Los Alamitos

Historically, Independence Day racing had served up a smorgasbord of delectable graded action throughout the U.S. Since the advent of the 'Super Saturday' format instituted in many of the nation's biggest racing jurisdictions in more recent times, however, July 4 racing has felt a little more abstemious than gourmand. Underscoring the point, this year's holiday racing schedule features a single graded stakes race, the GII Great Lady M. at Los Alamitos. Formerly the Sequoia H., the Great Lady M. was initially contested over seven furlongs at Hollywood Park in 1941,...

Last month, trainer Peter Miller was fined $10,000 and suspended seven days by the Santa Anita Park stewards for violating the California Horse Racing Board's (CHRB) rules against program training. The CHRB contended that Miller had remained involved in the daily training of horses after they had been turned over to and listed under the name of his former assistant, Ruben Alvarado. Alvarado was named in the original complaint, but had avoided any formal sanctions until last Friday, when he was suspended 14 days by the Los Alamitos stewards for...

The California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) has filed a complaint against trainer Peter Miller, alleging that he was involved in the daily training of horses after they had been turned over to and put under the name of his former assistant Ruben Alvarado. Alvarado has also been charged in a separate complaint involving the same allegations. In November, Miller announced that he was taking a "temporary hiatus" from training to spend "more time with my family, focus on overall health and wellness, and pursue other interests." The announcement created speculation...

The Racing Officials Accreditation Program (ROAP), which accredits and provides continuing education to all racing officials, stewards, and judges in racing, will hold its annual accreditation school for stewards and judges at California's Los Alamitos Race Course from Sept. 11-18. The course, which includes 60 hours of schooling, provides classroom instruction as well as time shadowing officials. Curriculum covers both Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing, as well as harness racing. The accreditation school is open to all applicants who meet and complete the registration requirements by Aug. 12. In addition,...

California became the first state to opt into the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) enforcement structure on Thursday when the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) voted 7-0 to collect and remit fees on behalf of the new federal HISA Authority. For 2022, HISA has assessed California's portion of the Authority's budget to be $1.4 million, a figure that is based on starts and purses, and amounts to roughly 10% of the overall nationwide budget. It includes only the safety portion of the HISA program that will go into effect...

Three stakes--including a graded event--worth a combined $425,000 highlight the Los Angeles County Fair meet at Los Alamitos. The 10-day season is scheduled to begin Friday, June 24 and continue through Sunday, July 10. Racing will be conducted Friday-Sunday opening weekend (June 24-26) and the final week (July 8-10) and Friday-Monday (July 1-4) the middle week. The July 4 program is a special holiday card and will include a handicapping contest with two berths in the 2023 NTRA National Handicapping Championship in Las Vegas on the line. Post time will...

Sent off the 1-2 jolly to opening his account at first asking, Doppelganger (Into Mischief) never felt a crack of jockey Flavien Prat's whip and cruised home a 3 1/2-length winner to become yet another 'TDN Rising Star' for his all-conquering sire. Assigned gate one for the unveiling, the blinkered bay played pinball on three occasions with Asphalt Andy (Tapiture) to the outside, costing him any chance to make the lead, but he settled kindly and traveled comfortably while behind horses into the turn. Going well approaching the long stretch...

'TDN Rising Star' Messier (Empire Maker) will look to take his talent around two turns as a prohibitive favorite in Saturday's GII Los Alamitos Futurity. A $470,000 FTKSEL buy by the powerful ownership conglomerate nicknamed The Avengers, the bay settled for second at 1-2 in his local unveiling July 27. He resurfaced at Santa Anita Oct. 22 after a minor foot issue, and blew away his competition by 6 1/2 lengths. The son of MSW router Checkered Past (Smart Strike) made similarly short work of Del Mar's GIII Bob Hope...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency PRICEY NYQUIST DEBUTS AT LOS AL 5th-LRC, $52K, Msw, 2yo, f, 6f, 4:58 p.m. Mick Ruis went to $510,000 at KEESEP to acquire WAITING ON WENDY (Nyquist) and she debuts here for his daughter Shelbe Ruis. The bay is a half to GSW & GISP Divine Miss Grey (Divine Park) and GSP Divine Dawn (Divine Park). Their dam is a hald to MGSW & MGISP Noble Court (Doneraile Court). This is also the family of GISW Complexity (Maclean's Music) and GSW & GISP Valadorna (Curlin)....

Baoma Corporation's Eda became the latest Grade I winner for her red-hot sire Munnings with a gutsy score in the GI Starlet S. at Los Alamitos Saturday night. Speeding out of the outside stall in this six-horse affair, the even-money favorite was in front rounding the first turn, but was headed by 40-1 shot and fellow Bob Baffert pupil Benedict Canyon (Midnight Lute) through a :23.65 first quarter. Meanwhile, their Grade I-winning stablemate Grace Adler (Curlin) caboosed the field. Eda regained command as the half went in :48.96, but Benedict...

Grace Adler (Curlin) was noticeably absent from the Breeders' Cup entries, but gets back to it Saturday in the GI Starlet S. at Los Alamitos. A first-out winner at Del Mar July 31, the $700,000 FTKSEL buy made a mockery of the Sept. 5 GI Del Mar Debutante S. field, cruising home an 11 1/4-length victress. The chestnut failed to fire as the favorite next out when stretched to two turns in Santa Anita's GII Chandelier S. Oct. 1. Bob Baffert also saddles Eda (Munnings), who seeks her first top-level...

Two-time GI Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Doug O'Neill has been summoned to a stewards' hearing to address a California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) complaint that revolves around a potential illegal administration of a substance prior to races four months ago at Los Alamitos Race Course (LARC). According to an Oct. 22 CHRB complaint, back on July 5, "Investigators received information from Los Alamitos track security steward, Michael Kilpack, regarding seeing someone at trainer Doug O'Neill's barn possibly giving an illegal substance to a horse that had already been entered in a...