Racing News

As the heavy 1-5 favorite faded in the fourth race at Northfield Park on Wednesday (March 26), longshot players were hopeful as horses were five across the track through the stretch.

It was 48-1 Artistic Dreamer who eventually prevailed. The 10-year-old pacer is owned and trained by Tony Peregrin of Cuyahoga Halls, Ohio. Jason Merriman was aboard for the upset victory.

(#7) Artistic Dreamer (48-1) was followed across the wire by (#6) Ridge Park (32-1) and (#3) Merit Wings (26-1). Heavily favored (#1) Argon Fire (1-5) hung on to complete the superfecta.

Wednesday's (March 26) edition of Racing Roundup features a results story from Buffalo Raceway.

Risen Star Stakes winner Intense Holiday heads a field of 10 3-year-olds in Saturday's 101st Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds Race Course.

Winning the 1 1/8-mile, $1 million Louisiana Derby, part of the Kentucky Derby points system, will be worth 100 points and will secure a spot in the starting field for the Run for the Roses on May 3.

Intense Holiday, owned by Starlight Racing, has drawn the inside post and is the 2-1 morning line favorite. The colt again will have Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith in the saddle. Trainer Todd Pletcher won last year's renewal with Revolutionary.

She may be small, but Incredible Gambler packs a big kick in the stretch and has now posed for pictures following four of her last five trips to the post here at Cal Expo.

The 8-year-old New Jersey bred daughter of Allamerican Ingot currently goes about her business for owner Clint Lugar and trainer Salvador Wenceslao, with Dave Siegel having guided her in three of those aforementioned four scores.

Siegel has a long history with Incredible Gambler, having previously owned the mare, and they’ve developed a great rapport over the years.

Gulfstream Park Racing & Casino will serve as host for the next two Eclipse Awards ceremonies in January 2015 and 2016 under an agreement with the National Thoroughbred Racing Association announced March 26. 

The 44th annual Eclipse Awards is set for Jan. 17, 2015, in Gulfstream's Sport of Kings Theater. 

The Eclipse Awards, which honor excellence in Thoroughbred racing, are presented by Daily Racing Form, The Stronach Group, and the Breeders' Cup, and are owned and produced by the NTRA. Gulfstream Park has hosted the Eclipse Awards since 2013. 

This Week: Blue Chip Matchmaker and George Morton Levy series second legs, Yonkers Raceway, Yonkers, N.Y.

Schedule of events: The Grand Circuit at Yonkers this week features four $40,000 divisions on Friday (March 28) in the second round of the Blue Chip Matchmaker series for open pacing mares. The Saturday (March 29) card at Yonkers will see four $50,000 divisions in the second round of the George Morton Levy series for open pacers.

As Noberto Arroyo Jr. started to walk away, he briefly turned to watch his family leave following their bi-weekly visit.

Arroyo, once a million-dollar jockey then in the middle of a 2 ½-year jail sentence for cocaine possession, was on the way back to his cell. His partner of nine years, Brenda, and their four children were headed to the shelter they lived in for four months after losing their home because of Arroyo's troubles.

It's a moment seared into Arroyo's memory.

Tuesday's (March 25) edition of Racing Roundup features results stories from The Meadows and Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs.

 Last December Monticello Raceway’s leading driver, Bruce Aldrich, Jr., locked horns with Northfield Park’s top gun, Ronnie Wrenn, Jr., in a ‘drive-off’ here where both men drove in every race on the card. Aldrich, the home-towner, reined six winners while Wrenn, the visitor, had four.

And when the curtain came down on the 2013 racing season, these gentlemen finished one-two in driving victories in North America, Wrenn with 714 and Aldrich with 645.

If there’s a major turf stakes, there’s a good chance you’re going to find a kitten or two in the starting field, and an even better chance they’ll be owned by Ken and Sarah Ramsey, the owners and caretakers of the kennel where Kitten's Joy   reigns supreme, churning out one stakes winner after another.

In the $200,000 Pan American Handicap (gr. IIT) at Gulfstream Park March 29, the Ramseys will send out the pair ofAdmiral Kitten, trained by Mike Maker, and Charming Kitten, trained by Todd Pletcher, both obviously sons of Kitten’s Joy.

Admiral Kitten, coming off a second in the grade I Hollywood Derby and a victory in the John B. Connelly (gr. IIIT) at Sam Houston Race Park, looks to be the one in better form, as they break side by side in posts 5 and 6, respectively, in the 11-horse field.

Decisive Rachel Alexandra Stakes (gr. III) winner Untapable will take her next big step along the Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) trail when she faces four others in the May 29 Fair Grounds Oaks (gr. II) at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots.

Five of the last nine Fair Grounds Oaks winners have gone on to victory in the Kentucky Oaks. Slated as the seventh race on the Fair Grounds card, the 1 1/16-mile event for 3-year-old fillies has a post time of 4:15 p.m. CDT.

Untapable, a daughter of Tapit  —Fun House, by Prized, headlines the race as the sole graded stakes winner. But she will likely face some tough competition from her other rivals, all consistent winners in their young careers.

Brad Grant saw winning streaks come to an end last week for Apprentice Hanover and Wake Up Peter, but the owner is hoping his 4-year-old pacers will return to posting victories Saturday night (March 28).

Wake Up Peter competes in the $83,000 Clyde Hirt Series final at Meadowlands Racetrack while Apprentice Hanover races in the second round of the George Morton Levy Memorial Pacing Series at Yonkers. Also in action for Grant in the Levy is Word Power.

Kyle Reibeling's Missevil has certainly made her impact this season while racing at Woodbine Racetrack and the talented filly could be in for a prosperous payday in the coming weeks.

The swift pacer has banked $27,128 this season from five starts, including three wins and a second-place finish for owners Mike Timpano and Frank Cirillo.

Ruler of The World, last year's Epsom Derby (Eng-I) victor, is the early favorite for the Emirates Dubai World Cup (UAE-I) March 29  at Meydan Racecourse following the post position draw for the $10 million race March 26.

RULER OF THE WORLD has been eased out to a top-priced 4-1 favourite after being been drawn in stall 12 in Saturday's Dubai World Cup, the same berth from which winner Animal Kingdom won a year ago.

Last year's runner-up Red Cadeaux is also drawn wide in stall 14, with trainer Ed Dunlop admitting at the draw ceremony at Meydan: "I probably should have chosen a better one."

Housed between the pair in 13 is Mukhadram, promoting trainer William Haggas to say: "I would have preferred a lower one, but there you go." Widest of all is Ron The Greek in stall 16.

Meydan was hit by prolonged rain from first thing in the morning on Wednesday but course conditions are not expected to be adversely affected for Saturday's Dubai World Cup meeting.

Track superintendent Javier Barajas said that the ground on the turf course, which is normally artificially irrigated, is officially good, while the World Cup track itself is expected to be little changed.

"The rain is supposed to start up again at around midnight and run up until tomorrow morning and that should be it," Barajas said. 

Even Brighter and Bella’s Spunkin were upset winner in Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund (DSBF) $20,000 Three-Year-Old Filly Pace first leg preliminaries on a day of longshots over a snowflake-showered “good’ track, Tuesday (March 18) at Dover Downs.

ven Brighter pulled a 30-1 surprise in the first DSBF prelim when Bret Brittingham guided the daughter of Giant Hit-Even Bolder to a come-from-behind first career win in 2:01.4 for Onery Inc. Gogh Gogh (Tony Morgan) finished second with Oso Grateful (George Dennis) third. Race favorite Way Over Paid (Bryan Truitt) was fifth.

Bella’s Spunkin, off at 5-1, was the up-setter in the second $20,000 DSBF trot winning a three-horse photo on the inside in 2:00.1. Allan Davis drove the Stop The Jade Farm-owned sophomore to the win edging race-favorite Kelsey’s Commando (Vic Kirby) second and Overnight Hit (Art Stafford Jr.) at the wire.

A Senate committee unanimously approved a bill Tuesday that would make it a crime to film farm operations on private property without the owner's consent.

A spokesman for the Kentucky Farm Bureau said the measure is one of its priorities in this year's legislative session and is needed to protect farmers' property rights.

The Humane Society of the United States contends that the legislation, if enacted, would keep consumers in the dark about the sources of their food. A spokesman said that whistle-blowing employees who have made such videos have played a vital role in exposing animal abuse, unsafe working conditions and environmental problems on industrial farms.

United States-based sprinter Berlino Di Tiger might be an outsider for the $1 million Al Quoz Sprint (UAE-I) March 29 on the Dubai World Cup card, but his connections are expecting a top effort.