Horse Racing News

There were only two questions for the average racing fan to ask last Saturday in the wake of Caracortado's upset victory under jockey Paul Atkinson in the Robert B. Lewis Stakes.

While many of the leading Kentucky Derby candidates stabled in south Florida ran here Saturday afternoon, another member of that elite group, Noble's Promise, did his major work earlier that morning.

Zenyatta breezed six furlongs in 1:14 at Hollywood Park on Thursday, leaving trainer John Shirreffs with glowing compliments about the condition of his unbeaten champion.

The Louisiana Handicap on Jan. 23 essentially ended about 24.60 seconds after it began. That was the posted first quarter-mile split in the 1 1/16-mile dirt race, and out on the track, Friesan Fire was loping along by his lonesome.

There was a spring in the step of trainer Jonathan Sheppard in the Gulfstream Park stable area on Friday morning.

The Safety and Integrity Alliance of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association has accredited Golden Gate Fields in Northern California, the organization announced on Thursday.

Magna Entertainment, the bankrupt racing company, filed a reorganization plan on Thursday in a Delaware bankruptcy court that envisions the company transferring many of its most valuable assets to its parent company.

Trainer Phil Gleaves has an unenviable decision to make on Saturday.

Tampa Bay Downs will roll out the red carpet for a champion on Saturday when dual Eclipse Award winner Gio Ponti comes to town to kick off his 2010 campaign in the $150,000 Tampa Bay Breeders Cup.

There are no stars, or even familiar names, among the nine probable starters for the $150,000 Sham Stakes at Santa Anita next Saturday. That could change as the Triple Crown trail progresses over the next 60 days.