Linda Rice
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - After nine days of racing, Linda Rice has already had a Saratoga season most trainers would consider a roaring success. Rice starts the third week of the meet Wednesday atop the trainers' table with 10 victories, one up on two-time defending champ Chad Brown and two ahead of Todd Pletcher, a 14-time Saratoga titlist. She is winning at a 32% clip and her 31 starters have finished in the top three 22 times, an impressive 70.9 %. How does it feel to be Linda Rice these...
After a close battle with his brother through the final days of the 40-day spring/summer meet at Belmont Park, jockey Jose Ortiz secured the leading riding title on Sunday at the Belmont oval, finishing the meet just one win ahead with 59 total victories. Ortiz celebrated his 12th overall meet riding title. He was also the leading rider on the NYRA circuit in 2016, 2020 and 2021. Ortiz closed out the meet with a record of 246-59-44-38 and total purse earnings of $4,921,926, putting him at a win rate of...
Prior to the running of the GI Belmont S., Jena Antonucci was hardly a household name, even within racing circles. Not anymore. The win she pulled off with Arcangelo (Arrogate) in the Belmont and the story it involved, a female trainer with a small stable and her $35,000 yearling creating history at Belmont Park, has energized an industry that was desperate for some good news. How did she do it and what did the win mean to her? Those were among the questions we asked her when Antonucci joined the...
The New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC)'s three-year ban of trainer Linda Rice is "entirely unwarranted," according to a decision handed down Thursday by the New York Supreme Court's Appellate Division (Third Department). The decision was unanimous. The Gaming Commission fined Rice $50,000 and revoked her license for three years on May 17, 2021 after investigating claims that Rice received favorable treatment from the NYRA racing office and that the racing office was releasing to her the names and past performances of horses that had already been entered in races,...
The 19-day Aqueduct Racetrack spring meet, which ran from Mar. 30 to Apr. 30, closed out with jockey Manny Franco and trainer Linda Rice repeat as the leaders in their respective divisions after taking the titles at this year's Aqueduct winter meet. Franco secured his second Big A spring meet riding title with 37 wins while Rice won her fourth Aqueduct spring meet training title with 17 wins. Franco, a 28-year-old native of Carolina, Puerto Rico, earned the eighth riding title of his career. "I'm very grateful for the help...
Jockey Manny Franco captured his fourth winter meet riding title at Aqueduct, posting 63 wins at the meet that ran from Jan. 1 to March 26. Linda Rice paced all trainers with 37 wins, while Windylea Farm secured their first NYRA-circuit owners title with 12 wins. "It means a lot to me. This is what we're here for," said Franco, who is represented by agent John Panagot. "I want to be one of the top riders here on the New York circuit, and I work hard to make it happen....
Downtown Mischief (Into Mischief) brought another stakes win home for super sire Into Mischief on Saturday afternoon at Aqueduct Racetrack. The New York-bred filly is now a perfect three-for three after her victory in the Cicada S. Breaking her maiden on-track Jan. 14, the Linda Rice trainee won that debut by a sparkling 7 3/4-lengths at six panels and followed that up at Ozone Park Feb. 17 by clearing the next optional claiming hurdle in the slop by 1 1/4-lengths over the next-out winner, Midtown Lights (Redesdale). Supported at the...
Every week, the TDN publishes a roundup of key official rulings from the primary tracks within the four major racing jurisdictions of California, New York, Florida and Kentucky. Here's a primer on how each of these jurisdictions adjudicates different offenses, what they make public (or not) and where. With the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) having gone into effect on July 1, the TDN will also post a roundup of the relevant HISA-related rulings from the same week. NEW YORK Track: Aqueduct Date: 02/16/2023 Licensee: Linda Rice, trainer Penalty:...
The eighth running of the Maddie May S. at Aqueduct Racetrack on Sunday afternoon was a memorable one, as Cairo Sugar (Cairo Prince--Spun Sugar, by Awesome Again) pulled off a 27-1 upset over 1-1 favorite, Les Bon Temps (Laoban). Racing along the rail, the longshot seized the lead down the backstretch and controlled the pace out on the engine. Turning back several rivals rounding the far turn, the eventual winner outlasted them all past the sixteenth marker to win over the late-charging chalk by over a length. The final running...
In this TDN series, Christie DeBernardis will tell the stories of accomplished and/or popular former racehorses who are now enjoying second careers as show horses, track ponies, etc. This "Where Are They Now" story is a bit of a personal one for me. I first met popular New York-bred stakes winner Blindwillie McTell (Posse), affectionately known as Willie, back in 2018 when he was just a 2-year-old. I was there the day he made his debut, finishing a game second at 19-1 in a state-bred maiden special weight at...
With 159 winners from 587 starters (27.09%), trainer Chad Brown secured an eighth consecutive year-ending training title at the tracks of the New York Racing Association (NYRA). Over the course of 196 racing days, Brown's runners finished in the top three 59.28% of the time. It was the Mechanicville native's best season on the NYRA circuit, surpassing the 154 he recorded in 2018. He completed the year with total New York purse earnings of just over $17.9 million. "It means a lot and I'm so proud of my team," said...
When Gary Gullo retired from training in September of 2020 after 40 years on the Belmont backside, it was with big goals in mind. Gullo teamed up with longtime owner Anthony Melfi to start GMP Stable, an operation focused on breeding, selling, racing and now an equine rehabilitation farm. Gullo and Melfi's main goal has always been to acquire and breed top- quality horses and the first member of their new-and-improved breeding program will be offered at the prestigious Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale next week. "It's our first time upgrading our...