Finnegans Wake, the 6-year-old son of Powerscourt, will look to extend his grade II turf winning streak to four in the $200,000 San Luis Rey Stakes (gr. IIT) going 1 1/2 miles March 21 at Santa Anita Park.
Del Mar was granted approval to conduct its first fall meet in more than 40 years by the California Horse Racing Board at the commission's regular monthly meeting Sept. 23.
Fairplex will remain open as part of Southern California's off-site stabling through the Breeders' Cup World Champions this fall rather than closing July 10 as earlier planned.
Moving day will soon be here as the closure of Betfair Hollywood Park draws close, and the California Horse Racing Board got an update from industry leaders Dec. 12 on the situation.
The California Horse Racing Board is to hold its final meeting of 2013 on Dec. 12 at Santa Anita Park with several items on the agenda related to racing in the state next year after the closure of Betfair Hollywood Park.
The California Horse Racing Board put its stamp on the racing industry's plan for stabling Thoroughbreds in the immediate post-Betfair Hollywood Park era during its meeting Oct. 24.
As they have for the past several months, post-Hollywood Park racing plans will dominate the agenda for the California Horse Racing Board when it meets Sept. 19 in Pomona beginning at 9:30 a.m. PDT.
Slated to close for development Dec. 22, Betfair Hollywood Park is planning to stay open for training through Jan. 31--and perhaps longer, the California Horse Racing Board was told Aug. 22.
Horsemen in California are pushing ahead with plans to make Los Alamitos Race Course and San Luis Rey Downs full-time off-track stabling sites once Betfair Hollywood Park is no longer available.
The framework for a Southern California racing calendar over the next two years with the impending closure of Betfair Hollywood Park was approved by the California Horse Racing Board May 23.
Betfair Hollywood Park, in a May 9 letter, said it told the California Horse Racing Board it won't seek 2014 racing dates and will close at the end of its fall meet Dec. 22.
California Thoroughbred Trainers officials met with members March 21 to update them on industry discussions for an alternative to Betfair Hollywood Park when it eventually closes for expected development.
Comma to the Top's victory in the $750,000 CashCall Futurity (gr. I) at Hollywood Park Dec. 18 was not only the biggest win of Peter Miller's career, it also capped a remarkable meet for the 44-year-old trainer.
Temporary license extensions of 30 days to the state's four advance deposit wagering companies were approved by the California Horse Racing Board Dec. 16.
The California Thoroughbred Trainers reported Feb. 16 that San Luis Rey Downs will close as a Thoroughbred training center effective March 15.
Florida pinhooker Randy Hartley is training a string of horses in Southern California, but he will continue to be involved in reselling juveniles purchased as yearlings or weanlings though Hartley/De Renzo Thoroughbreds.
Hearing complaints from fans and state legislators, the California Horse Racing Board tried to tackle two fronts on how to maintain integrity for the sport: late wagers and board conflicts.
Magna Entertainment Corp. said June 7 it has agreed to sell its San Luis Rey Downs training facility in Southern California to a subsidiary of MI Developments, its parent company, for $24 million.
Amid news of improvement on operating losses and increased revenues, officials with Magna Entertainment also said during an earnings conference call March 5 that selling off prominent training centers in both California and Florida was within the realm of possibility.
Fast Parade has bounced back from his aborted start in the Hong Kong Sprint (HK-I) and is likely to race in early January at Santa Anita. Trainer Peter Miller said that the gelding's blood count returned to normal once he got back to his home base of San Luis Rey Downs training center in Southern California.
Souvenir Gift, who brought longtime trainer Sam Semkin his first graded-stakes victory, is heading up a potential field of at least seven for Saturday's 36th edition of the $150,000 Sorrento Stakes (gr. III) for 2-year-old fillies. The race will be run at 6 1/2 furlongs on the main track.
Azeri, the reigning Horse of the Year who posted her 10th straight win in the Vanity Handicap (gr. I), worked a half-mile in :47 at San Luis Rey Downs on Monday.
Azeri, reigning Horse of the Year, worked five furlongs in :57 3/5 Friday at San Luis Rey Downs in her final drill before defense of her victory last year in the $200,000-added Milady Breeders' Cup Handicap for fillies and mares May 24 at Hollywood Park.
The Charlie Whittingham School of Horse Training has brought to the sport a number of leading conditioners, including the well known and successful Joe Manzi, Dick Lundy, Rodney Rash and Hall of Famer Neil Drysdale. The newest Whittingham disciple to step forward in what is primarily a man's world is Laura de Seroux.
Multiple grade I winner Astra, who has not started since developing a foot abscess shortly after her last-place finish in the Aug. 19 Beverly D Stakes (gr. I) at Arlington Park, is back in serious training and being prepared for a 2002 campaign.
Magna Entertainment plans to increase stabling fees at its San Luis Rey Downs training center in Bonsall, Calif. in an effort to offset annual losses of $750,000.
