Racing News

Bal A Bali, one of the best 3-year-old colts in Brazil in recent history, nearly set a world record for a mile on turf when he won the Estado do Rio de Janeiro Stakes (BRZ-I) Jan. 12 in a time of 1:31.36.

The victory at Gavea racecourse by the son of Put It Back in the first leg of Brazil's Triple Crown shattered the local record of 1:32.29 set by Jet in 2007 and nearly bested the world record of 1:31.23 for a mile on grass set byMandurah at Monmouth Park in 2010.

When Noel Daley bought trotter Home Turf for $20,000, he thought he got a steal.

He didn’t foresee the horse getting knee issues, but got them nonetheless. Hopefully those problems are gone as Home Turf won his first race of the year, capturing his first-round division of the Super Bowl Series in 1:56 on Jan. 9 at Meadowlands Racetrack.

The 4-year-old will return this Thursday for the second leg.

“That was good,” said co-owner Daley, who also trains Home Turf. “He had to, like everyone else, deal with weather and all that. But he’s got a bit of talent, that horse.

Six-time grade/group I winner St Nicholas Abbey died the morning of Jan. 14 due to complications from colic, Coolmore Stud reported.

"Surgery revealed a severe strangulating colon torsion that was unviable and he had to be euthanized on humane grounds," Coolmore representatives stated in a release. "This is extremely unfortunate as St Nicholas Abbey had been in terrific form, the laminitis was resolving very well, and the fracture had healed better than expected."

The son of Montjeu fractured his right foreleg while training at Ballydoyle in Ireland for Aidan O'Brien July 23 and subsequently underwent surgery. He developed laminitis in October, and veterinarians expressed concern that the condition could progress to further sinking of the pedal bone in his left front foot.

The Boston Marathon bombings last April were rated by many news organizations as the top story of 2013, and now the New England connections of two 3-year-old colts named in tribute to the victims are hoping they will be the ones making headlines this spring.

Wicked Strong, who carries the colors of Centennial Farms headquartered in Beverly, Mass., is already turning heads and it is hoped that Boston Strong, owned by Sovereign Stable in Manchester, N.H. will follow suit soon.

Statistically speaking, there's little separating jockeys Victor Carrasco, Manuel Franco, and Edgard Zayas, the three finalists for the 2013 Eclipse Award as outstanding apprentice rider. The one thing that is obvious is that the winner will be a native of Puerto Rico, where all three got their early training in riding schools.

Carrasco, 21, from San Juan, led all North American apprentice riders with 215 wins and $4,357,715 in total purse earnings. Those figures rank him 14th in victories and 47th in earnings among all jockeys in 2013. Riding in the Mid-Atlantic region, he won the fall title at Laurel Park and was second at meets atDelaware Park and Pimlico Race Course. Carrasco is seeking to become the 10th Maryland-based rider to win the Eclipse Award for top apprentice going back to Chris McCarron in 1974.

Sinistra snapped an eight-race losing streak, beating Alcolite by five lengths on Monday in the $57,000 allowance feature at Aqueduct.

The 4-year-old gelding trained by Karl Grusmark posted his only previous victory at Aqueduct last January. Rosario Montanez was aboard for the 1 1-16 miles in 1:48.05 on the fast track.

For the second year in a row Norwegian-trained, but Swedish-bred Yarrah Boko, driven by top French driver Pierre Vercruysse, won the Prix de Belgique at Vincennes, the last test race before the Prix d’Amerique.

Lord Terror moved strongly on the final turn and sped away from eight rivals to score a 1:51.4 victory in the $10,500 male claiming allowance pace at Dover Downs on Sunday (Jan. 12).

Driven by Vic Kirby, Lord Terror made his first appearance of the New Year a successful one for trainer Eric Ell and owner Bill Emmons. The Western Terror-Cheryl Hanover gelding was all alone at the finish for his third win of the meet and 20th career victory, moving his earnings to $509,538 lifetime. Bettor’s Arena (Ross Wolfenden) was runner-up with Its Outta Here (Ron Pierce) third.

Jockey John Velazquez said Jan. 12 he is "coming along pretty well" as recovers from serious injuries sustained in a spill at Santa Anita Park during the Breeders' Cup and hopes to resume race riding in February.

Velazquez breezed a horse at Palm Meadows Jan. 11 to gauge his fitness level.

"It's nice to be here and good to be getting back on horses," the Hall of Fame rider said. "I'm coming along pretty well and I'm getting stronger. I worked one instead of galloping, and the reason for that is working horses is more similar to race-riding. When you gallop them, it's a slower movement and you use different muscles in different ways. Working horses will get me fitter and stronger than just galloping.

Great Western harness racing trainer Peter Manning has had some marvellous times with mares.

There has been the brilliant Sheza Mona, Pelicanrama and Ballarat Pacing Cup winner Lombo Rapida in the mid and late 1990s, to name a few.

In the past decade he has had no mare more durable than Ananz, which won 30 races for more than $500,000 in stakes.

Tuesday's (Jan. 14) edition of Racing Roundup features results stories from The Meadows and Dover Downs.

Frankie Dettori returned to the saddle for the first time in more than three months on Tuesday and revealed to the Racing Post he could be back race-riding, on the all-weather in Britain, as early as next week as he bids to put the injury that robbed him of the winning ride on Treve in last year's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe behind him.

The former Godolphin number one, who broke his ankle in a fall from Eland Ally before the start of a race at Nottingham just four days before the Arc, received the all-clear following a scan on Monday and immediately put his fitness to the test when riding out for Jeremy Noseda in Newmarket.

The three-time champion jockey is now looking forward to resuming his duties as retained rider to Sheikh Joaan Al Thani. In addition to Treve, who he partnered to success in the Group 1 Prix Vermeille at Longchamp before her devastating display in the Arc, Dettori can look forward to renewing his acquaintance with other stars such as the Richard Hannon-trained Group 1 winner Olympic Glory.

Woodbine Racetrack played host to a trio of Snowshoe Series divisions as the opening round got underway for 3- and 4-year-old male pacers on Monday evening (Jan. 13).

Hopiesdragninthedo kicked off the 12-race program with a 1:55 score in the first $13,800 division.

Driven by Anthony MacDonald, the son ofDragon Again sat in the pocket before the opening station in :26.4, set by Lucky Nadotremblay (James MacDonald), before taking over command. Hopiesdragninthedo continued to lead his seven rivals past the half in :56.2.

Javier Castellano, Joel Rosario, and Gary Stevens took three entirely different routes to their positions as jockey finalists in the Eclipse Awards. Who wins could depend upon what criteria voters choose to use.

Castellano took the traditional path by rising to the top of the purse earnings and wins lists. He accomplished both of those feats while plying his trade on the tough circuit of New York most of the year and Florida in the winter. 

Since joining Bruce Saunders’ contingent in November, Sweet Justice has picked up $46,000 in purse money from five straight triumphs at the Meadowlands, but the newly turned 4-year-old gelding had already illustrated he might be a diamond in the rough.

“We bought him at Harrisburg,” Saunders said. “I had been watching him race for about two months and I know the owners. They had thought about sending him to the East Coast to race prior to the sale, so when I had an inkling of that I started watching him.

“We didn’t just stumble over an acorn with him. From watching him, I liked the fact he could go fast, that he seemed to try hard and was supposed to be terrific over a half-mile track. While I understand most of his money was made in Indiana, he did win a 3-year-old race out there in (1):54 and a piece, which I think was a track record.”

Surclasser, caught up in a claiming whirlwind in his past two starts, would up back in his "old" owner's hands after last week's race and Sunday night returned immediate dividends by winning the $17,000 final of the Chucaro Ahijuna Late Closer at Pompano Park.

The 7-year-old altered son of Jailhouse Jesse, back in the stable of Casandra and Rebecca Uppal and driven this night by Jason Dillander, used his typical late charge to roll by the 6-5 favorite Frenchmen (George Napolitano, Jr.) to score by 2-1/2 lengths in 1:55.1. The early leader, Ulay Boko (Rick Plano), was third while Distracting Beauty and Jon Win also picked up awards in the field of nine.

Surclasser had been claimed from the Uppals out of the opening leg of the late closer series for $11,000 and they decided to try and reclaim the trotter out of the second leg for $12,500, a decision that paid off handsomely in the final.

Mamdooha got her nose down on the wire after a ferocious  battle with Vero Amore through the final yards to take the $98,000 Ruthless Stakes (VIDEO) atAqueduct Racetrack and earn her third straight victory.

The 2-1 second choice in the field of five 3-year-old fillies, Mamdooha settled in third, just a few lengths behind her stablemate, 9-10 favorite Summertime Friend, who led through an opening quarter mile in :23.49 over a muddy track.

Nudged into contention by Eddie Castro as Vero Amore and Irad Ortiz Jr. took over on the turn after a :47.04 half mile, Mamdooha barreled three-wide into the stretch. She drew alongside the game Vero Amore a furlong out, and they matched strides to the finish line.