Linda Rice

ELMONT, N.Y.--Linda Rice is as meticulous as they come in preparing her horses. The conditioner knows every detail about each and every horse in her care and maps out very specific plans for them. But, as organized as Rice is, she is equally as adaptable, as every horse trainer must be, and those qualities have served her well as she prepares Max Player (Honor Code) for a step up to the big leagues in an unconventional edition of the GI Belmont S. Saturday. Max Player's unique journey to the top...

ELMONT, NY -- Led by imposing GI Curlin Florida Derby winner Tiz the Law (Constitution), a field of 10 has been drawn for Saturday's shortened 152nd renewal of the $1-million GI Belmont S. Tiz the Law, also an authoritative winner of last term's GI Champagne S. at Belmont Park, will break from post eight under regular rider Manny Franco in the first leg of the reshuffled Triple Crown going 1 1/8 miles. The 6-5 morning-line favorite is trained by Barclay Tagg for Sackatoga Stable. Tagg and Jack Knowlton's outfit, of...

Last-out GIII Withers S. scorer Max Player (Honor Code) breezed Saturday morning at Belmont, getting six furlongs in 1:12.25 under work rider Oscar Gomez. It was the sophomore's last work before the GI Belmont S., which is scheduled for June 20. Owned by George E. Hall, who won the 2011 Belmont with Ruler On Ice (Roman Ruler), Max Player is trained by Linda Rice, who last had a runner in the Belmont in 2003 with Supervisor (Skip Trial). "He went the first three-eighths in :36.3 and I instructed Oscar to...

Phoenix Ladies Syndicate has added Linda Rice to their training roster. Rice will oversee the careers of three of the Dubai based team's runners, including 2-year-old Wild America (American Pharoah), a $400,000 KESEP yearling purchase out of Wild Bout Tiffany (Wildcat Heir). "I am very excited to join the Phoenix Ladies team." said Rice. "We received our first horse this week in Wild America; she is a beautiful American Pharoah filly with a lot of potential. We are hoping for great things in our new venture together!" Also joining Rice...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency GUARANA RETURNS AT CHURCHILL 8th-CD, $85K, Opt. Clm. ($80K), 3yo/up, f/m, 7f, 4:46p.m. Dual Grade I winner and 'TDN Rising Star' GUARANA (Ghostzapper) makes her seasonal bow Thursday beneath the Twin Spires. Demolishing the field in her debut by 14 3/4 lengths in the slop at Keeneland last April, the bay followed suit with another dominant win in Belmont's GI Acorn S. in June. Capturing the GI CCA Oaks at Saratoga next out July 21, she was second when last seen in the GI Cotillion...

GIII Wither S. hero Max Player (Honor Code) breezed six furlongs in 1:13.87 (1/2) Friday morning on the Belmont training track in preparation for the June 20 GI Belmont S. "He had a nice workout today. He went six furlongs in 1:13 4/5 on the training track and did it easily," said trainer Linda Rice. "We were happy with it. We'll give him two more workouts before the Belmont." A second-out graduate at Parx in December, the George Hall homebred came running late to take the nine-furlong Withers in February...

On Mar. 19, the New York Racing Association suspended racing for an undetermined period after a backstretch worker tested positive for COVID-19, which left New York horsemen scrambling to adjust and come up with Plan B for themselves, their horses and their staff. Nine days later--following the announcement that Aqueduct had been approved as a temporary hospital site--NYRA announced that the rest of the Aqueduct winter meet would be canceled and the Ozone Park oval would not host its traditional spring meet, headlined by the GII Wood Memorial S. "On...

Trainer Linda Rice notched 40 wins for her second consecutive winter meet crown, while jockey Manny Franco posted 64 victories to win his third consecutive winter meet title at Aqueduct Racetrack. Drawing Away Stable bested all owners with 19 wins for the abbreviated winter meet that ran from Dec. 12 through Mar. 15. "It's exciting to win another title," said Rice of her title defense. "I was pleased to finally come away with a win last year and it's great to build on that success. I changed my business model...

Even if most racing is delayed, we're all hoping it will get underway sometime this spring or early summer, if for no other reason than so we can all find out the answer to our annual favorite question. We surveyed some top judges on who their leading first-crop sire is, and to give us some under-the-radar picks as well. LINDA RICE I am a big fan of Nyquist. He was a brilliant 2-year-old, winning the Breeders' Cup Juvenile and the Eclipse Award, and he carried that into his 3-year-old year,...

George Hall's Max Player (Honor Code), winner of the Feb. 12 GIII Withers S., worked seven furlongs in 1:27.20 (1/1) at Belmont Park last Wednesday. The sophomore had been expected to make his next start in the Apr. 4 GII Wood Memorial S. before racing was suspended in New York. "He worked really well," said trainer Linda Rice. "We had planned on shooting towards the Wood Memorial and he had been training really nicely into that race." Rice said the recent announcement moving the GI Kentucky Derby to Sept. 5...

George Hall's Max Player (Honor Code) exited his victory in Saturday's GIII Withers S. at Aqueduct in fine shape and will likely make his next appearance in the Apr. 4 GII Wood Memorial. Sent to post at odds of 5-1, Max Player was in tight and taking significant kickback into the first turn before jockey Dylan Davis angled him outside for smoother sailing. Settled wide in fifth, he grinded his way into contention through the final turn and found his best stride late to put away GII Remsen S. winner...

Max Player went from maiden winner to graded winner by outstaying his competition in Saturday's GIII Withers S. His victory was both the first black-type and graded for sire Honor Code (A.P. Indy), whose Lane's End barn mate Tonalist was also represented by his first graded winner Saturday in the form of GIII Forward Gal S. romper Tonalist's Shape. Awkward early but flying home late when second on debut going a mile at Parx Nov. 12, Max Player broke through in the slop by 4 1/4 lengths back in Bensalem...