Things to know today
| 1 |
Mike Repole says he offered 300 million dollars for Gulfstream Park in the spring of 2025 and would have closed the deal by the Friday. He made the offer to Belinda Stronach, chief executive of The Stronach Group, and then told Keith Brackpool, hired to explore a sale of the group’s racing division, to name his price. Brackpool instead asked whether he would buy the Palm Meadows training centre, which Repole declined. He would take the casino from more than 700 slot machines to the Florida limit of 2,000 and race nine months a year rather than twelve, and he expects that by 2029 or 2030 Tampa Bay Downs will be the only track left in the state (Thoroughbred Daily News) |
| 2 |
A Pennsylvania man has become the first person charged under New York’s 2024 ban on the slaughter of horses. State troopers stopped a Freightliner on US Highway 11 in DeKalb at about 2:24am on Wednesday and found horses tagged for transport to Canada, and Robert M. Seitz was charged under section 385.02 of the Agriculture and Markets Law. Twenty five horses were taken into care. The stop followed a complaint from the New York State Humane Association and an investigation into a Pennsylvania livestock dealer alongside Customs and Border Protection, the Department of Agriculture and Animals’ Angels. Seitz was given an appearance ticket for the Town of DeKalb court and no hearing has concluded (New York State Police, Thoroughbred Daily News) |
| 3 |
Caroline St. Beat denied Europe a third straight Nashville Derby Invitational, winning the three million dollar Grade 2 at Kentucky Downs on Saturday by a length and a half in 2:08.49 over a mile and five sixteenths on turf. The Tiz the Law colt, trained by Miguel Clement for Madaket Stables and Steven Bouchey and ridden by Tyler Gaffalione, was winning for the third time in five starts, a week after taking an allowance at Saratoga. Hugo Palmer’s Glacius, winner of the Grade 1 Saratoga Derby, set the pace and held second, with Go Grey third. Joseph O’Brien’s Nil Bua Gan Dua was fourth and Aidan O’Brien’s Causeway fifth. Bellum Justum and Wimbledon Hawkeye had won the past two runnings, both ridden by Frankie Dettori (Horse Racing Nation, DraftKings Network) |
| 4 |
Joao Moreira flies into Toronto to ride Wathnan Racing’s Archivist in next weekend’s Grade 1 Woodbine Mile, replacing James Doyle, who cannot do the weight. The Dubawi four-year-old, trained by Hamad Al-Jehani, won a mile turf handicap at the Dubai World Cup Carnival in March, took the Golden Mile at the Qatar Goodwood Festival two starts later and then won the Group 3 Strensall at York by seven and a half lengths on 22 August. Moreira was four times leading rider in Singapore and won four Hong Kong premierships, with a best season of 170 winners. The Woodbine Mile is a Win and You’re In for the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Keeneland on 31 October (Thoroughbred Daily News) |
| 5 |
Velora took the thirteenth running of the Seeking the Ante at Saratoga on Friday, the seventh of eleven races on the card, run over six furlongs on dirt for a purse of 200,000 dollars. The Yaupon filly, trained by Linda Rice and ridden by Jose Ortiz, beat six other New York bred two-year-old fillies. The race is named for the New York bred mare who won the Grade 2 Nassau County Handicap in 2005 (DRF en Español) |
| 6 |
Bob Baffert saddles two of the ten entered for Sunday’s Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante, the 76th running of the seven furlong race for two-year-old fillies. Miss Monica, ridden by Juan Hernandez, and Holmby, ridden by Ricky Gonzalez, carry his colours, and Brendan Walsh sends out Panda Listen and Fast Amy. Baffert has won the race twelve times, including each of the past two years. He said a second start is very important and that Miss Monica needs to move forward now she meets winners again (Del Mar Thoroughbred Club) |
| 7 |
Vic Stauffer has retired from race calling at 67, Turf Paradise announced on Friday. He had come out of retirement to take the Phoenix track’s microphone last year, and before that spent several years announcing at Oaklawn Park. “I sincerely loved working with all the great people at Turf Paradise,” he said. “However, I truly love my wife, Tina, and my amazing home here in Hot Springs. At age 67, that has now become more important” (Thoroughbred Daily News) |
|
