Saratoga Racecourse

Red White and Blue Racing's Pashmina (Constitution), second in the Apr. 4 GIII Gazelle Stakes, will now take a shot in the May 1 GI Kentucky Oaks. The bay filly worked four furlongs over Belmont's dirt training track in :47.97 (19/88) Friday. It was her first breeze back since her pacesetting 1 1/4-length defeat to Always a Runner in the nine-furlong Gazelle. "She worked really good on Friday," trainer Rob Atras said. "The track was a little quick, the clocker said. I didn't think she was moving that fast, but...

The Belmont at the Big A spring/summer meet, which will open Apr. 30 and conclude June 28, will feature 16 stakes races worth $2.475 million in purses and will mark the final days of racing at Aqueduct Racetrack. Highlighting the stakes schedule is the $200,000 GIII Peter Pan Stakes, the New York prep for the GI Belmont Stakes, which will be held May 9. The New York Racing Association will waive entry and starting fees to the Belmont Stakes for the first three finishers of the Peter Pan. The GII...

The arbitrator in charge of trainer Phil Serpe's contested clenbuterol positive detected in a filly who won last summer at Saratoga Race Course has issued a final decision that metes out the exact penalties sought by the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU)--a two-year suspension, plus a race disqualification and forfeiture of purse winnings. Beyond the potentially career-ending banishment of the 66-year-old trainer, what was striking about the decision is that it did not impose any monetary fine upon Serpe. According to ADMC Rule 3223, Serpe could have faced a...

The 15th annual jockeys-versus-horsemen charity basketball game, which benefits the programs of the New York Race Track Chaplaincy, this year in partnership with the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund, will be played Aug. 1 at the Saratoga Springs Recreation Center beginnning at 7 p.m. The jockey team will once again be coached by Hall of Fame jockey Angel Cordero, Jr., with trainer Todd Pletcher and agent Kiaran McLaughlin coaching the horsemen team. Mitch Levites of the NYRA TV department will once again serve as the game's announcer. "This annual game is...

Dual graded stakes-winner Dornoch (Good Magic) is preparing at Saratoga Race Course for a potential start in the June 8 running of the GI Belmont S. "He loves it here," said trainer Danny Gargan. "He'll probably work Friday--we'll get a solid work in him over the Oklahoma." Dornoch was last seen finishing a troubled 10th in the GI Kentucky Derby where he drew the rail and was shuffled back at the half-mile call. He checked again at the quarter pole before running evenly down the lane. The bay colt posted...

Bell Gable Stable's Nutella Fella (Runhappy), off since winning last year's GI Hopeful S., could return to action in the June 8 GI Woody Stephens S. The bay colt upset the Hopeful at 54-1, but suffered a hind ankle injury while training for the GI Champagne S. and underwent surgery. He has been working at Oak Ridge Training Center in Ocala and is currently back with trainer Gary Contessa's string in Saratoga. "He worked five-eighths in 1:01 in Ocala before I brought him up last week," Contessa said. "He'll probably...

Rodeo Creek Racing's Blazing Sevens (Good Magic), who returned from a nine-month layoff to capture a one-mile allowance and earn a 97 Beyer at Aqueduct Saturday, may make his next start in the June 8 GI Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan H. "He had a wide journey and was fit enough to gut it out in a fairly quick time. We'll see how he comes out of the race and go from there, but I'll consider a race like the Met Mile," said trainer Chad Brown. "I think he's good enough....

Twenty-five local nonprofit organizations will be provided with reserved picnic tables for each day of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga June 6-9, the New York Racing Association announced Tuesday. The nonprofits primarily comprise those with the mission to deliver human services and provide direct assistance to individuals experiencing food insecurity, financial hardship, homelessness and mental and physical disability. Organizations were also selected for their support of veterans, families and children, and promotion of the arts. "NYRA is pleased to recognize the important role that nonprofit organizations play in...

The remaining days in 2023 dwindled to a few last week, a welcome development considering the year that it was. Yes, there was some good news. Arcangelo (Arrogate) winning the GI Belmont S. for trainer Jena Antonucci was as good a story as we've seen in some time. The saga of Cody's Wish (Curlin) continued to tug at our heartstrings. The sales continue to post huge numbers. Purses have soared in Kentucky and at Oaklawn, with maidens running for pots in excess of $100,000. But for every good story there...

Trust in institutions, across all industries around the world, has reached an all-time low. Why? Well, as Jason Litt said in his letter to the editor, it's because the 'old guard' have not been held to the same standards as the rest of us in terms of performance, accountability, and transparency. Too arrogant to admit failure, too entrenched to change and too shrouded in secrecy. Confidence in horse racing's industry leaders has evaporated, just like the confidence and favourable opinion the public. So why wait for these very same institutions...

Old Friends in Georgetown, Kentucky, welcomed V. E. Day this week, the retirement farm said in a release Friday. The 2014 GI Travers S. hero, V. E. Day (English Channel--California Sunset, by Deputy Minister) came to Old Friends following the death of his owner-breeder Magalen O. Bryant in 2021. Bryant's representative, Johnathan Miller, and her daughter, K. C. Graham, visited Old Friends earlier this year when it was decided that the stallion would retire from stud duty. "V. E. Day was a courageous Travers winner and we inquired about his...

Former Major League Baseball pitcher and author Chris Carpenter will release his children's book "The Long Shot" in July. A percentage of the proceeds from the sale of the book, which is based on Carpenter's experiences with the racehorse Benbang (Shanghai Bobby), will benefit the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation. "I am honored to collaborate with the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation and contribute to their vital work," Carpenter said. "By supporting the foundation through the sales of 'The Long Shot,' we can make a tangible difference in the lives of retired racehorses, offering...