Monday Night Notes
– With barely 48 hours remaining to broker an agreement that will keep New York racing going, NYRA is preparing to shut down Aqueduct when the franchise expires on Wednesday. Horsemen and employees were alerted last week to plans for closing the track and Belmont’s training facility; NYRA Rewards account-holders were given notice today on how to withdraw funds from the wagering service. Much more on the situation over on Left at the Gate.
– Santa Anita’s reconstituted synthetic surface drew praise for its improved bounce and slower times over the weekend, but not everyone was delighted with the fix:
Maimonides has been sent to trainer Bill Mott; Massive Drama to Dale Romans.
– Nashua Stakes winner Etched and impressive maiden winner Numaany are among the entries for the UAE Two Thousand Guineas on Thursday. Etched closed at 26-1 in Pool 1 of the Derby Future Wager. Numaany attracted attention and a bit of excitement last November when he refused to switch leads in the stretch, bolted to the outside fence, and nearly dumped rider Javier Castellano before regrouping inside the final furlong of a 1 1/8 mile maiden special to win by 2 3/4 lengths. He was shortly after whisked off to Dubai, along with the promising Music Note.
