SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (AP) – Jockey John Velazquez and 2004 Horse of the Year Ghostzapper have been elected to the National Museum of Racing’s Hall of Fame.
Also elected to the hall were trainers Roger Attfield and Robert Wheeler.
Velazquez, with more than 4,800 wins, was the nation’s top rider in 2004 and 2005. He won last year’s Kentucky Derby aboard Animal Kingdom and took the 2007 Belmont Stakes with Rags to Riches.
Ghostzapper won nine of 11 career starts and earned more than $3 million. In 2004, he was 4-for-4, including a win in the Breeders’ Cup Classic in a stakes-record time.
The Canada-based Attfield trained three Canadian Triple Crown winners.
Wheeler won 1,336 races over nearly six decades.
They’ll be inducted Aug. 10 at the hall in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
Bourbon Bay wins closing day stakes at Santa Anita
ARCADIA, Calif. (AP) – Bourbon Bay won the $150,000 San Juan Capistrano Handicap by a nose over Eagle Poise on closing day at Santa Anita on Sunday after stewards needed 6 minutes to review the photo finish.
Ridden by Joel Rosario, Bourbon Bay ran 1 3/4 miles in the nation’s longest graded stakes race on the turf in 2:45.70 and paid $4, $2.80 and $2.10. He won the 2010 race by a half-length.
Eagle Poise returned $4.20 and $3.20, while Harrods Creek was another 1 1/2 lengths back in third and paid $3.20 to show.
“I didn’t think we won,” Hall of Fame trainer Neil Drysdale said. “I was pleasantly surprised when they put his number up. He’s a lovely horse.”
The victory, worth $90,000, increased Bourbon Bay’s career earnings to $968,536, with nine wins in 26 starts, including seven victories coming over Santa Anita’s turf course.
“He’s a great horse and he can handle this distance well,” Rosario said. “It was pretty close. Right in the middle of the race, I thought they were probably going a little too quick for the distance. I never panicked and didn’t try to make a move early.”
Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert won his record 10th Santa Anita training title on closing day of the spring-summer meet. He saddled 46 winners from 158 starters. Rosario won the jockeys’ title for the second straight year, riding 89 winners from 409 mounts to outdistance Rafael Bejarano by 17 wins.
Mine Over Matter wins Big A’s Fabersham Stakes
NEW YORK (AP) – Mine Over Matter edged Uncle T Seven by a nose Sunday in the $75,000 Fabersham Stakes for New York breds, the closing day feature at rainy Aqueduct.
The victory gave trainer Mike Hushion a sweep of the Big A’s weekend stakes, following The Lumber Guy’s victory Saturday in the Jerome Stakes.
Jose Lezcano was aboard as Mine Over Matter earned his fifth win in 29 starts. The time was 1:25.32 for seven furlongs in the slop. Mine Over Matter paid $8.20, $4.10 and $3.30. Uncle T Seven returned $3.40 and $2.50, and Itsagoodtendollars paid $3.30 to show.
The New York racing circuit shifts Friday to Belmont Park. The highlight of the meet will be the $1 million Belmont Stakes on June 9.
Horse Racing Recap: Velazquez, Ghostzapper head racing Hall class is a post from: PhatzRadio.com
