Horse Racing News

Aside from boosting its overnight purses to projected record levels, Monmouth Park also will increase the gross payout in New Jersey stakes purses in 2010, officials at the Oceanport, N.J., track announced Tuesday.

The complexion of Saturday's Grade 1 Florida Derby took a dramatic turn late Tuesday afternoon when owner Ahmed Zayat said Eskendereya would not run in the race and instead would be pointed to the Grade 1 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct on April 3.

Rachel Alexandra's connections decided on Sunday to forgo a start in the April 9 Apple Blossom Invitational at Oaklawn and a meeting with Zenyatta.

It is all systems go for Team Zenyatta en route to the April 9 Apple Blossom Invitational at Oaklawn Park, a race the 6-year-old mare won in 2008 and has been pointing toward since the beginning of the year.

Life Is Sweet, the winner of the Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic at Santa Anita last November, was retired on Saturday after suffering muscle cramps following a workout at Hollywood Park, owner Marty Wygod and trainer John Shirreffs said.

At the quarter pole, Odysseus appeared to have no chance to win Saturday's $300,000 Tampa Bay Derby. Even at the wire, it looked like his frantic final surge had fallen short of catching Schoolyard Dreams.

With the racing world looking forward to an April 9 matchup between Rachel Alexandra and the John Shirreffs-trained Zenyatta in the Apple Blossom, Rachel Alexandra failed to handle the Shirreffs "B" Team on Saturday at Fair Grounds.

Zenyatta kept up her end of the bargain, weaving through traffic to capture her 15th straight victory in the Grade 1, $250,000 Santa Margarita Invitational Handicap on Saturday at Santa Anita.

Gitano Hernando is looking good for his March 27 date in the Dubai World Cup, trainer Marco Botti reported on his website on Friday. The Newmarket-based Botti was upbeat about the preparations of his recent Winter Derby Trial winner.

John Velazquez has picked himself up a Dubai World Cup ride in the shape of Crowded House.