Racing News

Gulfstream Park’s 75th anniversary of Thoroughbred racing kicks into high gear this weekend with the $1 million Claiming Crown and guaranteed pools on its 20-cent Rainbow 6 and 10-cent Ultimate 8.

The 15th Claiming Crown, to be held at Gulfstream for the second consecutive year Saturday, will feature eight races with total purses for the first time of $1 million. The Claiming Crown is designed to recognize and celebrate the sport’s most enduring and competitive horses. Entries for the Claiming Crown, highlighted last year when owners Ken and Sarah Ramsey and trainer Mike Maker won four of the seven races, will be taken Wednesday.

Remsen Stakes winner Honor Code and runner-up Cairo Prince both came out of the 1 1/8-mile stakes in good shape and will spend the winter in Florida.

"He's going to be here in Florida; we'll watch him and see how he's doing," trainer Shug McGaughey said from Florida concerning Honor Code. "I've got nothing specific in my head other than he'll start when and where he tells us."

Owned by Lane's End Racing and Dell Ridge Farm, Honor Code overcame a stumble at the start to defeat Cairo Prince by a nose as the 4-5 favorite in the eight-horse field.

Bee A Magician completed a perfect season Saturday night at Meadowlands Racing & Entertainment when she won the Moni Maker Stakes and finished the year as the No. 1-ranked horse in the Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown Poll.

The Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown Poll does not determine Horse of the Year. The Horse of the Year award, and all divisional titles, are voted upon by the U.S. Harness Writers Association. Finalists for year-end honors will be announced by USHWA later this month.

Captaintreacherous remained No. 2 in the rankings but lost ground to Bee A Magician after finishing sixth in the TVG Free For All Series championship for pacers. The Captain, a 3-year-old, was taking on older foes.

Quietly, and without much fanfare, Jimmy Devaux just keeps driving winners. The former Mighty M driving champ reined five home first on Monday afternoon (Dec. 2) at Monticello Raceway.

The 1:59.3 wire-to-wire trotting victory by Marissa Russo’s Muscles Yankee gelding V I P was arguably the most impressive although the gutsy 13th seasonal triumph of Red Eye Blue Chip in a 1:57.3 clocking was also notable, especially to owner Norman Bradbury.

Bee A Magician, who ran her 2013 record to a perfect 17 for 17 with a 1:53.3 score in the $253,000 Moni Maker Stake for 3-year-old trotting fillies on Nov. 30 at the Meadowlands, has been named the November Horse of the Month by the United States Trotting Association.

Bee A Magician is trained by Richard "Nifty" Norman for owners David McDuffee, Mel Hartman and Herb Liverman. She has earned $1,547,304 in 2013, the most ever by a female trotter in a single campaign.

The daughter of Kadabra-Beehive opend up her month on Nov. 9 by storming through the inside to win the $118,500 American-National 3-year-old filly trot at Balmoral Park in 1:55.2.

Slam Dunk Lobell, or “Duncan” as he is affectionately known, has been retired from competition at the age of 19.

He was a nine-time world qualifier in the National Barrel Horse Association, plus he has been shown in Dressage, Pleasure, Halter and Roadster Under Saddle and done well in them all.

Local stars Zac Purton and Keith Yeung are eagerly anticipating Wednesday’s spectacular LONGINES International Jockeys’ Championship at Happy Valley even though neither is necessarily brimming with confidence about their prospects of winning the title.

Purton holds a commanding 20 win lead in the Hong Kong jockeys’ premiership and is in rare form but is taking a realistic view about his chances against a line-up of jockeys, which boasts more than 24,000 winners worldwide and may well be the best ever assembled at one racecourse.

Up Tempo captured the $13,100 final of the Battleground Late Closer for claiming trotters at Pompano Park on Sunday night (Dec. 1) by conquering eight rivals and a sloppy racetrack pelted by several hours of rain.

Owned by Maryann Plano and driven by her husband Rick, the 8-year-old altered son of Boy Band caught some live cover going around turn two, was blind-switched going into the final bend and only found room along the pylons in deep stretch to secure a photo finish victory -- the official margin being a head.

Muscles To Spare (Billy Muggleston) finished second after forging to the lead at the third station with Mailman Bob (Matt Romano) just a neck off the winner at the end of the 1:57.4 mile. Browner Shuttle, the even money favorite, finished fourth while Senator Hall picked up the final award in the field of nine.

It's rare to have a graded stakes for juvenile fillies this late in the season with only one starter that has stakes experience, but that's the case for theDemoiselle Stakes (gr. II) lineup Nov. 30 atAqueduct Racetrack. Repole Stable'sStopchargingmaria, a grade III winner last time out, stands out against five rivals for the nine-furlong race.

She is one of three in the field for trainer Todd Pletcher, who will also send out Got Lucky, from the rail, and Lexi Morgan.

While not a defining race for the juvenile filly championship, the Demoiselle can be a springboard for bigger and better things at 3. Recent winners of the Demoiselle that have moved forward include Ajina (champion 3-year-old filly of 1997), dual classic producer Better Than Honour, Jostle, Ashado(two-time champion), and Mushka. Last year's winner, Unlimited Budget, captured the Fair Grounds Oaks (gr. II) and was third in the Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) for Repole Stable and Pletcher.

Black Caviar and Treve, the joint top-rated horses in the 2013 Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings at 130, are to be recognized as such during the Longines World's Best Racehorse Ceremony at the gala dinner of the Longines Hong Kong International Races Dec. 6 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Breeders' Cup Mile (gr. IT) winner and reigning U.S. Horse of the Year Wise Dan, the third-highest rated horse in the rankings at 129, also will be recognized at the ceremony. It marks the first year in which connections of the three highest-rated horses in the World's Best Racehorse Rankings will be honored at the gala dinner.

MINISTER Simon Coveney has defended horseracing's government funding as he revealed that the significant changes to the way the industry is run were nearing implementation at a meeting with the joint committee on agriculture, food and the marine.

The Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund has been allocated €54.22 million for 2014 and the committee met to consider whether this was appropriate and proportionate.

Coveney explained the international nature of horseracing and its contribution to the economy, but was criticised by senator Brian O Domhnaill.

It is the final week of racing at Batavia Downs, but there is plenty of excitement and promotions over the final three nights that should keep North America's oldest lighted harness track bustling.

Wednesday night, there is a 12-race program beginning at 6:30 p.m. The clubhouse will feature a great special. When you purchase an entree, buffet or Rail Bar item, you'll receive $10 back in free play on the VLTs in the new gaming area. Also, the entire card will be broadcast live on Time-Warner Cable, Channel 98 in Rochester and surrounding areas.

On Friday night it is 'Customer Appreciation Night' with free sub quarters complements of the Lewiston Road Subway restaurant along with dessert, cake and coffee from BJ's in the grandstand area. There will also be a free Pick-6 contest worth $1,000 beginning in the fourth race. Entries can be submitted at the Player's Club starting at 5 p.m. The Pick-6 is co-sponsored by Batavia Downs and the Western New York Harness Horsemen's Association.

BROWN PETE, punted from 8-1 into 2-1 for his debut with trainer Ann Stokell at Wolverhampton on Tuesday, was withdrawn from the race at the request of the BHA.

The handicap topweight for the 5.10pm all-weather contest is on a losing streak of 23 but bookmakers took the scissors to his odds for his debut for Stokell, who trains at Southwell racecourse in Nottinghamshire and has sent out one winner so far in 2013.

The drivers at Saratoga Casino and Raceway will donate their five percent drivers fee on Wednesday (Dec. 4) to fellow horseman Anthony Coletta.

Coletta, 31, from Jersey City, N.J., was critically injured in a four-horse accident at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Nov. 17.

Equibase Company has introduced leaders' lists that can be filtered through a variety of categorical sorts in the Stats Central section on equibase.com. 

The standings for horses, jockeys, trainers, and owners can be filtered and sorted in either ascending or descending order by column. The expanded North American racing leaders' lists include every human and equine starter annually back to the year 2000.

Jockey Charlie Huxley, winner of the 2008 Scottish Grand National on 66-1 shot Iris De Balme, has decided to retire from the saddle.

Huxley, crowned amateur champion in 2007, was attached to the powerful Alan King yard and enjoyed a fantastic spring the following year as before his Ayr success he rode a Cheltenham Festival winner courtesy of Old Benny in the National Hunt Chase.

He said: “It’s something I’ve been thinking about the last six months and while it’s the toughest decision I’ve ever made I think I made the right decision.

Cloverleaf Standardbred Owners Association and Rosecroft Raceway will be holding a fundraiser for Anthony Coletta on Saturday (Dec. 7) at Rosecroft Raceway.

This tragedy is a reminder to all of us, that while we are competitors we are also a community. And as a community we must all do what we can.

The Grand National du Trot, which could be named the Tour de France of trotting, ended Sunday afternoon (Dec. 1) as the final was raced at Vincennes.

The final, which carried a total purse of $200,000, was won by the 6-year-old Treskool du Caux, driven by Franck Nivard. Treskool du Caux was in command after the first quarter and stayed on to win handily in the 1-3/4 mile event in 1:59.3 (mile rate).

Treskool du Caux is trained by well known Fabrice Souloy, who also trained the sire of Treskool du Caux, Kool du Caux, but Souloy has had Treskool du Caux in his stable only a couple of months.

John Gosden, narrowly denied a famous Breeders' Cup Turf triumph when The Fugue was just pipped by Magician at Santa Anita last month, has a Grade 1 to celebrate Stateside after Seek Again (Corey Nakatani) landed the Hollywood Derby on Sunday.

The Cambridgeshire fifth, racing in the Frankel silks of Khalid Abdullah, was too good for Admiral Kitten and Amen Kitten, who filled second and third for owner-breeders Ken and Sarah Ramsey.

Word got out of Cat Manzi’s return to the races in time for Wednesday morning driver changes, resulting in his being named on seven horses on the 12-race program on Friday afternoon (Nov. 29) at Freehold Raceway.

The Hall of Famer, who suffered multiple pelvic fractures in a racing accident at Freehold Raceway on Sept. 6, makes his first return to competition on Friday.

And Manzi is donating his Friday earnings to benefit another injured driver, Anthony Coletta. Coletta suffered severe injuries in a racing accident on Nov. 17 at Harrah’s Philadelphia.

Santa Anita Park has announced five finalists for the prestigious Santa Anita George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award, with the winner to be announced on HRTV in January following a vote of jockeys nationwide.

Veteran jockeys David Amiss, Dennis Carr, Aaron Gryder, Corey Lanerie, and Scott Stevens are the 2014 finalists for the trophy that has been presented each year by Santa Anita since 1950.

One of the most prestigious awards in all of racing, the Woolf Award recognizes those riders whose careers and personal character earn esteem for the individual and the sport of Thoroughbred racing. Awarded to a different jockey each year, the winner’s trophy is a replica of the life-sized statue of legendary jockey George Woolf, which adorns Santa Anita’s Paddock Gardens area.