Del Mar fans became used to seeing multi-millionaire Sarafan from 2001 to 2005. This summer they and the rest of the country can see the gelding on television in the new series, "The Cleaner" on the A&E network.
New Export, a Brazilian-bred 5-year-old horse with two group I victories in his country, will make his United States debut for trainer Bobby Frankel in Saturday's $100,000 Inglewood Handicap (gr. IIIT) on the Hollywood Park turf.
Leprechaun Kid, claimed for $80,000 a month ago, turned out to be a good luck charm for trainer Mike Mitchell and struggling jockey Tyler Baze in Sunday's $250,000 Del Mar Handicap (gr. IIT).
Laura's Lucky Boy and Sarafan, the first two finishers in the Escondido Handicap earlier this month, renew their rivalry in the $250,000 Del Mar Handicap (gr. IIT) at 1 3/8 miles on the turf Sunday.
The arrest of financier and prominent Thoroughbred owner Gary Tanaka in New York on charges of allegedly stealing money from clients isn't impacting his far-flung racing stable, at least so far.
Neil Drysdale, who has trained three of the past seven winners of the Charles Whittingham Memorial Handicap (gr. IT), saddles the likely favorite Red Fort in Saturday's wide open $350,000 renewal Saturday.
Runaway Dancer, last at the head of the stretch, stormed down the center of the track under enthusiastic urging from Garrett Gomez to win the $350,000 Jim Murray Memorial Handicap (gr. IIIT) going away on the Hollywood Park turf Saturday.
Hall of Fame trainer Bobby Frankel has three chances Saturday to enhance his record six victories in the Jim Murray Memorial Handicap (gr. IIIT) at Hollywood Park, accounting for one-third of the entrants in 1 1/2-mile grass marathon event worth $350,000.
Trainer Bobby Frankel dialed Maryland Wednesday to obtain the services of Ramon Dominguez to replace the injured Patrick Valenzuela aboard Vangelis in the $350,000 Jim Murray Memorial Handicap (gr. IIIT) at Hollywood Park Saturday.
Trainer Neil Drysdale, fresh off a one-two finish with King of Happiness and Red Fort in the Inglewood Handicap (gr. IIIT) Saturday, may seek another stakes sweep on turf in the $350,000 Jim Murray Handicap (gr. IIIT) on May14.
Saturday's Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships lost two more participants Monday when Sarafan was withdrawn from the John Deere Breeders' Cup Turf (gr. IT) due to an injury and Stay Forever was taken out of the VO5 Filly & Mare Turf (gr. IT).
Corey Nakatani, who celebrated his 34th birthday Oct. 21, has been booked to ride in all eight Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championship races Oct. 30 at Lone Star Park.
Left all by himself on the front end, there was no catching the ultra-game Star Over the Bay Sunday in the $250,000 Clement L. Hirsch Turf Championship (gr. IT) on the Santa Anita grass.
Bayamo, freshened since his runner-up effort in the Eddie Read Handicap (gr. IT) at Del Mar more than two months ago, rates an edge in a solid field of seven older horses entered for the $250,000 Clement L. Hirsch Turf Championship (gr. IT) at Santa Anita's Oak Tree meeting Sunday.
Front-running Star Over the Bay held off a determined charge from veteran multiple graded stake winner Sarafan for a neck victory in the $250,000 Del Mar Handicap (gr. IIT) on the grass Sunday.
Trainer Mike Mitchell, who already has won twice as many stakes races this season as he has in any Del Mar meet of the past, believes he has a strong hand for Sunday's $250,000 Del Mar Handicap (gr. IIT).
Gary A. Tanaka's veteran stakes campaigner Sarafan showed his class Wednesday with a decisive victory in the featured $79,000 Escondido Handicap at the marathon distance of 1 3/8 miles on the grass at Del Mar.
Prestonwood Farm's Special Ring will be making his first start of 2004 Sunday when he seeks to defend his crown in the $400,000 Eddie Read Handicap (gr. IT) at Del Mar.
Prestonwood Farm's Irish-bred Bayamo, whose 2003 campaign was cut short by an ankle chip, continued his impressive comeback Sunday with a facile victory in the $150,000 American Handicap (gr. II) on the Hollywood Park turf.
Black Bart, a $16,000 claim who has earned $219,909 for his new connections in about six months, goes after his first graded victory on Sunday in Hollywood Park's $150,000 American Handicap (gr. IIT) at 1 1/8 miles on turf.
TVG will televise the ninth annual Dubai World Cup (UAE-I) during a three hour presentation that will run from 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. ET Saturday, March 27.
As expected, the names of Pleasantly Perfect and Medaglia d'Oro were the standouts among the 12 declarations for the world's richest horse race, Saturday night's 10-furlong Dubai World Cup (UAE-I) on the Nad Al Sheba dirt. Meanwhile, From The Sky, a group 1 winner in his native Argentina, was a surprise absentee among the UAE Derby declarations.
Jockey Gary Stevens leaves Sunday for Dubai, where he rides Strub Stakes (gr. II) winner Domestic Dispute for Paddy Gallagher in the $6 million World Cup (UAE-I) on March 27.
Fourteen of the United States' best older horses have departed on flights from Los Angeles and Florida for the world's richest racing meeting later this month, the Dubai Racing Club confirmed Saturday.
Red Oak Stable's resilient Sweet Return once again found a way to get the job done, winning Saturday's $350,000 Frank E. Kilroe Mile (gr. IIT) at Santa Anita from the extreme outside 14 post position.
The Thoroughbred Corp's Johar, a dead-heat winner with High Chaparral in the Breeders' Cup Turf (gr. IT), and 3rd Turn Stable's defending winner Honor In War head a list of 98 older grass horses nominated to the 17th running of the $400,000-added Woodford Reserve Turf Classic (gr. I) at Churchill Downs.
Sarafan, who galloped over the track Thursday morning, was scratched from Sunday's Hong Kong Mile (HK-I) on the Hong Kong International Races program. The American-based runner, trained by Neil Drysdale, was reported to have tested positive for the steroid methylprednisolone.
Jockey Victor Espinoza and former International Jockeys' Championship champion Olivier Peslier have been added to the line-up for the sixth International Jockeys' Championship at Happy Valley in Hong Kong on Dec. 10.
Tap Dance City found the boggy Tokyo race course turf to his liking on Sunday, romping to a nine-length victory in the $4-million Japan Cup (Jpn-I) and fulfilling a career-long dream for jockey Tetsuzo Sato and trainer Shouzou Sasaki.
Sarafan, prepping for a planned start in the Japan Cup (Jpn-I) on Nov. 30, captured a $54,000 classified allowance event in a tune-up at Hollywood Park Thursday.
The Thoroughbred Corporation's Johar, dead-heat winner of the John Deere Breeders' Cup Turf (gr. IT), heads a contingent of six U.S. horses for which invitations have been accepted for the Japan Cup (Jpn-I) and Japan Cup Dirt (Jpn-I) Tokyo Racecourse.
The Thoroughbred Corporation's Johar, dead-heat winner of the John Deere Breeders' Cup Turf (gr. IT), heads a contingent of five U.S. horses for which invitations have been accepted for the Japan Cup (Jpn-I) and Japan Cup Dirt (Jpn-I) Tokyo Racecourse.
Gary A. Tanaka's Sarafan, runner-up in the Oak Tree Breeders' Cup Mile (gr. IIT), was scratched out of Saturday's Breeders' Cup Mile (gr. IT).
Probable John Deere Breeders' Cup Turf (gr. IT) favorite Storming Home worked seven furlongs in 1:28 2/5 in company with NetJets Breeders' Cup Mile (gr. IT) hopeful Sarafan, who was clocked in 1:28 4/5 over Santa Anita's firm turf course Sunday.
Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf (gr. IT) candidates Heat Haze and Tates Creek were both on the Hollywood Park worktab Sunday morning, logging half-miles in :47 2/5 and :48, respectively.
David and Holly Wilson's Designed for Luck, who returned to action in August after missing nearly 17 months with a fractured left rear hock, held off a digging Sarafan by a half-length to win Sunday's $300,000 Oak Tree Breeders' Cup Mile (gr. IIT) at Santa Anita.
Canadian Triple Crown winner Wando and a pair of Neil Drysdale-trained veteran turf specialists lead a powerful field of 11 entered for Sunday's $1 million Atto Mile (Can-I) at Woodbine.
Two grade I winners whose connections are hoping for bigger things this fall, Gary Tanaka's Sarafan and The Thoroughbred Corp.'s Johar hooked up in the $75,675 Harry F. Brubaker Handicap, which started with just three horses at Del Mar Friday.
Mister Acpen went wire-to-wire against several Grade I and Group I winners to win Wednesday's Hollywood Park feature, a $62,000 allowance for 4-year-olds and up over 1 1/8 miles on turf.
Del Mar Show will look to avenge a second-place finish in last year's CITGO Dixie Stakes (gr. IIT) against a talented field of turf runners set for this year's edition at Pimlico Race Course Saturday.
Jockey Victor Espinoza, who won his first Kentucky Derby on longshot War Emblem last year, will spend the first Saturday in May at Hollywood Park.
Hong Kong-based horses win three races on the International card.
United States entries Delta Form, Sarafan, Falcon Flight and Texas Glitter try their luck against many of the finest runners in the world in four turf stakes Sunday that make up the Hong Kong International Races.
The Hong Kong Cup (HK-I), run over 1 1/4 miles, finds the first bend looming quickly as the horses come out of the start, and gate speed and/or a favorable inside draw is often advantageous.
Sarafan, America's only hope to break a 10-year drought in the Japan Cup (Jpn-I), drew the number eight post position in a field of 16 international runners set to go postward Sunday in the world's richest turf race, moved to Nakayama racecourse and dropped from 12 to 11 furlongs in distance because of construction of a new grandstand at Tokyo racecourse.
Japanese owner and breeder Fusao Sekiguchi has bought an ownership interest from Gary Tanaka in Eddie Read Handicap (gr. IT) winner Sarafan, who trainer Neil Drysdale said was scheduled to depart for Tokyo on Tuesday night to contest the Nov. 24 Japan Cup (Jpn-I).
New Zealand-bred Master Belt came from well off the pace to register a 68-1 shocker in the $100,000 Morvich Handicap (gr. IIIT) on the downhill turf course at Santa Anita's Oak Tree meeting Sunday.
When it comes to Santa Anita's unique downhill turf course at about 6 1/2 furlongs, the current "horse for course" is El Cielo, who goes in Sunday's $100,000 Morvich Handicap (gr. IIIT) on closing day of the 2002 Oak Tree meeting.
Longchamp's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (Fr-I) is considered the 12-furlong championship of Europe, but it has never produced a John Deere Breeders' Cup Turf winner.
With 36 victories going into the weekend's action, Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella won't list 2002 among his greatest years. But as it winds down, he'll have Sunday at Santa Anita's Oak Tree meeting to make it better.
