Horse Racing blog

Horse Racing blog Your Horse Racing blog 2010-03-11T11:21:29+00:00 DotClear daily 1 2010-03-11T11:21:29+00:00 Santa Margarita Competitors Line-Up 2010-03-11T11:21:29+00:00 2010-03-11T11:21:29+00:00 http://www.horseracing.com/blog/santa-margarita-competitors-line-up Editor Features

For four year old fillies and older, the Grade I Santa Margarita Invitational Handicap is one of the most popular events of the year, and is hosted by the Santa Anita Park Racecourse in California. With the show down between Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra in the Apple Blossom Handicap looming, which takes place on 9 April 2010, both fillies have started preparations. Rachel Alexandra will be making her 2010 debut at the New Orleans Ladies’ Stakes on the weekend, while Zenyatta will be facing eight competitors in the 2010 Santa Margarita Invitational Handicap.

The Santa Anita Racecourse was opened in the year 1934, and the very next year the Santa Anita Handicap was inaugurated. It has remained a very popular horse racing event for horses that are four years old and older, and is held annually by the Santa Anita Racecourse in the month of March. Run over a distance of ten furlongs, the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap offers a purse amount of$750 000, of which Misremembered took home his fair share for his breathtaking victory.

Over the last two years the horse racing industry has been suffering under the economic crisis that has been felt across the USA. Auctions have especially been taking strain, with horses being sold for decreased prices and some owners not selling all their horses. On Tuesday, 2 March 2010, Fasig-Tipton held their Two Year Olds in Training sale in the Miami Gardens at the Calder Race Course and Casino in Florida, which turned out to be a very interesting sale, and hopefully a sign of things to come.

Each year three year old fillies line up in the starting gates at Gulfstream Park, in Florida, to participate in the Davona Dale Stakes. This Grade II event has a purse of $150 000 and was named after one of the racing greats of our time. Davona Dale was bred and owned by Calumet Farm in 1976, and is still remembered as one of the finest fillies to have graced the racing industry.

Since 1924, horses aged five years and older have been participating in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, trying to capture this prestigious title. It is one of the most challenging and popular events on the jumps racing calendar, hosted by the Cheltenham Racecourse, and forms part of the Cheltenham Festival. This year the Cheltenham Gold Cup will be taking place on 19 March 2010, and trainer Paul Nicholls has already chosen an extraordinary team to participate in the festival. One of the names that stands out amongst his selection is previous Cheltenham Gold Cup winner, Denman.

When visiting the Santa Anita Paddock Gardens visitors will find two breathtaking sculptures. One is of George Woolf, and the other is of his most treasured ride, Seabiscuit. This well known jockey was inaugurated into the Hall of Fame of Horse Racing, and after his death the George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award was created in his memory. This award, inaugurated in 1950, honors the achievements and contributions made by present day jockeys. It is seen as a prestigious award to receive and was won this year by jockey Calvin Borel.

The horse racing community has recently taken a little time out, to fondly remember one of their members who passed away on 14 February 2010. Not only was Dick Francis a celebrated crime writer, but before his career as an author began to take shape, Francis enjoyed a successful career as a jockey for nine years. Drawing from his experiences as a jockey, and by regularly attending live horse racing events after his retirement, he was able to keep his readers spellbound through his page turning plots and attention to detail.

The La Canada Stakes was inaugurated in 1975, and is an event that is hosted by the Santa Anita Racecourse every February. Held for mares and fillies that are four years of age, the La Canada Stakes race is a Grade II event. It forms part of the La Canada Series, of which the other two races are the El Encino Stakes and the La Barea Stakes. Winning all three races seems to be an achievement that is not easily come by, as only three fillies have been able to take the title since the inception of the series, namely Got Koko in 2003, Mitterand in 1985 and Taisez Vouz in 1978.

Each year, three year old horses from across the world gear up to take on the prestigious Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing. The Triple Crown consists of three races, and winning all three is an honor that is rarely come by. It consists of the Belmont Stakes, the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes. The last horse to have won the Triple Crown was Affirmed in 1978. Other winners include Sir Barton (1919), Gallant Fox (1930), Omaha (1935), War Admiral (1937), Whirlaway (1941), Count Fleet (1943), Assault (1946), Citation (1948), Secretariat (1973) and Seattle Slew (1977).

Last year all everyone could talk about was how great it would be to see the best fillies in action against each other. But just as racing fans began to lose hope that they would be able to witness a showdown between Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta, Oaklawn Park Racecourse has put an offer on the table that most horse owners would not refuse. Unfortunately, the owners of both these magnificent horses are not easily swayed by purse money, yet there have been positive responses from both camps, making the faceoff between Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra a very good possibility.