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The lineup for Saturday's $1 million Florida Derby surprisingly swelled to 10 3-year-olds when the race was drawn Wednesday, although the last-minute additions of Copingaway, Chovanes, and Isofass did little to change the overwhelming notion that the Grade 1 event remains strictly a two-horse race between the undefeated division leaders Mohaymen and Nyquist. 
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Three-time Kentucky Derby-winning jockey Calvin Borel has decided to retire, effective immediately, according to his agent, retired jockey Larry Melancon.
Borel was named on seven horses the next three racing days at Oaklawn Park, where he has won two titles, and was scheduled to work horses the morning of March 30, including Cosmic Evolutionfor the $400,000 Fantasy Stakes (gr. III) April 9.
Melancon said Borel informed him Tuesday afternoon that he was retiring. The two talked again about 40 minutes before the track opened Wednesday morning, Melancon said, and nothing had changed.
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Reddam Racing's undefeated 2-year-old male champion Nyquist completed his cross-country trip late in the afternoon of March 29 and arrived at Gulfstream Park, where he is scheduled to make his next start in $1 million Xpressbet.com Florida Derby (gr. I) April 2.
Trained by Doug O'Neill, the 3-year-oldUncle Mo colt left California Tuesday morning and entered the Gulfstream barn area at 5:35 p.m. EDT after traveling through the traffic and thunderstorms in South Florida. O'Neill gave Nyquist several turns around the shedrow before the three-time grade I winner settled into his stall.
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Hall of Fame driver Wally Hennessey reached the coveted 9,000 win mark on Tuesday night (March 29) at Pompano Park, securing the milestone as part of a five-win night at the South Florida oval.
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Fox Hill Farm's undefeated filly Songbirdcontinued to progress toward the April 9 Santa Anita Oaks (gr. I) the morning of March 29. The daughter of Medaglia d'Oro worked six furlongs in 1:12 4/5 with Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith aboard.
The work was the fastest of the day among eight horses at the distance on the main track at Santa Anita Park, leaving Smith and owner Rick Porter beaming.
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After seeing her 2015 season cut short by illness, Anndrovette is back to the races at age 9 and chasing Eternal Camnation’s earnings record for a female pacer. And while it might be tempting to count out the multiple-award-winning Anndrovette at this stage of her career, it might also be foolish.
Anndrovette, who finished third in her seasonal debut last week in the Blue Chip Matchmaker Series at Yonkers Raceway, has won 44 of 129 career races and earned $3.46 million in purses. She enters Friday’s third round of the Matchmaker needing $278,727 to surpass Eternal Camnation’s record of $3.74 million for the top spot among all female pacers in harness racing history.
“It’s obviously something that’s in the back of our minds, but I look at the horse’s health and well-being before I look at records,” said Jeff Bamond Sr., who owns Anndrovette with his son, trainer Jeff Bamond Jr., and Joe Davino. “If she couldn’t compete on a high level anymore I’m not going to race her just to chase a record.
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In keeping with tradition, California-based horses again populate the list of nominees for the $1.25 million Charles Town Classic (gr. II), which this year will be run April 23.
The top two finishers in last year's 1 1/8-mile Charles Town Classic were Morenoand Imperative, who both shipped from the West Coast. According to officials atHollywood Casino at Charles Town Races, the top four finishers in the March 12 Santa Anita Handicap (gr. I) are nominated this year.
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Macharoundtheclock, a mare who won more than $500,000 in her career and thrilled crowds with her patented "Silky Sullivan" rallies, was retired from racing following her start Monday at The Meadows and will begin her career as a broodmare with a booking to Sweet Lou. Tim Twaddle, who trained the 6-year-old daughter of Mach Three-Summers Soul, said her owner, Seth Rosenfeld's Birnam Wood Farms, actually planned to breed her last year to Sweet Lou, transfer the embryo and return Macharoundtheclock to racing. Unexpected complications prevented the mating from taking place, resulting in a prolonged layoff for Macharoundtheclock. "She came back off her game," Twaddle said. "She wasn't winning at the top levels like she had been. I think they were waiting for her to hit the half-million mark to retire her.
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A horseplayer scored the return of a lifetime with a 20-cent wager on the Jackpot Hi-5 Monday night at Woodbine Racetrack. A California horseplayer made a 20-cent straight wager on the Jackpot Hi-5 and connected with the only winning ticket for a $134,624.99 (US) return. The Jackpot Hi-5 race was won by the 2-1 favorite Sir Machalot, but longshots were close behind. Comeonandgetsome, 13-1, finished second, while Machapelo, 88-1, finished third. Single White Sock, 6-1, and Sunny Beach Day, 5-2, rounded out the top five. The California horseplayer made a 20-cent straight wager with these five horses and connected for the huge return.
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Odds-on favorite Capela (Scott Zeron, $3.10) maintained her form spree Monday night, winning Yonkers Raceway's $60,200 final of the Petticoat Pacing Series. The series was open to 3 and 4 year olds who were non-winners of four races and/or $40,000 through last Dec. 1. Capela, the lone lass to sweep her three series preliminary rounds, made short work of post position No.7 here. She worked around the miss directly inside of here, Bin N Heaven (George Brennan), securing the lead before a :27.3 opening quarter-mile. From there, a 57-second intermission as I'm in Luv (Matt Kakaley) moved from fourth. It was Little Miss Sporty (Brian Sears) gapping from second-over and pole-sitting Brown Brinny (Jason Bartlett) sitting a three-hole in and out of a 1:25.3 three-quarters.
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The Ladbrokes Vincent Delaney Memorial Committee has announced that North America's leading dash winning driver in 2015, Aaron Merriman, is committed to coming to Ireland for the Delaney Memorial Weekend, Aug. 13 and 14, 2016.
"I was shocked when I got the invite," Merriman said. "I have read about the race, knew that George Brennan went last year and had a great time and now I am getting to come over this year, what a great honor this is."
The 37-year-old Ohio native is coming off a career-best harness racing season in 2015, capturing his first North American driving title and earning a personal-high $7.40 million in purses. His 873 victories last year were the most for a dash-winning champion since Tony Morgan's 959 triumphs in 2008.
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Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots closed its 144th racing season March 27 with Florent Geroux, Mike Stidham, and Midwest Thoroughbreds taking the respective jockey, trainer, and owner titles. Geroux, coming off a career year in 2015, kept his momentum going throughout the winter, took the jockey title with 87 wins that included the Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby and Risen Star Stakes (both gr. II) aboard Gun Runner, as well as winning the Fair Grounds Handicap and Colonel E.R. Bradley (both gr. IIIT) with Chocolate Ride.
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Two-time graded stakes winnerExaggerator is among the seven 3-year-olds listed as probable for the April 9 Santa Anita Derby (gr. I), and trainer Keith Desormeaux believes the Curlin colt can improve on his third-place finish in the March 12 San Felipe Stakes (gr. II). Owned by Big Chief Racing, Head of Plains Partners, and Rocker O Ranch, Exaggerator quickly moved from sixth to second on the far turn of the 1 1/16-mile San Felipe but flattened out to finish third behind Danzing Candy andMor Spirit. In his previous start, the Feb. 15 San Vicente Stakes (gr. I), he challenged undefeated 2-year-old male champion Nyquist in the lane but finished 1 1/2 lengths behind in second.
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Del Mar will present 43 stakes races during its 39-day season worth a total of $7.55 million. The summer meet runs from July 15 through Labor Day, Sept. 5.
Following the opening three-day weekend, the track will run five days a week (Wednesdays through Sundays) for the balance of the summer, finishing with a six-day week concluding on the Labor Day holiday.
Del Mar's 33 major stakes races will have purses ranging from $100,000 to $1,000,000. The remaining 10 overnight stakes will each be worth $75,000.
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It remains to be seen whetherMohaymen or Nyquist will blink when the two undefeated colts clash in the $1 million Xpressbet.com Florida Derby (gr. I) April 2 at Gulfstream Park. Their connections certainly have not.
"It would be nice to have a little challenge, more of a challenge than we've had," trainer Kiaran McLaughlin said of Mohaymen. The son of Tapit was established as an even-money favorite under jockey Junior Alvarado after he received post 9 in a field of 10 when positions were drawn Wednesday morning at Gulfstream's Sport of Kings Theater.
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The fourth and final 2016 Kentucky Derby Future Wager this weekend times up well with the $1 million XpressBet.com Florida Derby (gr. I) showdown of unbeatens in Shadwell Stable's Mohaymen and Reddam Racing's 2-year-old champion Nyquist April 2 at Gulfstream Park.
Bettors will have the opportunity to consider the outcome of the Florida Derby before making their future wager choice as the pool will run from April 1-3.
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The spotlight is on 3-year-old filly trotters on Wednesday (March 30) with two $20,000 first-leg preliminaries along with an $18,500 trot on the regular card at Dover Downs. First post is 4:30 p.m.
In the first DSBF prelim, Kevin Switzer’s homebred Jasmine K, a winner of last fall’s 2-year-old consolation, Stacy Stafford’s Press Corp with Art Stafford Jr. and Don Marine’s Miss Baltimore and Tony Morgan from the rail, spark a field of seven.
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Kiaran McLaughlin has nothing but respect for the undefeated Nyquist, and the same goes for Doug O'Neill in his assessment of Mohaymen.
Mohaymen, trained by McLaughlin, is five-for-five. Nyquist, the 2-year-old champion male of 2015 trained by O'Neill, is six-for-six. They will face off for the first time April 2 in the $1 million Xpressbet.com Florida Derby (gr. I) at Gulfstream Park.
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California Chrome certainly proved his superiority by winning the $10 million Dubai World Cup Sponsored by Emirates Airline (UAE-I) and avenging last year's second-place finish, but jockey Victor Espinoza deserves much credit for this victory.
Soon after the break in the world's richest race at Meydan Racecourse, Espinoza found himself in a precarious position. The saddle's girth had slipped back a couple of inches right when the jockey started pushing his mount to accelerate to a position near the front of the field heading into the first turn.
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West Point Thoroughbreds, St. Elias Stable, and Get Grounded Stable announced March 29 that multiple stakes winner Ground Transporthas been retired from racing after compiling a record of 5-6-1 from 25 starts and earnings of $337,490.
According to the announcement, the 6-year-old Big Brown gelding retired sound following a sixth-place finish March 18 at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots. He has been shipped to Illinois and will begin retraining for a second career.
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Wind Of The North, with Hall of Fame driver Wally Hennessey handling the lines, trotted the fastest mile in Pompano Park history on Monday night (March 28) in the $15,000 Open Handicap Trot.
The 6-year-old gelded son of Cantab Hall, owned by Joann Dombeck along with trainer Jenny Bier, stopped the clock in 1:52.2, eclipsing Southwind Vavoom’s time by two-fifths of a second.Striking Ivy, with Kevin Wallis in the bike, was second, four lengths back, while Midnite Craze, driven by Ivan Davies, was third, 7-1/2 lengths back. Natural Herbie rallied to finish fourth while Oho Diamond, at the back of the pack for much of the mile, finished fifth in the septet.
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Trainer Ron Buke has raced at just about every racetrack along the east coast and the one thing that is constant is he knows how to win. Burke eclipsed the $150 million mark in career earnings at Northfield Park on Monday night (March 28), taking the co-featured $13.500 Open Trot with Barn Girl.
Barn Girl raced a majority of her starts in the New York Sire Stakes last year and in late 2015 was sold to Ron Burke. Since bringing Barn Girl to Northfield he has set the track record for 4-year-old mares and she is unbeaten in 2016.
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Wiggle It Jiggleit kicked off his 4-year-old season by breezing to an easy 1:51.4 victory in the $60,000 Invitational Handicap on a windy Monday (March 28) at Dover Downs.
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Top turf sprinter Bobby's Kitten won his European debut easily March 28 when he posted an 8 1/2-length victory in the March 28 listed Cork Stakes at Cork Racecourse in Ireland.
Ridden by Pat Smullen for trainer Dermot Weld, the 5-year-old horse byKitten's Joy tracked the leaders early, challenged two furlongs out, and then took over with a furlong remaining. He covered six furlongs on turf rated heavy in 1:18.54.
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California Chrome had a quiet Sunday at Meydan Racecourse in the United Arab Emirates a day after his dramatic win in the $10 million Dubai World Cup.
Alan Sherman, assistant trainer to his father, trainer Art Sherman, said in an email that California Chrome "came out of his race great."
California Chrome won the Dubai World Cup at 1-1/4 miles on dirt by 3-3/4 lengths in a stellar field. He won even though his saddle slipped, creating an awkward situation for jockey Victor Espinoza and causing concern for his backers in the stretch. The saddle was visibly farther down California Chrome's back when he reached the wire than it was at the start.
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