Noted: November 29
– New York racing fans know the passage of seasons by the racing calendar — springs comes with Belmont, fall arrives when Saratoga closes, and winter begins when racing moves to Aqueduct’s inner track, as it does on Wednesday. This year, the inner track will remain open two weeks longer than usual, until March 29, owing to the main track’s inability to handle cold weather. Several races will be affected by the lengthened inner track season, including the Gotham Stakes, run in mid-March. Instead of being a one-turn mile on the main track, it will be a two-turn one and a sixteenth on the inner.
– Horses are shipping into Gulfstream Park in advance of opening day on January 4. Afleet Alex arrived on Monday. Trainer Tim Ritchey is considering the Donn Handicap in February for the dual Classic winner. First Samurai, trained by Frank Brothers, shipped in the same day. The two-year-old will begin prepping for a likely Kentucky Derby campaign at the track.
– What’s next for Todd Pletcher, racing’s first $20 million trainer? “With Pletcher, absolutely nothing is impossible.”
– Hong Kong Jockey Club officials said that one North American invitee to the Hong Kong International Races won’t be starting at Sha Tin on December 11 after testing positive for anabolic steroids. Officials wouldn’t name the horse or its connections. A look at the list of runners announced on November 23 though narrows it down to four (and the flight schedule reveals all). The United States is the only country in which equine steroid use isn’t illegal, although it’s not entirely condoned either.
