Cut the audio on a day at the races, and you'd still have a completely interpretable scene. The bettor, slumping his shoulders and running a worn hand over his worry-creased forehead, equals losing. The trainer, leaning forward in his box and jumping to his feet, beaming, as his horse crosses the wire, equals winning.
Today's feature is the Adirondack - $150,000 for 2-year-old fillies. As with all "baby" races, there's not much to go on as far as past performances are concerned.
You can train your horse up to a race, conditioning him in the best possible manner. You can score the services of a top jockey with a winning percentage of 66.67 and a 79% in-the-money rate. It's all up in the air when they open the gate.
Trainer Steve Klesaris was being treated Friday night for injuries received in an automobile accident earlier in the day.
Anthony F. Presti, a retired trainer and jockey, died Feb. 20. He was 76.
It comes as no surprise that trainer Todd Pletcher, a multiple record setter in 2006, will collect a third well-deserved Eclipse Award for his efforts.
A program honoring trainer Mackenzie Miller will take place at the Lexington History Museum Oct. 2 at 7:30 p.m.
Kenny McPeek, who last summer switched from training horses to bloodstock work, is establishing a training center near Lexington and will soon return to training.
Trainer Todd Pletcher had plenty of opportunities last year, and by the numbers, he made the most of them. Horses trained by Pletcher made 1,039 starts and collectively earned $20,867,842, the highest one-year earnings figure ever for a trainer. (Bobby Frankel held the previous record of $19,147,129 set in 2003.) Pletcher topped his 2004 earnings total by more than $3 million.
Trainer Benny Feliciano extended his winning streak to nine races when he sent out M.C.R. Stable's El Keko to win a two-mile starter allowance race Wednesday at Thistledown.
Todd Pletcher, who was third in Eclipse Award balloting in 2003 after finishing the year in the No. 2 spot by earnings, ended the 2004 season atop the earnings list. That was good enough for him to cop an Eclipse Award for outstanding trainer.
Ivor Balding, the leading trainer at Saratoga in 1966 who was associated for many years with owner C.V. Whitney, died Jan. 21. He was 96.
Dale Baird, who has trained more winners than any Thoroughbred trainer in history, has been selected to receive a Special Eclipse Award.
Doug Peterson, best known for training 1977 Triple Crown hero Seattle Slew to an Eclipse Award as the country's top older horse in 1978, was found dead of an apparent accidental drug overdose in a hotel room the evening of Nov. 21. He was 53.
By all accounts, 2002 was Bobby Frankel's year. He had 60 stakes wins from January to December, $17,748,340 in earnings, won 24% of all his races, trained two Eclipse Award finalists, and earned an Eclipse himself. Then came 2003.
Trainer Harold Rose, who bred, owned, and trained 2000 Florida Derby (gr. I) and 2002 Gulfstream Park Handicap (gr. I) winner Hal's Hope, died today at his north Miami home. He was 92.
William E. "Smiley" Adams, who trained Robert and Verna Lehmann's Master Derby to win the 100th running of the Preakness Stakes (gr. I) in 1975, died June 19 at the Veteran's Affairs Hospital in Lexington. He was 67.
Trainer Nick Zito has dropped his legal fight with New York racing regulators and decided to begin serving a 10-day suspension slapped on him more than two years ago.
William Richard "WR" Smith, a veteran Thoroughbred trainer, breeder, and owner died May 27 in Ocala, Fla.
More than $3,200 was raised for injured trainer Yvonne Azeff Tuesday night during a jockey versus media softball game in South Florida. The jockeys won the game 13 to 6.
Excerpt from Women in Racing for week Sept. 15.
Police in South Florida are investigating the disappearance of well-known trainer John Tammaro Jr., who was reported missing by his daughter on Sunday, Feb. 25. Tammaro was last seen leaving Gulfstream Park about 10 a.m. that day by track security officers who later told police detectives Tammaro "didn't look well."
Bobby Frankel is one of only three trainers who cracked the $10-million mark in earnings last year, but look closely at his statistics. He stands apart from fellow earnings leaders Bob Baffert and D. Wayne Lukas because he started about 50% fewer horses than they did and still won 3% more than Lukas and 9% less than Baffert.
News Bites
The old adage "When you're hot, you're hot," is often overused, but in trainer Scott Lake's case, it fits perfectly.
