Tag: Mike Maker

NYRA stewards ruled Saratoga's seventh race on the inner turf course Sunday a "No Contest" after a mechanical failure to the gate tractor. (Image: Saratoga Springs Photo)

NYRA Declares Saratoga Race No Contest After Gate Tractor Failure

- 2 min read

New York Racing Association stewards ruled Sunday’s seventh race at Saratoga a No Contest due to a mechanical issue with the starting gate tractor. That mechanical issue created a delay in removing the gate once the field started the race. The outriders communicated to the jockeys there was a problem. […]

Kentucky Derby-winning jockey Sonny Leon is moving his tack to Gulfstream Park. He's returning to the US track he began his career on in 2015. (Image: Coady Photography)

Derby-Winning Jockey Sonny Leon Moves On Up to Gulfstream Park

- 2 min read

When Sonny Leon came to the United States from his native Venezuela in 2015, the first place he put down his tack was Gulfstream Park. After winning his first race in only his fourth start, Leon went 3-for-his-next-67. He became an afterthought on the competitive South Florida circuit. An afterthought […]

Dowagiac Chief broke his maiden in this Kentucky Downs maiden special weight. He is one of the favorites for the marquee Mystic Lake Derby at Canterbury Park's Northern Stars Turf Festival Wednesday. (Image: Coady Photgraphy)

Canterbury Park Gets Mystic with Northern Stars Turf Festival

- 3 min read

The center of the horse racing universe will migrate north to Minnesota’s Canterbury Park on Wednesday, where the annual Mystic Lake Northern Stars Turf Festival offers five stakes and a rich smorgasbord of betting options. Those options include an all-turf stakes Pick 5 that offers an industry-low 10% takeout. That […]

Mike Maker made himself quite a career just off the Calumet Turf Cup. Standouts like the just-retired Zulu Alpha helped Maker earn more than $2.2 million in just this event. (Image: Joe DiOrio)

Maker’s Mark Predictably Potent in the $1 Million Calumet Turf Cup

- 3 min read

To illustrate how seriously trainer Mike Maker takes the $1 million Grade 3 Calumet Turf Cup and how deep his barn goes at Kentucky Downs, Maker had owner Michael Hui retire Grade 1 winner Zulu Alpha Friday. And even with Zulu Alpha’s retirement, Maker still sends four horses into Kentucky […]

Expect Somelikeithotbrown to factor into Monday's Grade 3 Mint Million at Kentucky Downs. His trainer, Mike Maker, is the track's all-time leader in three categories: wins, starters and earnings. (Image: Bill Denver/Maryland Jockey Club)

Stakes Winners Somelikeithotbrown, Du Jour Find Path to Kentucky Downs

- 2 min read

Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott brings Du Jour and Mike Maker brings Somelikeithotbrown from New York to Kentucky Downs for two of the track’s biggest opening weekend races. Mott, Kentucky Downs’ leading trainer in 2005 and the No. 3 all-time trainer with 27 victories, sends Du Jour into Sunday’s […]

Kentucky Oaks winner Malathaat had her five-race win streak snapped by Maracuja in last month's CCA Oaks. She seeks payback in Saturday's Grade 1 Alabama Stakes at Saratoga. (Image: Churchill Downs/Coady Photography)

M & M Girls Malathaat and Maracuja Take Center Stage in the Alabama

- 4 min read

There are would-be party crashers to Saturday’s Grade 1 Alabama Stakes at Saratoga. There’s Crazy Beautiful. There’s Clairiere. Solid 3-year-olds with solid, proven resumes. However, the two “C” fillies find themselves relegated to that party-crasher role. That’s courtesy of the two “M” fillies – Malathaat and Maracuja – who hold […]

Minnesota's Canterbury Park takes center stage Wednesday with its Northern Stars Racing Festival. Training stars such as Eclipse Award-winning trainer Brad Cox and jockey Florent Geroux will be at Canterbury. (Image: Canterbury Park)

Racing Stars Align at Canterbury Park’s Northern Stars Racing Festival

- 3 min read

Track officials call Wednesday’s six-stakes card at Canterbury Park the Northern Stars Racing Festival. It’s a rather apt name, given the stars coming out to the suburban Minneapolis track. There’s Eclipse Award-winning trainer Brad Cox. Enough said there. There are also his fellow trainers, Mike Maker, who is currently sixth […]

One of the Kentucky Derby futures favorites, Greatest Honour is the 9/5 morning-line favorite to win Saturday's Grade 2 Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream Park. (Image: Ryan Thompson/Coglianese Photography)

Drinking From This Fountain of Youth Often Portends Derby Dreams

- 4 min read

Once you get past the obvious, that Greatest Honour is clearly the favorite to add the Fountain of Youth to his Gulfstream Park Kentucky Derby prep resume, this race opens up a wealth of other storylines. Can Fire At Will handle dirt as well as he handled turf? Is Prime […]

Todd Pletcher usually has a reason to smile around Gulfstream Park. He sends a quarter of the 12-horse field into the Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational. (Image: Coglianese Photography)

Pletcher’s Trio Leads Pegasus World Cup Turf Invite List

- 4 min read

Todd Pletcher’s considerable depth at Gulfstream Park manifested itself again when the Hall of Fame trainer snagged three of the 16 invites to the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational, the companion race to the Pegasus World Cup Invitational. The Grade 1, 1-3/16-mile Pegasus Turf runs Jan. 23 as […]