Boston Herald - Boston Herald

Orb, Oxbow still on track for Belmont Stakes

Associated Press — Fri, 24 May 2013 09:17:42 -0400

NEW YORK — Trainer Shug McGaughey is still thinking Belmont Stakes for his Kentucky Derby winner after Orb galloped a mile Thursday morning at Belmont Park.

It was Orb's first trip to the track since finishing fourth in the Preakness on Saturday, and McGaughey said he's pleased with the way his colt got around the track under exercise rider Jennifer Patterson.

"We're taking it as it comes and not looking too far ahead," the Hall of Fame trainer said. "But if everything goes well, we'd like to run in the Belmont."

Declan's Warrior wins Belmont's Gygistar Stakes

Associated Press — Thu, 23 May 2013 07:59:32 -0400

NEW YORK — Declan's Warrior rallied to beat Tenango by a neck in the $83,300 Gygistar Stakes for 3-year-olds on Wednesday at Belmont Park.

The 1-2 favorite trailed the five-horse field rounding turn before jockey Jose Lezcano shifted the chestnut colt to the far outside to launch his bid. Trained by Nick Zito, Declan's Warrior surged to a fourth victory in five starts, paying $3, $2.40 and $2.10.

The winning time was 1:20.85 for the seven furlongs.

Tenango returned $4.60 and $2.20 while Battier paid $2.10 to show.

Irish jockey Ahern gets 10-year ban for corruption

Associated Press — Thu, 23 May 2013 07:59:20 -0400

LONDON — The British Horseracing Authority has been banned Irish jockey Eddie Ahern for 10 years for violating corruption rules.

The 35-year-old Ahern was found guilty of conspiring to commit a corrupt or fraudulent practice in relation to bets placed on five horses between September 2010 and February 2011.

Ahern was also found to have intentionally failed to ensure that Judgethemoment was ridden on its merits at Lingfield in January 2011, and of passing inside information for reward.

Belmont Stakes horses face increased security

Associated Press — Tue, 21 May 2013 14:35:35 -0400

NEW YORK — Horses in the Belmont Stakes on June 8 will face tighter security for the second straight year. They won't, however, be kept in a detention barn three days before the race, as they were last year.

Godolphin scandal widens with more failed tests

Associated Press — Mon, 20 May 2013 15:30:32 -0400

LONDON — The Godolphin doping scandal deepened Monday, with British racing authorities announcing that seven more horses have tested positive for steroids, including the winner of the world's oldest classic.

Trainer Mahmood al-Zarooni already has been banned eight years. He has acknowledged giving anabolic steroids to 15 horses in one of the largest doping scandals to hit the sport in Britain.

Shug wraps head around Orb loss

Ed Gray — Mon, 20 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400

BALTIMORE — Shug McGaughey was still trying to cope with the disappointment of watching Orb lope around the racetrack Saturday at Pimlico Race Course, showing none of the fire that had powered the son of Malibu Moon to a commanding 21⁄2-length victory in the Kentucky Derby two weeks earlier.

Column: Hard work gets Lukas a record

Associated Press — Sun, 19 May 2013 06:46:24 -0400

BALTIMORE — The old guy still gets up crack-of-dawn early.

Not because D. Wayne Lukas has something left to prove, or anything more to gain. He already has it all: Fame, fortune, a bronze plaque in the Hall of Fame and — after lightly-regarded Oxbow stunned Orb on Saturday at the Preakness — he has the top spot in the Triple Crown trainer's record book, too, passing "Sunny Jim" Fitzsimmons with No. 14.

"It's been a while," Lukas chuckled, "but it never gets old.

9-1 shot Open Water wins Everett Handicap

Associated Press — Sun, 19 May 2013 06:44:47 -0400

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Open Water upset 7-10 favorite Lady of Fifty to win the $150,250 Marjorie L. Everett Handicap by a length at Betfair Hollywood Park on Saturday, giving jockey Joe Talamo a sweep of the day's stakes races.

He rode Unusual Hottie to victory in the $100,500 Fran's Valentine Stakes earlier in the day.

Open Water ran 1 1/16 miles on Cushion Track in 1:44.01 and paid $21.40, $6.20 and $3.20 at 9-1 odds.

Lukas’ Crowning glory

Ed Gray — Sun, 19 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400

BALTIMORE — With three horses preparing for a start in yesterday’s Preakness Stakes, trainer D. Wayne Lukas certainly had a presence at Pimlico Race Course last week. But the 77-year-old Hall of Fame trainer was only really taken seriously for the horses he had brought to compete in the middle jewel of the Triple Crown in the past, not the three longshots he brought with him this year.

No Triple Crown: Oxbow upsets Orb at Preakness

Associated Press — Sat, 18 May 2013 21:11:07 -0400

BALTIMORE — Right from the start, a horse trained by one not so over-the-hill Hall of Famer and ridden by another took control of the Preakness. The result: a huge upset and the end of any hopes for a Triple Crown attempt at the Belmont Stakes.

Thanks to Oxbow's wire-to-wire win Saturday over Kentucky Derby winner Orb, trainer D. Wayne Lukas and jockey Gary Stevens have themselves another classic to add to their stellar resumes.

Baffert brings a longshot to the Preakness

Associated Press — Sat, 18 May 2013 09:27:00 -0400

BALTIMORE — Bob Baffert would settle for a competitive effort from Govenor Charlie in the Preakness Stakes on Saturday.

An upset of Kentucky Derby winner Orb, the even-money favorite, might be asking too much.

"Can he beat Orb? We don't know," the silver-haired trainer said. "I think he could be 1-2-3 and if feel that way, we have a chance."

An outsider's chance.

Govenor Charlie is a 12-1 shot among the eight rivals trying to knock off Orb.

What to watch for at the Preakness

Associated Press — Sat, 18 May 2013 09:06:19 -0400

BALTIMORE — All eyes will be on Kentucky Derby winner Orb in the Preakness Stakes on Saturday. The 3-year-old colt will take on eight challengers in the second leg of the Triple Crown. If he wins, Orb will attempt to become the first Triple Crown champion since Affirmed in 1978 at the Belmont Stakes on June 8. In the Preakness, Orb will be facing five horses he defeated in the Derby and three who did not run in the race.

Here's a guide to watching the race:

___

10 Things to Know about the Preakness _ and beyond

Associated Press — Sat, 18 May 2013 03:13:21 -0400

BALTIMORE — There are only two outcomes when it comes to Saturday's Preakness Stakes — either the Kentucky Derby winner Orb wins the race to set up a Triple Crown try in the Belmont Stakes in three weeks, or another horse pulls an upset and prevents a shot at history.

With that in mind, here are 10 things to know about the Preakness — and beyond.

___

Ed Gray’s Preakness  picks

herald.staff — Sat, 18 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400

WIN: ORB

Post position: 1

Trainer: Shug McGaughey

Jockey: Joel Rosario

Odds: even

Skinny: Orb dominated the competition in the Derby and appears to have more than a little something left for the Preakness. Class, talent, Hall of Fame trainer, red-hot jockey – Orb has it all.

PLACE: ITSMYLUCKYDAY

Post position: 9

Trainer: Eddie Plesa, Jr.

Jockey: John Velazquez

Odds: 10-1

Orb breeds confidence

Ed Gray — Sat, 18 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400

BALTIMORE — The demands of the Kentucky Derby were quite obvious at Churchill Downs on May 4 after the 11⁄4-mile classic exposed the respective strengths and weaknesses of the 19 horses that were put to the classic test.

Six of those horses, including the victorious Orb, have been deemed ready to go just two weeks later for today’s $1 million Preakness Stakes at Pimlico, where their connections will discover any lingering effects from the Derby.

Goldencents seeks a Preakness reversal

Associated Press — Fri, 17 May 2013 06:54:25 -0400

BALTIMORE — Goldencents will try for a historic turnaround in the Preakness Stakes after running 17th in the Kentucky Derby.

No horse who finished that far back in the Derby has won the Preakness. The greatest reversal came in 1996 when Louis Quatorze, 16th in the Derby, rebounded two weeks later to capture the Preakness.

Goldencents, the Santa Anita Derby winner, will try to buck the odds — he's 8-1 on the morning line behind Orb, the Derby-winning favorite at even money — and history on Saturday.

Lukas seeks 3 times the fun in Preakness

Associated Press — Fri, 17 May 2013 03:56:18 -0400

BALTIMORE — After being on this earth for 77 years, winning 13 Triple Crown races and totaling more than $100 million in purse money, Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas has earned the right to sit in an office and let his assistants do the grunt work in the stables.

That's not going to happen anytime soon.

With three entrants in Saturday's Preakness — that's a third of the field — Lukas has been working diligently this week at Pimlico Race Course. Although he's already won the Preakness five times, he's eager to make it six.

Orb owner at home for Crown’s second leg

Ed Gray, Preakness Notebook — Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400

BALTIMORE — Starting a Kentucky Derby winner in the Preakness Stakes is a special occasion for a horse owner, but Stuart Janney III will be especially honored when Orb goes to post tomorrow at Pimlico.

“It’s a huge sense of pride. I’ve been out here most mornings before the Preakness for most of my life, so it’s great to bring this horse here,” the 64-year-old Marylander said yesterday morning at the Preakness Stakes Barn. “I’m proud of him.”

Govenor Charlie makes 9 in the Preakness

Associated Press — Thu, 16 May 2013 05:02:23 -0400

BALTIMORE — Govenor Charlie brought the final tally to eight challengers facing Kentucky Derby winner Orb in the Preakness on Saturday.

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert was hesitant to commit Govenor Charlie, 12-1 on the morning line, to the race until after a workout Monday at Churchill Downs.

The Sunland Derby winner, who has run only three times, built the case for a Preakness start with a six-furlong drill in a sharp 1:10.80.

Teaks North wins Belmont's Good Reward Stakes

Associated Press — Thu, 16 May 2013 05:00:56 -0400

NEW YORK — Teaks North rallied to beat Hyper by 1¾ lengths Wednesday in the $90,000 Good Reward Stakes on the turf at Belmont Park.

John Velazquez was aboard for trainer Michelle Nevin as the 6-year-old gelding got his ninth win in 26 starts. The time was 2:01.85 for 1¼ miles over the firm course.

Teaks North paid $8.70, $4.10 and $2.70. Hyper returned $5 and $2.60, and Quick Casablanca paid $2.30.