Los Alamitos

The Fasig-Tipton California Fall Yearlings Sale returns for its second renewal Monday, moving from its 2019 location in Pomona to Los Alamitos Race Course in Cypress for the one-day 2020 edition. The first of 298 catalogued yearlings is scheduled to go through the sales ring at 12 p.m. PT. With a backdrop of continued uncertainty swirling around the global pandemic and its impact on the economy, consignors are approaching the one-day auction with caution. "There is a whole lot up in the air, that's all I can say," said Tom...

A total of 298 yearlings have been cataloged for the Fasig-Tipton California Fall Yearlings Sale to be held Monday, Oct. 19, at Los Alamitos Race Course in Cypress, CA. The auction was meant to take place at the Fairplex on the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds, but COVID-19-related restrictions on large gatherings at Los Angeles County facilities forced the change of venue. "We have a quality catalogue with 298 entries, which is up slightly over our inaugural yearling sale in California last year," said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning. "There is a...

Jockeys Javier Castellano, Mike Smith, John Velazquez, Manuel Franco and Tyler Gaffalione have pledged a percentage of their earnings from the GI Kentucky Oaks and GI Kentucky Derby race cards to help rider 28-year-old rider Vinnie Bednar, who suffered a catastrophic fall at Los Alamitos Racetrack Aug. 22. Bednar is currently experiencing lower-limb paralysis following initial surgery at USC Medical Center in Los Angeles. He remains hospitalized while awaiting transfer to the Craig Hospital in Englewood, Colorado, a world-renowned, premier center for spinal and brain injury. The accident occurred in...

In a teleconference Monday morning to discuss whether or not to suspend Los Alamitos' racing license, the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) voted in favor of the racing association, deciding that enhanced safety plans the track unveiled over the prior week satisfied board concerns after a rash of equine fatalities at the Southern California facility. "Are you committed to this plan over the long-term? Are you committed to trying to make a cultural change at Los Alamitos?" asked CHRB chairman Greg Ferraro, of Dr. Ed Allred, who owns and operates...

When Victor Espinoza rolled through the gates of Los Alamitos racecourse on the afternoon of Saturday, July 4, he did so anticipating a quick in-and-out with few disruptions. The Triple Crown-winning jockey had two mounts, in the eighth and ninth races, neither of them hot fancies. Approaching the jocks' room, however, Espinoza paused. "There wasn't enough room for all of us," said Espinoza of the room's quarters, which had been split between Quarter Horse and Thoroughbred riders. "We were stacked in there like sardines." Events from that afternoon have played...

Del Mar has cancelled its weekend racing--scheduled to run Friday through Sunday--because of multiple jockeys testing positive for COVID-19, as first reported in Daily Racing Form. In a subsequent press release Wednesday afternoon, Del Mar explained that all of the track's jockeys and jockey room personnel were tested on Tuesday by San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency staff, with 15 jockeys showing up positive for COVID-19. All were reportedly asymptomatic. "Assuming these individuals continue to show no symptoms, they will be isolated for a total of 10 days...

The Los Alamitos Quarter Horse Racing Association released Tuesday evening a seven-page draft "Equine & Rider Safety Enhancement Plan," ahead of a follow-up meeting July 20 with the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) concerning a recent uptick in equine fatalities at the track. Among some of the new protocols outlined in the plan is an additional veterinarian to scrutinize horses entering and exiting the track during morning training, and the creation of a program whereby every equine fatality triggers a "Fatality Review" to be conducted by a panel including a...

According to his agent, Derek Lawson, top California rider Flavien Prat has tested positive for the coronavirus. Because he left California to ride Saturday at Keeneland, Prat was required to take a test Sunday before being allowed to ride at Del Mar. The test results were positive and Prat had to take off all his mounts. "These athletes, they know their bodies," Lawson said. "When I picked him up at the airport, he said, 'I think I have it.'" Lawson said that Prat is feeling fine and will return to...

In an emergency California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) teleconference Friday in the wake of a series of equine fatalities at Los Alamitos, the board voted to put the track on a 10-day probation, while live racing continues, to devise a plan to address various horse welfare issues raised during the meeting. At the end of those 10 days, the board will reconvene to review the plan. At that point, if the proposed plan doesn't pass muster, the board has the option of suspending the track's racing license. "I agree that...

The California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) is scheduled to conduct an emergency meeting early Friday morning to discuss whether to suspend or impose certain operational conditions to Los Alamitos's racing license. The emergency meeting comes in the wake of a series of equine fatalities at the track—nine since May 26 alone. The Long Beach-located facility is primarily associated with Quarter Horse racing. A seven-day thoroughbred meet recently concluded. This story will be updated with news from the meeting.

Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer has filed a petition for writ of mandate and damages in San Diego County Superior Court against the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) arguing the agency has failed to exercise its regulatory authority and intercede in disputes where several California racing associations have barred the trainer from their grounds. The petition also raises bias and conflict of interest concerns within the CHRB, contending that these issues have compromised the board's ability to exercise its oversight authority in an impartial manner. In June of last...

The flashy Uncle Chuck went from maiden winner to graded winner as he ran away from just three foes as the heavy favorite here. A seven-length romper going a flat mile at Santa Anita June 12, the half-brother to brilliant debut winner and sire Maclean's Music (Distorted Humor) was bet down to 13-1 in last week's GI Kentucky Derby future pool and gave his backers reason to feel good about their chances Saturday. With stablemate and MGSW Thousand Words the main danger on paper, the leggy dark bay chased the...