Category Archives: What’s Happening!

Jockey David Egan, England’s champion apprentice of 2017, registered his first North American victory when Mohan Stable’s Bobby G galloped to a 5 ½-length win in Friday’s fourth race at Laurel Park. Making his 12th career start and first since being claimed for $5,000 off a 13 ½-length win Feb. 2 by trainer Jose Corrales, Bobby G ($8.20) ran about 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.42 over a fast main track in the $25,000 starter optional claimer for 3-year-olds and up.

Pope McLean’s Crestwood Farm has announced a new “Breed Risk Free” breeders’ incentive plan. “Breed Risk Free” rewards breeders by allowing contracted stud fees to be paid out of sales proceeds and waived entirely if the resultant yearling does not sell for $20,000 plus contract price.

Record prize money for horsemen will be distributed at Churchill Downs’ 145th Spring Meet thanks to early returns from state-of-the-art historical racing machines at Derby City Gaming. The first condition book, which covers the first half of the 38-day Spring Meet at the Louisville, Ky., track, was released Wednesday, and purses for the 189 offered races total $20.1 million – an unprecedented 46 percent increase from last spring’s $13.7 million. The daily average is $1,056,842 compared to $722,579 in 2018, or $106,243 per race versus $72,640.

As elusive as a snow leopard, as mythic as a unicorn, the colt that many consider the most promising and thrilling Kentucky Derby prospect, who disappeared after destroying competition last summer at two -years-old, Instagrand, has reappeared. After winning the August 11, 2018 running of the Grade 2 Best Pal S. at Del Mar, Instagrand went into hiding, with Jerry Hollendorfer, his trainer, being as closed-mouthed as usual about when he would next start, and his whereabouts. We may never know what transpired to make this stunning colt vanish so completely.

Trainer Kenny McPeek has joined the Water Hay Oats Alliance in support of the Horseracing Integrity Act, which would standardize medication rules in American racing by appointing an independent, non-governmental agency to oversee regulations, testing and enforcement and align the United States with international standards on race-day medication.

Ortiz Brothers Day at Gulfstream Park? Must’ve missed the memo. The Ortiz Brothers, however, did not, and demonstrated such a dominance of the day’s racing that it boggles the mind. In the first race, a maiden claimer, Jose Ortiz rode the winner, and Irad Ortiz, Jr., came in second. In the second, another claimer, it was Irad who won. In the third, another claimer, Jose won, with Irad coming in second. In the fourth, the brothers gave Jaramillo a chance to win, but came in second (Jose) and third (Irad).

The annual Hall of Fame nominees were announced, and they really did resemble that fabulous girl group from Motown, ages ago—gorgeous, harmonic, stellar. They were three time Champion and winner of six Grade One races, Royal Delta (Empire Maker); Horse of the Year Havre de Grace (Saint Liam); her frequent nemesis (you’ve got to have rivalries in girl groups), Champion Blind Luck (Pollard’s Vision); and the only filly to ever win the Belmont S.-G1 (and two other prestigious Grade One races for fillies), beating leading sire Curlin in the process in an unforgettable stretch duel, Rags to Riches (A.P. Indy).

This being awards season for movies, it would be appropriate for big winners to thank everyone in the world who ever helped him or her get anything done. The length of lists can be appalling. On Saturday, February 9, 2019, however, when John Sadler won the San Marcos S.-G2 at Santa Anita with his Galileo colt Platinum Warrior, he would only have had to thank one person: Simon Callaghan, for not entering a horse in the race.

Congratulations to new mama Songbird, who delivered her first foal, a filly by Horse of the Year Arrogate, five minutes after her due date—Songbird continues, as a broodmare, her near perfect record as a race mare, almost always right on time and knowing where the wire was.

No surprise that a Baffert maiden, Dessman, won the seventh at Santa Anita on January 19, 2019, by eight lengths. The gorgeous hunk of horseflesh towered over the field, both in racing terms and in looks, weighing 250 pounds more than any other horse in the field (Santa Anita posts weights of all horses), and looking like the proverbial man among boys.