4-year-old Florida-bred by Heatseeker   collected his fourth victory from 18 starts with a strong close under Luis Saez in the 1 1/8-mile event. He finished the distance in 1:49.70 on a fast track, holding off the late run of lukewarm favorite Page McKenney by half a length.

Heavily favored Eighttofasttocatch put away his rivals in impressive fashion Dec. 6, cruising by 10 3/4 lengths to an unprecedented fourth victory in the $125,000 Jennings Handicap at Laurel Park while soaring past the million-dollar mark in purse earnings in the final start of his career (VIDEO).

Breeders’ Cup Distaff runner-up Don’t Tell Sophia took the first step toward her scheduled 2015 debut in the $100,000 Pippin Stakes Jan. 17 at Oaklawn with an easy half-mile workout over a fast surface Friday morning.

Working from the half-mile pole to the wire, just after the break, Don’t Tell Sophia covered the distance in :51 without any urging from exercise rider Fernando Martinez. Clockers caught Don’t Tell Sophia’s last quarter in :24 1/5 and galloping out five furlongs in 1:04 1/5. Trainer Phil Sims had planned to breeze Don’t Tell Sophia this weekend, but moved the work up because of forecasted rain.

“Just went easy,” Sims said. “She’ll get a strong gallop during the week and get a work in again next Saturday, probably.”

The New York Racing Association released its stakes schedule Dec. 26 for the 2015 spring/summer meet atBelmont Park, featuring 60 stakes races worth $18.55 million throughout the course of the 59-day meet. The schedule includes six grade I stakes on Belmont Stakes day.

The centerpiece of the meet will be the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, expanded to three days and anchored by the 147th running of the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes (gr. I) June 6.

The 1 1/2 mile Belmont will be supported by a blockbuster card that includes five other grade I races: the $1.25 million Metropolitan Handicap at a mile; the $1 million Manhattan at 1 1/4 miles on turf; the $1 million Ogden Phipps for fillies and mares 4-years-old and up at 1 1/16 miles; the $750,000 Acorn for 3-year-old fillies; and the $700,000 Longines Just a Game at a mile for turf fillies and mares, 4-years-old and up.

Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) winner California Chromehas been selected to receive the 2014 Secretariat Vox Populi Award. 

Created by Secretariat's owner, Penny Chenery, the Vox Populi, or "Voice of the People," Award recognizes the racehorse whose popularity and racing excellence best resounded with the public and gained recognition for the sport during the past year.

Trained by Art Sherman for DAP Stable, the Derby and Preakness Stakes (gr. I) winner built a coast-to-coast fan base of "Chromies" and was the clear favorite among the record number of voters in the Vox Populi online poll, according to Secretariat.com. The total number of votes was not released.

California Chrome drilled a handy half mile in :49 flat at Los Alamitos Race Course Dec. 19 as he prepares for his 2015 debut in the $500,000 San Antonio Stakes (gr. II). Meanwhile, trainer Art Sherman weighed in the Horse of the Year balloting.

The dual classic winner had regular rider Victor Espinoza aboard on a cleared track for the workout. The workout was California Chrome's second drill at his home oval since capturing the Hollywood Derby (gr. IT) over the Del Mar turf Nov 29. Sherman has targeted the 1 1/8-mile San Antonio for the chestnut colt's season debut Feb. 7 at Santa Anita Park.

As far as the 2014 campaign is concerned, all that awaits is the counting of the ballots to determine Horse of the Year honors, to be announced at the annual Eclipse Award dinner Jan. 17. With four grade I victories to his credit and six wins overall, California Chrome is a leading contender.

Undefeated filly JK She'salady is harness racing's Horse of the Year, narrowly edging Sweet Lou for the sport's top honor.

The results of the balloting by members of the U.S. Harness Writers Association and the American Harness Racing Secretaries were announced Thursday at the Meadowlands Racetrack.

JK She'salady won by five votes, 57-52, in the tightest finish since Savoir beat Silk Stockings by three votes in 1975.

Totally Rusty became the fastest 2-year-old filly pacer in Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund history on Monday (Dec. 8) as Corey Callahan drove her to a 1:52 victory in the last $100,000 final of the year.

Callahan made good use of starting from post one, taking the lead with the odds-on favorite. Right behind was Purrfect Bags, the second choice with Vic Kirby, the only rival to beat Totally Rusty when Purrfect Bags won the $100,000 DSBF final at Harrington Raceway in October, when Totally Rusty started from post eight.

Turning for home, Totally Rusty had the lead and burst down the lane with a :26.4 final panel to clinch her eighth win in nine starts. Purrfect Bags was second, a half-length behind, with Gigi Deo and Ross Wolfenden third. Totally Rusty has now banked $129,250 in her nine race career.

Odds-on Tiz Midnight proved a popular winner of the $200,000 Bayakoa Stakes (gr. II) at Los Alamitos for the former Quarter Horse trainer Bob Baffert when she battled back along the rail by a head over Warren's Veneda Dec. 6 (VIDEO).

It was like the good old days for the Hall of Famer Baffert, back in the Los Al winner's circle with his longtime client and pal Mike Pegram following Tiz Midnight's first stakes score in the 1 1/16-mile Bayakoa. Tiz Midnight accomplished the win in a track record time of 1:41.62 on a fast track.