Racing News

Juddmonte Farms'Emollient dazzled atKeeneland this spring when she won the Central Bank Ashland Stakes (gr. I) by nine powerful lengths in her Polytrack debut. Since her dominating performance at the Lexington oval, the $500,000 Juddmonte Spinster Stakes (gr. I) has been part of the plan for the 3-year-old Empire Maker filly, who returns to the scene of her career-best effort Oct. 6.

"He's earned it and we can't deny him his retirement," said co-owner Sandra Compton as she spoke of the official retirement of one of Western New York's all-time favorite horses in Michael Scores.

Batavia Downs will honor the 12-year-old pacer on Saturday night (Oct. 5) as Michael Scores will make one last appearance on the track as he will lead a classy field of seven through the post parade of the 11th annual $50,000 Robert J. Kane Memorial Pace, a race he won back in 2006 with a record time of 1:52.1.

As expected, free-for-all pacing millionaires Warrawee Needy and Razzle Dazzle put on a “dazzling” show in qualifying action at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs on Thursday morning (Oct. 3), with Warrawee Needy, a son of E Dee’s Cam, turning back Razzle Dazzle in 1:50 -- but both were equally impressive.

Warrawee Needy was the tighter of the two, having won a qualifier here in 1:52 last Thursday, while Razzle Dazzle had been absent from the racetrack for more than two months.

On the warm and balmy fall afternoon of Oct. 2, Monticello Raceway presented its ninth edition of the Munich Mile, the sixth leg of the track's year long Heritage Drivers Series. The race was for drivers of German descent and was enhanced this year by the presence of four native German drivers.

“They are here as guests of the North American Amateur Drivers Association to compete against NAADA drivers at three different racetracks so we postponed our Munich Mile to coincide with their arrival in order to have native Germans in our race,” explained Eric Warner, the track's director of racing. “We were pleased to have them participate and they were glad to be able to drive in this race.”

Continuing a nice late season surge towards divisional honors, James Bafia and Eugene White’s Bailey’s Wish completely dominated nine rivals in the year’s richest race for Illinois conceived and foaled 2-year-old trotting fillies, winning Wednesday's (Oct. 2) $105,000 Lady Lincoln Land Stake by 3-1/2 lengths at Balmoral Park. The final time was 1:59.4.

Susan Moulton's Solitary Ranger, who broke his maiden by 5 1/2 lengths when winning the Sept. 7 Arlington-Washington Futurity (gr. III) in his most recent start, headlines a field of 14 plus two also-eligibles for the $400,000Dixiana Breeders' Futurity (gr. I) atKeeneland Oct. 5.

The 1 1/16-mile race on the Polytrack is a Breeders' Cup Challenge "Win and You're In" event for the $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I) to be run Nov. 2 at Santa Anita Park.

Sweet Reason, smashing winner of last month's Spinaway Stakes (gr. I) at Saratoga Race Course, will break from the rail as the favorite Oct. 5 in the 1 1/16-mileFrizette Stakes (gr. I) atBelmont Park. The race for 2-year-old fillies worth $500,000 has drawn seven including exciting first-out winners Artemis Agrotera and Recepta.

Treadway Racing Stable's Sweet Reason, a $185,000 Keeneland September sale purchase by Street Sense  , blitzed a pair of fields at the Spa. In a 5 1/2-furlong maiden special weight Aug. 9 she sped to a 6 1/4-length score in 1:04.78. In her next start, she drew off in the seven-furlong Spinaway in 1:23.42, two seconds faster than Recepta ran earlier on the card.

It's not unusual for trainer Bob Baffert to spread his talented 3-year-olds across the country, but he'll be trying something new with morning line favorite Power Broker in the $500,000 Indiana Derby (gr. II) Oct. 5.

That's because the Indiana Derby, a race the Hall of Fame trainer landed in 2009 withMisremembered   and again in 2010 with Lookin At Lucky  , is being contested for the first time at the Indiana Downs slots facility in Shelbyville this year. It was previously held at Hoosier Park in Anderson.

Jockey Frankie Dettori will miss the rest of the season with a fractured right ankle, his business manager told the Associated Press Oct. 2.

Dettori, 42, who was slated to ride leading Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (Fra-I) contender Treve in the Oct. 6 event at Longchamp, was unseated from his mount Eland Ally before a race at Nottingham Oct. 2.

According to Racing Post, trainer Criquette Head-Maarek said Thierry Jarnet will replace Dettori on Treve.

GoldMark Farm's Whitney Invitational Handicap (gr. I) winner Cross Traffic will not run in the Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I) after sustaining a minor shin injury when the track broke out from underneath him at the start of the Sept. 28 Jockey Club Gold Cup (gr. I) at Belmont Park.

"It is very unfortunate for this to happen at this time of the year because this will prevent him from competing in the Breeder's Cup Classic," said Todd Quast, general manager of GoldMark Farm, in a statement Oct. 2. "We will bring him back to GoldMark to evaluate him and based on those findings make decisions regarding his future."

The curtain is set to go up on the Watch and Wager LLC harness meet at Cal Expo on Saturday night (Oct. 5), with popular veteran performers Alpine Hawk, Franky Provolone and Franks Best among those set to do battle in the featured $4,000 Open 3 Trot.

There will be Saturday racing through the month of October, with the trotters and pacers in action and Friday and Saturday nights beginning in November.

Bob Johnson, the leading trainer at the spring meet, will be sending out three of the six trotters in the main event, with the aforementioned Franks Best joining stablemates Giles LS Hanover and Inside Broadway in the line-up. They will square off against local favorites Franky Provolone and Alpine Hawk with Axle rounding out the cast. 

When freshman trotter Outburst stopped the clock in a world record 1:53.1 on Sept. 27 at The Red Mile, Noel Daley was not shocked that the gelding was on his way to get his picture taken, but he was incredulous with how swiftly the juvenile he co-owns and conditions trotted his mile.

“I’m not delusional,” he said. “He is definitely nowhere near as good as his father (Explosive Matter) was at 2, but now he’s the fastest 2-year-old gelding of all time.

“He is a nice horse and I never considered him to be of champion quality, so it was a bit of a surprise for us. The third horse (race favorite Southwind Spirit) went out and did all the work for the whole mile so it worked out perfectly for us.

Four Excelsior Series finals highlighted the Wednesday (Oct. 2) program at Saratoga Casino and Raceway.

Each going for a purse of $45,000, the Excelsior Series races were for 3-year-old trotters and pacers who spent the summer battling it out for good purses and points towards Wednesday’s finals.

Wednesday’s (Oct. 2) edition of Racing Roundup features results stories from Colonial Downs, The Meadows, Harrington Raceway, Batavia Downs and Northfield Park.

Winless in three starts this season, championTrinniberg returns toSanta Anita Park, where he won last year's Xpressbet Breeders' Cup Sprint (gr. I), against a strong field in the $250,000 Santa Anita Sprint Championship (gr. I) Oct. 5.

Among Trinniberg's opponents in the six-furlong event, known until last year as the Ancient Title, are grade I winners Points Offthebench, Centralinteligence, andGoldencents. The race is a Breeders' Cup "Win & You're In" qualifier for the $1.5 million Breeders' Cup Sprint Nov. 2 at Santa Anita. 

Several questions should be answered in the $500,000 Foxwoods Champagne Stakes (gr. I) at Belmont Park Oct. 5, mainly who are the potential superstars in the nine-horse field, if any?

A victory by Strong Mandate, winner of the Hopeful Stakes (gr. I) by 9 3/4 lengths, would make the son ofTiznow  —Clear Mandate, by Deputy Minister, a standout in the 2-year-old division and the big favorite for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I) at Santa Anita Park Nov. 2.

The Captain is still the king, but he faces another tough challenge in Saturday’s Tattersalls Stakes for 3-year-old male pacers at Lexington’s Red Mile.

Fourteen horses entered the Tattersalls and the field was divided into two seven-horse divisions. Captaintreacherous, the defending Pacer of the Year and sport’s top-ranked pacer this season, will compete in the first of the two $215,500 splits -- along with the only horse to beat The Captain this year, Sunshine Beach, and Little Brown Jug winner Vegas Vacation.

Captaintreacherous, Vegas Vacation and Sunshine Beach are harness racing’s three richest 3-year-old male pacers this season. Vegas Vacation drew post one while Captaintreacherous got five and Sunshine Beach got seven.

She shipped into Keeneland late Friday, rolled down the lane with a solid work Sunday morning, and by Sunday afternoon had firmly established herself as ruler of Barn 43 -- at least in her own mind.

Never mind her old life as a $4,000 claimer. Purely Hot, gearing up for another run at champion female sprinter Groupie Doll in the Oct. 5 Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes (gr. II), has blossomed for partners Mike Tuozzo and Dave Baalunder the care of her young trainer, 24-year-old Nick Caruso. After galloping along through five straight wins from May to August at Presque Isle Downs, she ran the race of her life in the Sept. 9 Presque Isle Masters -- punching her ticket to Lexington when she gave the champ all she could handle before yielding late in the 6 1/2-furlong test.