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By Ed McNamara Ever since the first Breeders’ Cup in 1984, California-based horses have been major players on championship weekend. Home advantage in 14 Cups on the West Coast – Santa Anita (10), Hollywood Park (3) and Del Mar – helped, but SoCal runners have held their own elsewhere. Five years ago, they won four races at Keeneland, which will host the 37th Cup Nov. 6 and 7. Santa Anita was scheduled to reopen last weekend, but a raging wildfire near the mountains overlooking the track postponed it to Friday. Smoke from the blaze canceled training hours for a week

By Richard Rosenblatt Another day, another update to the list of contenders for the 145th Preakness (G1) on Saturday (Oct. 3) at Pimlico Race Course. A day after Kentucky Derby (G1) runner-up Tiz the Law was declared out of the Preakness, Max Player on Wednesday (Sept. 23) became the latest probable for what in 2020 is the final leg of the Triple Crown. Tiz the Law won the Belmont Stakes (G1) on June 20 – the first leg after the Triple Crown schedule was reshuffled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the Derby on Sept. 5, the colt who had

By Margaret Ransom Santa Anita’s autumn racing season finally gets underway Friday (Sept. 25), a week later than originally scheduled due to the Bobcat Fire – the largest in Los Angeles County history – which created poor air quality and unsafe breathing conditions for humans and horses. For days since the gates opened following the Del Mar meet, Santa Anita was either closed for training, or training hours were cut short to protect the animals and people stabled at the track. Though the fire still rages, the smoke has pushed away from the Arcadia area and racing will go on.

By John Furgele The harness racing season continues to move forward, and this week’s big event is the Little Brown Jug on Thursday that caps off a most prestigious few days of pacing at the Delaware County Fair. What’s usually a week in which 40,000 fans flock to the fair in Delaware, Ohio, but in 2020 it’s been spectator-free due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Little Brown Jug is one of the few true American throwback racing events left (despite no fair-goers this week). Race week provides not only families showing up to feed the chickens, have their kids get

By Richard Rosenblatt Without a Triple Crown on the line, Belmont Stakes winner Tiz the Law will skip the Preakness on Oct. 3 and train up to the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland on Nov. 7. The decision to pass on the Preakness – the final leg of the refashioned 2020 Triple Crown due to the COVID-19 pandemic – is not a surprise. Right after Tiz the Law finished second to Authentic in the Kentucky Derby (G1) on Sept. 5 – the second Triple Crown race after the Belmont on June 20 – trainer Barclay Tagg hinted as

By Noel Michaels Fans of New York racing looking for leading riders Irad Ortiz, Jr. and Jose Ortiz were left flipping through their past performances and scratching their heads last weekend at Belmont Park. If you were wondering what happened to the top Belmont jockeys, here’s the rundown: Brothers Irad and Jose Ortiz were off serving suspensions dating back to the Saratoga and Belmont spring/summer meets. Other top riders, including Javier Castellano, Joel Rosario, and Junior Alvarado also missed days and were limited for the first three days of the Belmont fall meet. Irad Ortiz is serving a total suspension