Racing News

Locally-based Louies Flower, overlooked at odds of 23-1, captured the $250,000Remington Springboard Mile Stakes (VIDEO) by a neck  to earn his third consecutive win at Remington Park Dec. 15.

While Louies Flower's win payoff of $48 comes nowhere near the record $259.60 Texas Bling returned in winning last year's Springboard Mile at the Oklahoma City oval, it was still sweet for a horse coming off a 5 1/4-length win in his first try at a mile over the track Oct. 30.

A son of Flower Alley   out of the winning Johannesburg mare Tembisa, Louies Flower was picked out of the Ocala Breeders Sales Company's yearling sale in August 2012 by owner Wesley Melcher for $25,000. The chestnut colt, bred in Florida by Shadybrook Farm and Castletop Stable, is trained by Brett Calhoun.

Undefeated Shared Belief, runaway winner of the CashCall Futurity (gr. I) Dec. 14, is likely to make two starts this spring prior to an anticipated start in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I).

Winner of the Hollywood Prevue (gr. III) by nearly eight lengths prior to the CashCall for trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, Shared Belief is now 3-for-3 in his career. All of his races, won by a combined 20 1/2 lengths with his 5 3/4-length win Saturday, have come on synthetic tracks in California.

“He’ll ship to Santa Anita next week and then we’ll see how he trains on dirt,” said long-time Hollendofer assistant trainer Dan Ward the morning of Dec. 15. "The logical races to run in are the San Felipe Stakes (gr. II), Santa Anita Derby (gr. I), and then if everything goes well, on to Kentucky.”

The final week of racing in the history ofBetfair Hollywood Park will begin Friday, Dec. 20 and continue through closing day Sunday, Dec. 22.

Post time each day is 12:30 p.m. Track gates will open at 9:55 a.m.

The Dec. 20 program will offer the final "Fiesta Friday." Food and drink specials will be available between 2-4 p.m. and Gold Club members can enter to win a $100 mutuel voucher.

Part of the Golden State Series, the $200,000 Soviet Problem Stakes, is the main event on the Dec. 21 card.

.

After rising to the top in the Mid-Atlantic region, especially at Philadelphia's Parx Racing for several years, jockey Kendrick Carmouche has decided to stay at Gulfstream Park this winter.

"I did the best I could at (Parx) and made a good name for myself. I thought it was time to move and look at the bigger picture," said the 29-year-old native of Vinton, La. "I've got to get out there and get it. It only gets tougher from here."

Carmouche has ridden one winner from 14 mounts heading into Gulfstream's  Dec. 15 program, guiding Goodtimehadbyall to a 4 1/2-length victory in the $110,000 Claiming Crown Rapid Transit a week earlier. Trainer Jorge Navarro has been an early supporter of Carmouche.

Brittlyn Stable’s Sunbean returned to Louisiana-bred company in winning style, nosing out String King in the $150,000 Louisiana Champions Day Classic at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots. 

This Classic, played out under rainy skies and in sloppy going, annually serves as the main event on the New Orleans oval’s traditional annual series dedicated to horses bred in Louisiana, but this edition proved one of the most exciting renewals in its history.

Sunbean, ridden by Richard Eramia and trained by Ron Faucheux, traded head bobs with String King in the late stages of the stretch run before narrowly prevailing at the wire in a finish too close to call by the naked eye. One of only two sophomores in the race facing older rivals, Sunbean paid $4.60, $3, and $2.60, touring the sloppy nine furlongs in 1:53.39.He increased his career earnings to $378,900 with his sixth career win in 11 lifetime starts.

The 2013 Grand Circuit season has come to a close. The 2014 schedule will be released in January.

Dogwood Stable has announced that Palace Malice will now train six days a week effective December 16. His regimen is being tightened from every-other-day exercise as he prepares for the 2014 season. Dogwood president Cot Campbell said that Palace Malice will go out at 8:30 a.m. every day but Sunday, and will continue to walk and graze at 1:30 each afternoon.

“The distance of his gallops is being increased gradually from a mile and an eighth to a mile and three-eighths, and he will have one three-eighths of a mile breeze on January 4, prior to departing for Florida on January 7,” Campbell said.

The $15,000 opening round of the Valedictory Series highlighted the Friday card at Woodbine with J C Onthebeach capturing the fastest of two divisions.

Driven by Jonathan Drury, J C Onthebeach earned himself a new lifetime best as he got under the wire first in 1:52.2.

The gelded son of Somebeachsomewherewas first to the front at the opening station in 27, but allowed a parked-out Tauranga (Chris Christoforou) to clear to the position of command heading to the half.

Eight stakes were elevated in or to graded status and 11 were downgraded for 2014 during the meeting of the American Graded Stakes Committee Dec. 4 in Lexington.

The AGSC, which released its results Dec. 6, reviewed 713 unrestricted stakes in the United States with a purse of at least $75,000. It assigned graded status to 455 of them–two fewer than were graded in 2013–and listed status to 190 races.

There will be 110 grade I stakes in 2014, which is good for 24.2% of all graded stakes (455 in total). The 143 grade II events make up 31.4% of that total, while the 202 grade III stakes make up 44.4% of the total.

Jockey Fernando De La Cruz earned the 1,000th win of his career as picked up a pair of victories at Tampa Bay DownsDec. 4.

The 27-year-old native of Peru rode both winners for trainer Jamie Ness, and got his milestone in the fifth race aboard 5-year-old mare Jungle Princess. De La Cruz, who finished second in the 2012-13 Tampa Bay Downs standings with 75 victories, is in the top 20 of all jockeys in North America in 2013 with 182.

"Getting my 1,000th win at Tampa Bay Downs is something I will remember all my life," said De La Cruz. "Jamie gave me the right instructions and the horse kept going and kept going. He is a good trainer and I appreciate the chance to ride for him.

In the end, a good racehorse gives his connections a feeling of confidence, of daring. The risks may be great, but faith in ability is an inspirational thing. And so it was that Paula Martinez, having never raced a horse in Panama, with only four years spent as an owner in the sport overall, found herself in the winner's circle at Hipodromo Presidente Remon with the first Mexican-based horse to win the Clasico del Caribe in 18 years.

Diamante Negro, 3-1 second choice and talked about for days leading into the international event, rewarded his connections in the humidity of a Dec. 15 evening with a late-charging victory in the 1 1/8-mile Caribe, overcoming local filly Jubilee Queen by half a length. The Caribe is a race that has proven difficult for Mexican runners to win, especially when shipping to the steamy climates of host countries such as Panama or Puerto Rico. But Diamante Negro, arriving on a four-race win streak, is considered the best of his generation at home—and he proved it by handling conditions even better than the local horses, although the top Panamanian contenders put in good efforts to finish second and third.

Even-money choice Baffle Me scored her third consecutive stakes triumph with a half-length tally in the $100,000 South Beach Stakes (VIDEO) Dec. 15 on the turf at Gulfstream Park.

Settled just off pacesetter Miss Montrealon the outside by jockey Javier Castellano, the 4-year-old daughter ofFirst Samurai   seized the advantage approaching the furlong mark. She was all out to hold off the long charge ofSure Route to secure the win, which was timed in 1:30.64 for 7 1/2 furlongs on firm ground.

A dozen filies and mares contested the South Beach.

Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I) winnerMucho Macho Man continued to work toward his still undetermined next start, breezing four furlongs in :49.94 the morning of Dec. 15 at Gulfstream Park.

Going out just after the renovation break under exercise rider Nick Petro Jr., the 5-year-old Florida-bred son of Macho Uno   galloped out five furlongs in 1:03.77 on a main track listed as good.

It was the second work for Mucho Macho Man since returning to South Florida after winning the $5 million BC Classic at Santa Anita Park Nov. 2. The local fan favorite returned with a three-furlong breeze in :37.65 Dec. 7.

“He went good today,” said Kathy Ritvo, who trains Mucho Macho Man for Reeves Thoroughbred Racing. “He worked a half-mile and pretty much worked on his own. We worked him off the fence, and it was just very good."

Monday’s (Dec. 16) edition of Racing Roundup features results stories from The Meadows and Dover Downs.

Sweet Justice might just be the next star for trainer Bruce Saunders and he didn’t break the bank.  The 3-year-old gelded son of Justice Hallwent through the sales ring at The Harrisburg Mixed Sale as Hip No. 2011. He left a $25,000 purchase by Bruce Saunders for M&M Harness Racing.
                
Since the sale, Sweet Justice has done nothing but win, literally. He has made three starts at the Meadowlands, all of them wins, each time moving up the class ladder. 

Friday night (Dec. 14), he defeated older horses for the first time in 1:52 with Dave Miller in the bike. Since the sale, Sweet Justice has earned $23,000 in three starts. 

The Upstate New York Chapter of the United States Harness Writers Association has announced the award winners for top performing horsemen for 2013 as well as the Batavia Downs meet.   

Ray Fisher Jr. has been named the western New York driver of the year.  

2013 was an enigma for Ray Fisher because a mid-year accident that could have just as easily killed him ultimately drove him to produce one of the best years of his career. On July 12 at the Buffalo Raceway meet he was the leading reinsman at; Fisher went down in a horrific accident involving half the field and suffered a fractured pelvis and two broken vertebrae. Despite the dire diagnosis, Fisher was seen at his barn the following morning and returned to driving only 20 days later. Without missing a beat, the 45 year-old Geauga, Ohio native righted the ship and went back on a driving tear that hasn’t slowed up since. 

The two American entries drew reasonably well for the Dec. 8 Longines Hong Kong International Races, but not without a little drama for King Kreesa in the Hong Kong Mile (HK-I).

The Dec. 5 barrier draw at the Sha Tin Racecourse parade ring also set up a bit of intrigue for the Longines Hong Kong Sprint (HK-I) with Japanese star Lord Kanaloa drawing the 12 gate while Hong Kong's top threat, Lucky Nine, got a relatively cozy post 5 in a race where the starting position can make a big difference.

The better-fancied U.S. hope is Little Mike, who will contest the Longines Hong Kong Cup (HK-I). Little Mike drew post 6 for the Cup, well inside reigning Hong Kong Horse of the Year Military Attack in 9 and French raider Cirrus Des Aigles in gate 10.