Racing News

Extended by a weekend as a result of the dates lost to the EHV quarantine in May, the 2013 live racing season at Vernon Downs comes to a close with the upcoming Friday (Nov. 8) and Saturday (Nov. 9) cards.

Racing Secretary Scott Warren has listed the year's final open pace and trot to go on Saturday night, which also features a coffee mug giveaway and the customary fireworks show to close out the season.

Foiled Again, who last month became the oldest horse to ever win a Breeders Crown, has been named the October Horse of the Month by the United States Trotting Association.

The 9-year-old gelding accomplished the feat on Oct. 19 at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs, where he beat Pet Rock by a nose in the $500,000 Breeders Crown Open Pace.

John Gosden has observed a "ruthless" strain among racing's young riders, a willingness to push horses too hard for a brief burst of speed.

Unprompted and unapologetic, the British trainer used his Breeders' Cup platform Thursday to praise venerable Gary Stevens for qualities he questions in jockeys of more recent vintage.

"He has a fabulous feel for a horse," Gosden said of Stevens during a press conference digression at Santa Anita. "He has the most beautiful hands, to get a horse to relax. And his analysis of a horse after a race is superb, first class.

Diamond Bachelor has yet to race on dirt, but he doesn't seem to have any issues handling it in the morning.

The War Front   colt worked a half-mile in :47 at Santa Anita Park the morning of Oct. 31 in preparation for a start in the $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I) and will face 12 other youngsters Nov. 2.

Owned by Diamond 100 Racing Club, Susan Magnier, and Robert Trussell, Diamond Bachelor broke his maiden at first asking at one mile on the turf at Del Mar Aug. 8, and followed up with another victory in the Oak Tree Juvenile Turf Stakes, also at one mile on the turf at Del Mar.

Of the big three in the Breeders' Cup Distaff (gr. I), only Princess of Sylmar doesn't yet have a Breeders' Cup victory and an Eclipse Award to her credit. That's because the 3-year-old filly didn't begin her career until last Oct. 12, only three weeks before the 2012 World Championships.

Royal Delta has two Distaff wins and two Eclipses, while Beholder has a Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (gr. I) and one Eclipse. But don't let an apparent lack of hardware tout you off Princess of Sylmar. She has plenty of trophies of her own, being the only filly ever to sweep the Longines Kentucky Oaks (gr. I), Coaching Club American Oaks (gr. I), and Alabama Stakes (gr. I).

Even though he didn't grow up in Thoroughbred country, Ray Struder became a racing fan. The bug bit harder when he left his native Knoxville, Tenn., for college at Santa Diego State University and he found his way to Del Mar, Santa Anita Park, and Hollywood Park.

Struder (who races under the banner Landaluce Educe Stables) hits the Breeders' Cup World Championships as an owner with the Ken McPeek-trained Rosalind. An 8-1 shot breaking from post 2 in the Nov. 2 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (gr. I), Rosalind is Struder's first Breeders' Cup starter. She'll be the eighth Juvenile Fillies starter for Mc Peek, who has run second with Dream Empressin 2008 and Beautician in 2009.

A solid two-turn win over Woodbine Race Course's all-weather main track helped make John Oxley's Sky High Lady the slight favorite in the Nov. 2 Maple Leaf Stakes (Can-III)

The 4-year-old daughter by Sky Mesa  —My Dear Lady, by Mutakddim, may still be the favorite at post time in this 1 1/4-mile race for 3-year-olds and up but it won't be by much. The field includes grade I-placed Dixie Strike and 7-year-old racemare Moonlit Beauty, who are also coming into the race off wins at 1 1/16 miles on Woodbine's synthetic main track.

Declaration of War made his first appearance on the track at Santa Anita Park Thursday morning, Oct. 31, and had a nice once-around gallop, with regular rider Joseph O'Brien, son of trainer Aidan O'Brien, aboard to pony.

The elder O'Brien said the move was "just to stretch his legs," and he likely will have a bit stiffer move Firday, Nov. 1.

Ron Lombardi stood outside of Barn 58 admiring the view of the San Gabriel Mountains. The owner of Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (gr. IT) outsider Tightend Touchdown had never visited Santa Anita Park before.

"I've been walking around taking in the history and everything," said Lombardi. "I even watched the movie 'Seabiscuit' again."

Lombardi has 42 horses in training with Jason Servis, who bases at Palm Meadows in Florida and Belmont Park in New York with his 60-horse stable. Tightend Touchdown will be the first Breeders' Cup starter for both men, though neither is a stranger to the winner's circle.

It was just a year ago when Martin Schwartz watched his champion filly Zagora beat back Marketing Mix to win the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (gr. IT). Schwartz did his best rendition of an Irish jig in celebration, but that might be nothing compared to the footwork he will employ if Alterite were to give him a second Filly & Mare Turf trophy Nov. 2 back at Santa Anita Park.

Entering without a 2013 win off a seventh-place finish some 22 lengths behind the winner in the Santa Anita Sprint Championship (gr. I) is not the typical route to XpressBet Breeders' Cup Sprint (gr. I) glory, but Trinniberg's connections believe top competition could bring out the best in the reigning champion sprinter.

Last year Trinniberg tracked Sum of the Parts through a quarter-mile in :21 2/5, seized the lead in the turn, opened a clear lead in early stretch, and had enough to hold off The Lumber Guy by a half-length to win the Sprint and secure an Eclipse Award.

The final preliminary event in Monticello Raceway’s year-long Heritage Drivers Series will be presented on Wednesday afternoon (Nov. 20) with the Maple Leaf Mile, a race that features drivers of Canadian descent.

The winner of that race will join the winners of the seven other prelims in the series finale in early December, dubbed the All-American Pace.

Currently the raceway’s director of racing, Eric Warner, is in the process of seeking drivers of Canadian descent to compete in the Maple Leaf Mile.

Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez, injured in the Nov. 2 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (gr. I), was resting a day later after undergoing surgery on his spleen, according to a Jockeys' Guild official.

"I just left the hospital; Johnny's resting," reported Darrell Haire, western regional manager for the Jockeys' Guild. "It's a pretty serious operation so they cut him pretty good. It's very painful.

"He just looked like he needed some rest, didn't have much color; he'll be there for a couple of days but everything seems to be going well. Initially the medication didn't agree with him but he's okay, thank God."

At least a third of the field in the 153rd Melbourne Cup on Tuesday will be made up of overseas runners, and a couple more were recently purchased from Europe by deep-pocketed Australian owners.

But the 6 million Australian dollar, or $5.7 million, Melbourne Cup — run on Melbourne Cup Day, which is a holiday in parts of Australia — was not always an international prize and spectacle.

As she preps for her defense of the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (gr. I) title she won last year, champion Groupie Doll put in another strong gallop at Santa Anita Park the morning of Oct. 31.

The daughter of Bowman's Band who has won or placed in 18 of 20 starts and earned $1,928,850 was schooled in the paddock and saddling ring before her one-mile gallop under exercise rider Jada Schlenk.

A pair of grade III winners in Acting Naughty and Youcan'tcatchme headline the Nov. 2 Ontario Fashion Stakes (Can- III) at Woodbine.

The six-furlong contest for fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up is the eighth race on the card and is slated for 4:26 p.m.

Acting Naughty, a 4-year-old daughter of Offlee Wild  , stalked the pace to capture the six-furlong Whimsical Stakes (Can-III) by a head in April at the Ontario track. Two starts later, she scored another close up victory in the July 6 Sweet Briar Too Stakes at seven furlongs for trainer Donald MacRae and owner John Hillier.

This year's $3 million Breeders' Cup Turf (gr. IT) features a rematch of the first two finishers in 2012, Little Mike and Point of Entry, but the road back to Santa Anita Park Nov. 2 has been anything but smooth for either horse.

Point of Entry suffered a non-displaced condylar fracture of the left hind cannon bone in his victory in the June 8 Woodford Reserve Manhattan Handicap (gr. IT) that required surgery and has not raced since. Little Mike "wrenched an ankle a little bit" in the Dubai Duty Free (UAE-I) March 30, trainer Dale Romans said, and was slow returning to form following a three-month absence.

It's no secret owner Paul Reddam and trainer Doug O'Neill are willing to take their shots at the big races. 

Reddam has had 29 Breeders' Cup runners alone or in partnership and has gotten major wins with Wilko in the 2004 Juvenile (gr. I) and Red Rocks in the 2006 Turf (gr. IT). O'Neill has three Breeders' Cup wins on his resume, and of course the pair won last year's Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) and Preakness Stakes (gr. I) with I'll Have Another  . 

He's named after an Italian artist.

He races for one of the world's leading owners.

He's won two of his first three starts in Ireland including a stakes.

Undefeated Jose Sea View, the only stakes winner in the field of the Nov. 3 Nashua Stakes (gr. II) at Aqueduct Racetrack, will attempt to keep his record perfect when he races on dirt for the first time in the one-mile event.

Named for Nashua, the 1955 United States Horse of the Year, the $250,000 contest for 2-year-olds is the eighth race on the card and has an approximate post time of 3:43 p.m.

The road to this year's Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita Park has been rewarding for Nick and Jaqui de Meric of de Meric Thoroughbred Sales.

The Ocala, Fla.-based operation's Breeders' Cup contingent appears formidable with training and sale graduates Concave (Juvenile Fillies, gr. I), Ready to Act (Juvenile Fillies Turf, gr. IT), Capo Bastone (Geico Turf Sprint, gr. IT) and Sum of the Parts (Xpressbet Sprint, gr. I) all aiming for Breeders' Cup glory.

Morton Fink's reigning Horse of the Year Wise Dan, that big, strong locomotive of a runner, galloped on the turf at Santa Anita Park the morning of Oct. 31 in preparation for his defense of the Nov. 2 Breeders' Cup Mile (gr. IT).

The 6-year-old gelding headed to the California oval around 10 a.m. (PDT), taking the same sauntering route from Barn 36 that he followed last year with trainer Charlie LoPresti two days before his record-setting run. Wise Dan took in the surroundings with typical presence of mind, despite attracting an entourage of reporters and photographers who tucked in behind him as he made his way to the gap under regular exercise rider Damian Rock. Once on the turf course he stood quietly with the pony before breaking off to gallop a circuit of the track.