Rider For Belmont Stakes Contender Casino Drive To Be Named
Horse trainer Kazou Fujisawa and owner Hidetoshi Yamamoto are still deciding on a rider to replace jockey Kent Desormeaux, who rode Casino Drive to a 5 3/4 length victory in the Peter Pan Stakes (gr. II) at Belmont Park last May 10, in the 2008 Belmont Stakes.
Jockey Kent Desormeaux has ridden Big Brown in four straight starts, including a 5 1/4-length victory in the Preakness Stakes on May 17 at Pimlico Race Course. The son of Boundary, Big Brown, also won by 4 3/4 lengths under Desormeaux in the Kentucky Derby on May 3 at Churchill Downs. Big Brown seeks to become horse racing’s 12th Triple Crown winner with a win in the Belmont Stakes.
A half brother to 2006 Belmont Stakes winner Jazil and three-quarter brother to 2007 Belmont Stakes winner and champion three-year-old filly Rags to Riches,
Casino Drive may join Algerine (1876) and Prince Eugene (1913) as horses that won the Belmont Stakes in their third career starts.
Read full story: "Rider For Belmont Stakes Contender Casino Drive To Be Named"...
Hall of Fame Jockey Edgar Prado Took A Spill at Keeneland
Recently entered into the Hall of Fame jockey Edgar Prado took a spill on the 7th race at Keeneland on April 23 and was sent to the University of Kentucky Medical Center for X-rays. He was released the same day.
The Peruvian jockey, Edgar Prado, was riding Richard Thompson’s 3-year-old Diktat filly bred in Britain, May Meeting, to her 5th start in the 1 1/8-mile allowance race on turf. She dropped Prado soon after the start, but did not appear to be injured, according to reports from Keeneland.
May Meeting is trained by H. Graham Motion who also trains Adriano, Courtlandt Farms’s 2008 Kentucky Derby starter and the colt jockey Edgar Prado will ride in the 2008 Kentucky Derby.
Read full story: "Hall of Fame Jockey Edgar Prado Took A Spill at Keeneland"...
Jockey Edgar Prado, Trainer Carl Nafzger Elected to Hall of Fame
Jockey Edgar Prado, who rode Barbaro to victory in the 2006 Kentucky Derby, and horse trainer Carl Nafzger were elected to the National Museum of Racing’s Hall of Fame on Monday.
Also elected were jockey Ismael “Milo” Valenzuela and horses Inside Information, Manila and Ancient Title.
Forty-year-old Edgar Prado led the nation in victories in consecutive years from 1997-97. In 2006, he guided the late Barbaro to a win in the Run for the Roses at Churchill Downs on his way to winning the Eclipse Award as the nation’s top jockey.
Horse trainer Carl Nafzger, 67, has conditioned champions such as Unbridled, Banshee Breeze and Street Sense, last year’s Kentucky Derby winner, during his career.
Read full story: "Jockey Edgar Prado, Trainer Carl Nafzger Elected to Hall of Fame"...
Top 3 Gulfstream Jockeys Go To Tampa Bay Downs March 15
Jockey Eibar Coa holds a lead of one over John Velazquez in the Gulfstream Park rider standings at 63-62 going into Friday’s 62nd program of the meet, but their rivalry will have a one-day hiatus Saturday when both travel to Tampa Bay Downs for stakes mounts.
Jockey Jose Lezcano currently ranks 3rd with 43 winners and also will make the trip to Tampa Bay Downs. Kent Desormeaux, 4th at 42, and Edgar Prado, 5th with 40, will stay at Gulfstream Park throughout the weekend.
Jockey Cornelio Velasquez is the defending Gulfstream Park champion from 2007 and ranks 7th at this meet with 29 tallies, and he too will be in action at Tampa Bay Downs Saturday with mounts including Robert La Penta’s undefeated Eclipse Award juvenile champion War Pass in the $300,000 Tampa Bay Derby (gr. III).
Read full story: "Top 3 Gulfstream Jockeys Go To Tampa Bay Downs March 15"...
Jockey Corey Nakatani Returns From An Injury To Ride In Santa Anita’s Baldwin Stakes
Jockey Corey Nakatani, a winner of seven Breeders’ Cup events, returns Sunday from 6 weeks on the sidelines with a broken right collarbone (full story at Horse Racing News) to ride Sky Cape, a leading contender in Santa Anita Park’s $100,000 Baldwin Stakes (gr. IIIT) for 3-year-olds.
The complete field for the Baldwin Stakes at 6 1/2 furlongs over Santa Anita Park‘s downhill turf course, with jockeys and weights in post position order:
- Ten Meropa ridden by jockey Tyler Baze carries 115 lbs.
- Sea of Pleasure ridden by jockey David Flores, 117 lbs.
- D. Double You ridden by jockey Rafael Bejarano, 117 lbs.
- Nevada Worrier ridden by jockey Jon Court, 115 lbs.
- Sky Cape ridden by jockey Corey Nakatani, 117 lbs.
- Doc On the Rock ridden by jockey Michael Baze, 115 lbs.
- Standing High ridden by jockey Alonso Quinonez, 115 lbs.
- Italian Rules ridden by jockey Joel Rosario, 117 lbs.
- Returning ridden by jockey Victor Espinoza, 115 lbs.
Read full story: "Jockey Corey Nakatani Returns From An Injury To Ride In Santa Anita’s Baldwin Stakes"...
A Dozen Finalists Named For Horse Racing Hall of Fame
A dozen to be the 2008 finalists for election to the National Museum of Racing’s Hall of Fame. The 12 finalists consisting of 7 horses, 3 jockeys, and 2 trainers were determined by a vote of the Hall of Fame Nominating Committee.
Hall of Fame Finalists for Trainers
To be eligible, trainers must be licensed and actively involved with Thoroughbreds for 25 years or have been retired for a minimum of five years. The finalists for Hall of Fame trainers are:
Carl Nafzger, 66, has trained two Kentucky Derby winners, Unbridled in 1990, and Street Sense in 2007. Both were division champions, as was Banshee Breeze, the outstanding 3-year-old filly of 1998. Unbridled also won the Breeders’ Cup Classic in 1990 and Street Sense was the first winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile to win the Kentucky Derby. Through the end of 2007, Carl Nafzger had 1,068 victories from 8,041 mounts, purse earnings of $50,203,640 and 68 graded stakes victories.
Read full story: "A Dozen Finalists Named For Horse Racing Hall of Fame"...
Fair Grounds Set For 2008 Louisiana Derby Preview Day
The brightest stars in the horse racing industry will gather on Louisiana Derby Preview Day at Fair Grounds Saturday, February 9.
All three Eclipse Award champion jockey finalists, winner Garrett Gomez, Robby Albarado and John Velazquez will be riding at Fair Grounds this Saturday. The top 2 Eclipse Award vote-getters for top trainer, winner Todd Pletcher and Steve Asmusse will also send out their horses to participate in Saturday’s horse racing program.
And with the spotlight on the 3-year-old divisions, half of the six Eclipse Award finalists for champion 2-year-old male and 2-year-old filly of 2007 are scheduled to run at Fair Grounds on Louisiana Derby Preview Day, including filly champion Indian Blessing.
Read full story: "Fair Grounds Set For 2008 Louisiana Derby Preview Day"...
Jockey Russell Baze Recorded 10,000th Win
Jockey Russell Baze recorded his 10,000th career victory Friday, February 1, at Golden Gate Fields and the milestone win came by the slimmest of margins.
Russell Baze, the winningest jockey in North American racing history, won the third race of the day aboard Two Step Cat, who prevailed in a three-horse photo finish over Brite Oakie and Unusual Men.
Read full story: "Jockey Russell Baze Recorded 10,000th Win"...
Jockey Russell Baze Nearing 10,000 Victory Mark
Russell Baze rode 2 winners on Monday at Golden Gate Fields, leaving him 3 victories short of becoming the first thoroughbred jockey to win 10,000 horse races.
Read full story: "Jockey Russell Baze Nearing 10,000 Victory Mark"...
2007 Eclipse Award Winners
Preakness Stakes and Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Curlin won the Horse of the Year and 3-year-old Male honors at the 37th Annual Eclipse Awards on Monday night, January 21.
Curlin took a landslide vote over the competition in Horse of the Year voting, receiving 249 first-place votes to 12 for Belmont Stakes winner Rags to Riches. The 2006 Horse of the Year, Invasor, earned two votes.
Corinthian, English Channel and Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense received one each in balloting by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), Daily Racing Form (DRF) and National Turf Writers Association.
Curlin dominated Street Sense and Kentucky Derby runner-up Hard Spun in voting for 3-year-old Male category. Curlin got 262 votes, Street Sense 3 and Hard Spun 1.
Curlin’s 2007 campaign were included winning the Arkansas Derby and the Jockey Club Gold Cup.
Read full story: "2007 Eclipse Award Winners"...
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