California

Great expectations don't necessarily begin with lofty intent. Most new licensees start out hungry for that one lionheart of any stripe to announce their arrival. Those trainers who are routinely sent the big weekend warriors learn to acquire a more refined palate, to remodulate their ambitions accordingly. But scant few are fortunate enough to have harnessed the sort of thunderbolt that doesn't just electrify a trainer's career but leaves a patch of scorched earth for posterity. And really, how many ever expect to? In part one, we deconstructed some of...

Hit the Road (More Than Ready) struck a blow for the locals, parlaying a perfect trip into a stirring short-neck victory in Saturday's GI Frank E. Kilroe Mile S. at Santa Anita. Drawn in gate two with the visiting Florent Geroux in the irons, Hit the Road found the perfect spot in the box seat, as Flying Scotsman (English Channel) sped across from his outside barrier to supplant favored Smooth Like Strait (Midnight Lute). The pace was sensible through the middle stages, with positions largely unchanged, and Hit the Road...

The California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) has released its annual report, covering both the fiscal year 2019-2020 and the calendar year 2020. As expected, given the onslaught of a global pandemic, it paints a rather grim economic picture, but there are major positives to be gleaned, chiefly in the equine safety arena. When it comes to the business side of the equation, all-breed total handle generation during 2020 declined by 7% over the prior year. Because of a wholesale shift away from bricks and mortar wagering towards ADW platforms last...

The TOC Board unanimously elected Gary Fenton to serve as the new Chairman of the organization replacing outgoing Chairman Nick Alexander, who stepped down after five years in the role. Fenton has been on the TOC Board since 2016 and has served as Chairman of the TOC Racing Committee since 2018 and TOC Vice-Chairman since 2019. Fenton is the managing partner of Little Red Feather Racing (LRF), California's largest syndicate. He began his career as an entertainment attorney working for the William Morris Agency and media companies including ATG, Carsey-Werner,...

The 'Wild West Bonus,' offering a $1-million payday to the connections of any horse that is able to win the $400,000 GI Santa Anita H. Mar. 6, the $300,000 GI Gold Cup at Santa Anita May 31 and the $750,000 GI TVG Pacific Classic at Del Mar Aug. 21, was unveiled Monday morning by officials at Santa Anita Park and the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club. Any horse that manages a sweep would take home a total of $1,870,000. Each of the three events is contested over the Classic distance of...

Surf Cat (Sir Cat--Trust Greta, by Centrust), the sire of graded winner and 2017 California Horse of the Year Sircat Sally and GSW San Onofre, will stand the 2021 breeding season at Rancho San Miguel in San Miguel, CA. He will command a fee of $2,500, live foal guarantee. A graded winner on dirt and synthetic, short and long, and placed in Grade I company for the late Bruce Headley, Surf Cat has sired 57 winners to date, including the additional stakes horses Tule Fog, K Thirty Eight and Surfing...

With many wheels of California's daily industry operations greased through wagering made at bricks and mortar venues, a pandemic-driven wholesale betting shift towards ADW platforms has thrown a sizeable wrench into the works, prompting something of a fiscal scramble to readjust. Just last week, the Southern California Stabling & Vanning Racing Committee announced a set of stop-gap funding measures to grapple with a $2-million deficit and maintain the stabling status-quo in the southern portion of the state during 2021. On Wednesday, the Thoroughbred Owners of California ("TOC") announced a new...

China Horse Club and WinStar's Life Is Good (Into Mischief) lived up to his dazzling, 'TDN Rising Star'-worthy debut with a good-looking score in Saturday's GIII Sham S. at Santa Anita. Romping by 9 1/2 lengths in his 6 1/2-panel unveiling at Del Mar Nov. 22, he fired a pair of bullet works in the interim and was hammered down to 1-5 favoritism to repeat in this first try at two turns. Not off to the fastest start from the outside post in this five-horse affair, the $525,000 KEESEP purchase...

Edited Press Release A 4-year-old colt bred in California Mar. 23, 2017, Catemaco (Girolamo) won his first start Friday by a widening four lengths at Santa Anita, leading throughout six furlongs in a sprightly 1:09.08, paying $30.60 to his scattered backers and earning $36,000 for owners Twilight Racing LLC and Steve Taub, all pretty remarkable facts in their own right. But truth be told, it's a miracle Catemaco is even alive. He swallowed a black widow spider when he was 4-months-old, had a reaction that put him near death and...

A total of $23,003,159 was wagered on the stakes-packed, 11-race program Saturday at Santa Anita, surpassing the previous record of $20.4 million for the same number of races Dec. 26, 2018, a Wednesday. With the exception of essential licensed personnel, which includes horse owners, the track remains closed to the public. "We want to thank our fans, owners, trainers, jockeys and other stakeholders for supporting our racing program and contributing to a strong opening day," said Nate Newby, Santa Anita Senior Vice President and General Manager. "This has been a...

After 8 1/2 furlongs of Saturday's GII Los Alamitos Futurity, it was a 'Close Encounter' with pacesetting outsider The Great One (Nyquist)--playing 'Catch Me If You Can'--but $1-million Keeneland September yearling purchase Spielberg (Union Rags) managed to snatch victory from the 'Jaws' of defeat, as he was the recipient of the kindest of headbobs to give Bob Baffert his seventh consecutive victory in the event, now held at the Orange County oval. Drawn widest in a field of six, the second betting choice attended the pace three wide outside of...

For the "safety and well-being" of those living or working on site at Golden Gate Fields, the facility will continue its temporary suspension of live racing until the scheduled start of the impending winter meet on Dec. 26, according to a Golden Gate Fields press release Thursday. Towards the end of last month, racing was suspended at Golden Gate after more than 200 people living or working on-site had tested positive for the virus. The current fall meet was scheduled to end on Dec. 13. In a separate press release...