Los Alamitos

Following a disappointing spring which saw two top Bob Baffert trainees-Nadal (Blame) and Charlatan (Speightstown)-get bounced off the GI Kentucky Derby trail, the horseman emerges with a pair of live contenders in Saturday's GIII Los Alamitos Derby. The more accomplished of the two is Albaugh Family Stables and Spendthrift Farm's Thousand Words (Pioneerof the Nile), the winner of his first three starts, including last winter's GII Los Alamitos Futurity and the GIII Robert B. Lewis S. Feb. 1. After fading to fourth behind stablemate Authentic (Into Mischief) in the Mar....

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency PAIR OF WELL-BRED DEBUTANTES IN CHURCHILL OPENER 1st-CD, $79K, Msw, 3yo/up, f/m, 6f, 1:00p.m. The appropriately named LUCKY FIND (Uncle Mo), a $50,000 KEESEP buy from a deep Helen Groves family, makes her career bow in this spot for Glen Hill Farm and Tom Proctor. Out of MSW Tea Time (Pulpit), the bay hails from the family of dual champion Covfefe (Into Mischief) and Grade I winners Arch (Kris S.) and Acoma (Empire Maker). Robert and Lawana Low homebred Sea Garden (Curlin) also debuts in...

Larry Collmus, the voice of NBC's Triple Crown and Breeders' Cup broadcasts, will join Michael Wrona in the announcer's booth for Kentucky Downs's six-day live race meet, the track announced Tuesday. "I'm excited about calling the races at Kentucky Downs and looking forward to getting back in action," said Collmus, who was the New York Racing Association announcer from 2015 through last fall after spending a year calling the races at Churchill Downs. "The purses at Kentucky Downs are second to none and the unique layout is a fun challenge....

The California Horse Racing Board will re-open its Los Alamitos Race Course Licensing Office solely for renewal applications. Protective measures have been taken to assist with mitigating the risk of COVID-19 for CHRB staff and the public. Similar plans are in the process at Golden Gate Fields, Santa Anita Park, and CHRB Headquarters in Sacramento. In an effort to prevent the introduction of new people to the backside of the track, new licenses will not be issued at this time, however, exceptions will be considered if the license is necessary...

The two-week Summer Thoroughbred Festival at Los Alamitos, which will run from June 26 through July 5, will feature three stakes events worth $450,000. The July 4 holiday card will be highlighted by the $200,000 GII Great Lady M. S. for fillies and mares at 6 1/2 furlongs and the $150,000 GIII Los Alamitos Derby. The $100,000 Soi Phet S. will be run June 27.

Santa Anita may not be running, but that hasn't kept a number of horsemen from finding ways to win races and earn money for their owners. With Santa Anita shutting down Mar. 29, more and more Thoroughbreds are finding their way to Los Alamitos, where the track has been carding more races suited to Thoroughbreds. For Los Alamitos, that has meant more races, full fields and record handle numbers. "The purses aren't what we are used to at Santa Anita, but they're more than if you just breeze them," said...

Three stakes races--including a pair of graded events--highlight the Summer Thoroughbred Festival at Los Alamitos. The two-week meet will begin Friday, June 26 and continue through Sunday, July 5. The richest event on the calendar is the $200,000 GII Great Lady M. S. for fillies & mares at 6 1/2 furlongs July 4. Marley's Freedom (Blame) has won the Great Lady M the past two years. The other graded race is the $100,000 GIII Los Alamitos Derby, which will also be held July 4. Hall of Famer Bob Baffert has...

The financial toll from COVID-19 on the racing industry in California, spurred by the suspension of live Thoroughbred racing, has been sharp and swift. Backstretch healthcare and mental illness services have been pared back, those in charge of other programs reliant on betting revenue are wondering how to bolster coffers if the broader economy nose-dives, while the financial thumb-screws have been further twisted on stretched-thin trainers. What's more, all this is playing out against an economic backdrop that was already shaky. The California Horse Racing Board's (CHRB) latest annual report...

Still another track, Golden Gate Fields, was forced to stop racing last week, leaving only a precious few wagering opportunities for action-hungry horseplayers. But more betting opportunities are on their way--even if they aren't necessarily the real thing. Wagering on virtual horse races is now being offered by three ADWs and more are expected to come on board soon. The contestants are computer generated horses or greyhounds that dart across the screen in real time, battling it out against one another to see who gets to the wire first. Virtual...

The Thoroughbred Owners of California issued the following updates to its members Saturday related to the COVID-19 pandemic and current closures of Santa Anita Park and Golden Gate Fields: Racing Cancelled at Golden Gate Fields In accordance with an order received Thursday, Apr. 2 from the Alameda County Public Health Officer, Golden Gate Fields has temporarily closed for live racing in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. While there is no specific time frame for return of racing, stabling and daily training will continue at Golden Gate for the approximately 1000...

Four of the seven runners slated to contest Saturday's GII Best Pal S. graduated at first asking, including morning-line choice Schrodinger (Justin Phllip), trained by Simon Callaghan and owned by Kaleem Shah. Heavy favorite in his Los Alamitos debut June 30, he came from just off the pace to score by 1 1/4 lengths under Flavian Prat. The French-born rider gets back aboard this time. Also likely to garner plenty of support at the windows, Fore Left (Twirling Candy) just got up for a narrow score subsequent GIII Bashford Manor...

The Week in Review, by T.D. Thornton Four-time Grade I-winning 4-year-old McKinzie (Street Sense) has always been saddled with high expectations, while 3-year-old Mr. Money (Goldencents) has now achieved millionaire status by grinding out four consecutive Grade III victories. Convincing wins on Saturday gave each horse a divisional foothold, with McKinzie establishing himself as the top two-turn older dirt horse who might finally be getting comfortable with kingpin status, and Mr. Money carving out a niche as the late-blooming sophomore who appears primed to punch above his weight thanks to...