Racing News

Your eyes are not deceiving you, Gerry Longo is back in California and competing at Cal Expo.

Once a fixture at or near the top of the driver standings at this track, Hollywood Park and Los Alamitos, the 68-year-old driver/trainer has returned to the West Coast for at least the foreseeable future.

Woodbine Entertainment Group has announced the date of the Pepsi North America Cup, its spotlight Standardbred race, along with the rest of the C$12 million 2014 harness racing stakes schedule.

The 31st edition of the Pepsi North America Cup will offer a guaranteed purse of C$1 million on Saturday (June 14) at Mohawk. The continent's finest 3-year-old pacers will line up behind the gate, with eliminations scheduled the week prior on June 7.

Captaintreacherous captured the race, first staged in 1984, last year.

Wednesday’s (Jan. 15) edition of Racing Roundup features results stories from Dover Downs, The Meadows and Buffalo Raceway.

A revamped Strub Stakes (gr. II), moved forward on the Santa Anita Parkschedule and shortened in distance to 1 1/16 miles, features two strong entrants apiece from Hall of Fame trainers Bob Baffert and Jerry Hollendorfer.

The $200,000 event limited to 4-year-olds was previously contested in early February at 1 1/8 miles as the final event in a three-race series of age-restricted races. Track management, however, has eliminated the middle leg, the San Fernando Stakes, previously a grade II, from the schedule leaving only the Malibu (gr. I), the traditional meet opener for 3-year-olds Dec. 26, and the Strub.

This year's Strub attracted a field of eight and it will go as the eighth race on the Saturday card with a 4 p.m. PST scheduled post.

Wishing Gate and Bad Debt figure prominently in the two Florida Sunshine Millions races on turf Jan. 18 at Gulfstream Park, a pair of intriguing grass tests on a day Florida-breds get the spotlight.

In the $150,000 Florida Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf, Wishing Gate enters the 1 ⅛-mile test off victories in three of her past five starts. Those wins include clear victories in the San Clemente Handicap July 21 at Del Mar and in the Autumn Miss Stakes Oct. 29 at Santa Anita Park.

Breeders' Cup Classic winner Mucho Macho Man towers over the competition for his 2014 debut Jan. 18 in the Florida Sunshine Millions Classic at Gulfstream Park, a race that for him has alternately been a triumph and a debacle.

Reeves Thoroughbred Racing's 6-year-old son of Macho Uno won the 1 ⅛-mile contest convincingly in 2012, but did not finish in the 2013 edition, run over a sloppy track last January.

Following that race he was found to be suffering a respiratory virus, one treated for several months at Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland. Back on track in June, the big bay finished third in the Criminal Type Stakes at Belmont Park and was third in the Whitney Invitational at Saratoga Race Course before winning the Awesome Again at Santa Anita Park en route to his Breeders' Cup Classic score. He is a nominee for Eclipse Award honors in the older horse and Horse of the Year categories, to be awarded the evening of Jan. 18.

During the month of February four American presidents were born and their memories will be honored -- along with the 40 others -- on the national holiday of Presidents' Day (Feb. 17). Those born on the second month of the year include Ronald Reagan (Feb. 6), William Henry Harrison (Feb. 9), Abraham Lincoln (Feb. 12) and George Washington (Feb. 22).

On Presidents' Day, Monticello Raceway will have its own tribute to our U.S. presidents with the Not-Quite Presidential Pace, a special race with drivers whose surnames are the same as any of our presidents.

With the two Washington brothers -- Cedric and Dennis --as Mighty M regulars the raceway has a leg up with two possible starters.

Two females—Australia's Black Caviarand Treve from France—shared top rating of 130 on the final World's Best Racehorse Rankings of 2013 published Jan. 15 by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA).

Both horses were honored during the World's Best Racehorse ceremony held during the Longines Hong Kong International Races Dec. 6. Longines is an official partner of the IFHA and sponsor of the World's Best Racehorse Rankings.

Apprentice jockey Mohamed Osman guided Princess Beau K to victory in the second race Jan. 15 at Laurel Park for his first lifetime win.

Osman sent the $5,000 claimer to the front before relinquishing the lead a furlong from home. Princess Beau K fought back, however, and closed in on the finish line to win by 2 1/2 lengths over Friendly Princess in 1:30.51 for seven furlongs over the muddy going.

"I am feeling great," said Osman, a 33-year-old native of Somalia. "I was relaxed when the other horse came up to us and I just rode her with confidence."

Wishing Gate and Bad Debt figure prominently in the two Florida Sunshine Millions races on turf Jan. 18 atGulfstream Park, a pair of intriguing grass tests on a day Florida-breds get the spotlight.

In the $150,000 Florida Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf, Wishing Gate enters the 1 1/8-mile test off victories in three of her past five starts. Those wins include clear victories in the San Clemente Handicap (gr. IIT) July 21 at Del Mar and in the Autumn Miss Stakes (gr. IIIT) Oct. 29 at Santa Anita Park.

After making her four previous starts in Southern California, trainer Tom Proctor will ship the Florida-bred daughter of Indian Charlie east. Jockey Gary Stevens, who guided the Glen Hill Farm homebred to both of her recent stakes wins, will have the mount.

Last March, Ribo Bobo was claimed for $6,250 out of a Gulfstream Park victory by trainer Jason Servis for Mr. Amore Stable. He won six of his seven subsequent outings for that operation and made a triumphant return to Florida last out as the odds-on favorite in the Claiming Crown Express Stakes on Dec. 7.

On Jan. 18, the 6-year-old Louis Quatorze gelding will attempt to complete his transformation in the $150,000 Sunshine Millions Sprint.

"He's been doing great," Servis said. "I'm taking it race-by-race with him. I just try to stay out of his way."

Last March, Ribo Bobo was claimed for $6,250 out of a Gulfstream Park victory by trainer Jason Servis for Mr. Amore Stable. He won six of his seven subsequent outings for that operation and made a triumphant return to Florida last out as the odds-on favorite in the Claiming Crown Express Stakes on Dec. 7.

On Jan. 18, the 6-year-old Louis Quatorze gelding will attempt to complete his transformation in the $150,000 Sunshine Millions Sprint.

Devil's Cave, a two-length winner in her stakes debut over Florida-bred fillies last time out, will put her speed to the test in the $300,000 Florida Sunshine Millions Distaff Jan. 18 at Gulfstream Park.

Alpha Delta Stable's 4-year-old daughter of Put It Back will attempt two turns for the first time for trainer Marty Wolfson. Seven older fillies and mares are entered in the 1 ⅛-mile main track event, one of six Sunshine Millions races for Florida-breds on the Saturday card worth a combined $1.3 million. The Distaff is Race 5 with a 2:36 p.m. EST scheduled post.

Devil's Cave captured the one-mile Ocala Stakes at Gulfstream Dec. 29 after enduring a pace duel and edging away past mid-stretch for a mild upset in her stakes bow. Two of the fillies she beat in the Ocala, Sweet N Discreet and 3-5 favorite My Pal Chrisy, are also back in the SM Distaff.

Wishing Gate and Bad Debt figure prominently in the two Florida Sunshine Millions races on turf Jan. 18 atGulfstream Park, a pair of intriguing grass tests on a day Florida-breds get the spotlight.

In the $150,000 Florida Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf, Wishing Gate enters the 1 1/8-mile test off victories in three of her past five starts. Those wins include clear victories in the San Clemente Handicap (gr. IIT) July 21 at Del Mar and in the Autumn Miss Stakes (gr. IIIT) Oct. 29 at Santa Anita Park.

Devil's Cave, a two-length winner in her stakes debut over Florida-bred fillies last time out, will put her speed to the test in the $300,000 Florida Sunshine Millions Distaff Jan. 18 at Gulfstream Park.

Alpha Delta Stable's 4-year-old daughter of Put It Back will attempt two turns for the first time for trainer Marty Wolfson. Seven older fillies and mares are entered in the 1 1/8-mile main track event, one of six Sunshine Millions races for Florida-breds on the Saturday card worth a combined $1.3 million. The Distaff is Race 5 with a 2:36 p.m. EST scheduled post.