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Hey IdaBet players, with no clear cut standout, Uruguayan-bred mare Gaga A looms the horse to beat in Sunday’s Grade II, $200,000 San Luis Rey Stakes at Santa Anita.  With a field of 12 older horses, including 4-year-old filly, Havanna Belle engaged to contest a mile and one half on turf, the San Luis Rey will be run for the 65^th time.

GAGA A:  Bred in Uruguay, this venerable 7-year-old mare comes off her best stateside effort, a close second in the Grade II, 1 ¼ miles San Marcos Stakes versus males.  Trained by Neil Drysdale, she rallied from off the pace and fought back gamely late, only to be beaten three quarters of a length by deep closer Flamboyant.  Owned by her breeder, Haras Phillipson, Gaga A will be making her fifth start for Drysdale on Sunday.  With a win from two starts at 1 ½ miles on turf, Gaga A has five wins from 32 overall tries.

GOING SOMEWHERE:  Brazilian-bred, this 7-year-old horse will be reunited with Mike Smith, who rode him to a close second two starts back in the Grade III, 1 ¾ miles San Juan Capistrano Stakes on June 28, 2015.  Well beaten in the Grade III, 1 ½ miles turf John B. Connally Stakes at Sam Houston Park Jan. 30, Going Somewhere, who is also conditioned by Drysdale, should improve by many lengths with a recent race under his belt.  Also owned and bred by Haras Phillipson, Inc., Going Somewhere is 9-2-1-2 at a mile and a half on turf and has three wins from 24 overall starts.  He’ll be making his fourth stateside start on Sunday.

BIG JOHN B:  Yet another 7-year-old, this Florida-bred gelding by Hard Spun comes off a third place finish in the Grade III John B. Connally Stakes.  A dedicated deep closer, “Big John,” who will be making his 39^th career start, has a win, a second and a third from five tries at a mile and a half on turf.  With two wins from six starts over...

For our IdaBet player’s viewing pleasure, we are happy to announce that Golden Gate Fields on March 17 will begin to broadcast its races using high-definition cameras and video, The Stronach Group has announced.

The new HD Golden Gate signal also will feature three new cameras: one on the starting gate, a camera near the walking ring to enhance paddock coverage and a scenic camera. The track will implement a new HD graphics package, similar in format to the one currently in use at Santa Anita, but with a style unique to Golden Gate. More cameras will be added in the future.

On-track patrons will be able to watch Golden Gate’s races on 500 new HD televisions that have been installed on the Turf Club tables, in the Top of the Stretch betting carrels and throughout the Golden Gate facility.

“Taking the Golden Gate broadcast signal HD is another example of The Stronach Group’s continuing commitment to long-term racing in California,” said Joe Morris, Senior Vice President of West Coast Operations. “Golden Gate, with its scenic location and near year-round racing, is made to be seen in HD and we are excited to make this investment in the bayside track’s future.”

The HD Golden Gate Fields signal will be contractually produced by the track’s longtime vendor, Pegasus Communications, which also produces the HD signal for Santa Anita Park. Pegasus and Santa Anita were honored as 2015’s Outstanding Simulcast at the International Simulcast Conference.

Live racing at Golden Gate Fields, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, generally is conducted four days a week on a Thursday-Sunday schedule. Closing day for the Winter/Spring Meet is June 12.

Amateur driver Dein Spriggs is looking forward to this weekend’s Isle International Amateur competition at Pompano Park this weekend.

“This competition will be highly competitive–yet friendly–with eyes throughout the world on our sport in this highly anticipated event.”

Indeed.

The seven race competition–four races on Saturday and three on Sunday–will feature the best amateur drivers from nine European countries, New Zealand and the United States with charities throughout the world the beneficiaries from the generosity of The Florida Amateur Driving Club and further contributions of driver’s fees earned from the event.

Spriggs, whose “full time” profession is in real estate investment, has been a harness racing participant and has driven well over 400 winners.

The Florida Amateur Driving Club has donated over $150,000 to worthwhile charitable causes since its inception.

A few of the charities to benefit from this competition are New Zealand’s Kidz Kartz North Island, Norway’s Children’s Cancer Association and Russia’s The Red Cross, as well as Germany’s SOS Kinderdorfer and Austria’s Kinderhilfe, among others.

Pompano Park’s Director of Racing, Brett Revington echoed Spriggs’ comments by saying, “We are so pleased to host this event as it will put our sport in the limelight worldwide.

“These are trying times for racing and it’s great to reach out beyond our borders to show the beauty and generosity of our sport and its participants.”

The draw for the seven International seven races event was held Wednesday with Finland’s Tapio Hoikka and Germany’s Michael Holmer officiating at the draw.

The first of four Saturday events has a field of seven and track morning line maker John Berry has made Mr Wizard, to be driven by Jaime Bassa, the 5 to 2 morning line...

Amateur driver Dein Spriggs is looking forward to this weekend’s Isle International Amateur competition at Pompano Park this weekend.

“This competition will be highly competitive–yet friendly–with eyes throughout the world on our sport in this highly anticipated event.”

Indeed.

The seven race competition–four races on Saturday and three on Sunday–will feature the best amateur drivers from nine European countries, New Zealand and the United States with charities throughout the world the beneficiaries from the generosity of The Florida Amateur Driving Club and further contributions of driver’s fees earned from the event.

Spriggs, whose “full time” profession is in real estate investment, has been a harness racing participant for some four decades and has driven well over 400 winners.

The Florida Amateur Driving Club has donated over $150,000 to worthwhile charitable causes since its inception.

A few of the charities to benefit from this competition are New Zealand’s Kidz Kartz North Island, Norway’s Children’s Cancer Association and Russia’s The Red Cross, as well as Germany’s SOS Kinderdorfer and Austria’s Kinderhilfe, among others.

Pompano Park’s Director of Racing, Brett Revington echoed Spriggs’ comments by saying, “We are so pleased to host this event as it will put our sport in the limelight worldwide.

“It’s great to reach out beyond our borders and showcase the world’s top amateur drivers.”

The draw for the seven International seven races event was held Wednesday with Finland’s Tapio Hoikka and Denmark’s Michael Holmer officiating at the draw.

The first of four Saturday events has a field of seven and track morning line maker John Berry has made Mr Wizard, to be driven by Jaime Bassa, the 5 to 2 morning line favorite.

Said Berry,...

IdaBet.com players; as America’s first Triple Crown Champion jockey in 37 years, Victor Espinoza helped Thoroughbred racing project a positive image far beyond the confines of the Thoroughbred industry throughout 2015, thus elevating the sport’s exposure and acceptance to a level perhaps not seen since the 1970s.  Accordingly, Espinoza, a 43-year-old native of Mexico City, has been selected by a vote of jockeys nationwide as the winner of Santa Anita’s highly coveted 2016 George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award and he will accept the award in a Winner’s Circle ceremony following Sunday’s sixth race.

“It’s quite an honor for any rider to be selected by his peers as the winner of such a prestigious award,” said Terry Meyocks, National Manager of the Jockeys’ Guild.  “And I would like to congratulate Victor on this great achievement.”

In addition to numerous national television appearances through the 2015 Triple Crown and  last fall’s Breeders’ Cup World Championships, Espinoza also remained tireless in his efforts on behalf of cancer-stricken youth, donating 10 percent of his winnings to support pediatric cancer research at City of Hope, in nearby Duarte.

With the Bob Baffert-trained American Pharoah providing the horsepower, Espinoza gleefully proclaimed himself “The luckiest Mexican on earth,” on national television following their win in the Belmont Stakes June 6.

In addition to winning the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont, Espinoza and Santa Anita-based American Pharoah won last year’s Grade II Rebel Stakes, Grade I Arkansas Derby, Grade I Haskell Invitational and, in a performance for the ages, the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic by 6 ½ lengths on Oct. 31—all the while elevating the profile of jockeys nationwide and generating tremendous ratings on a consistent basis.

Born on a dairy farm near Mexico City, Espinoza is the 11^th of 12 children.  A three-time ESPY Award...

We wanted our IdaBet.com players to know with recency on his side, graded stakes winner Calculator will head a field of eight in Saturday’s Grade II, $300,000 San Carlos Stakes going seven furlongs on the main track.

CALCULATOR: After a 13-month layoff, trainer Peter Miller’s Calculator returned to the track and the Winner’s Circle in impressive fashion winning by a neck in a seven furlong allowance at Santa Anita Feb. 13 as the even money favorite. A Kentucky Derby hopeful just last year after running second to American Pharoah in both the Grade I Del Mar Futurity and the Grade I FrontRunner Stakes in 2014, he went on to win the Grade III Sham Stakes in January, 2015. Calculator was then sidelined due to a non-displaced fracture in his right front ankle before returning to training in November, 2015.

A 4-year-old Florida-bred by In Summation, Calculator is owned by Richard C. Pell and will again be ridden by Flavien Prat, who was up for the win Feb. 13.  He is 6-2-2-1 overall and has amassed earnings of $228,300.

KOBE’S BACK: Trained by Peter Eurton, the 5-year-old horse by Flatter will look for his second win in-a-row Saturday following a half-length score with the addition of blinkers in the Grade II Palos Verdes on Feb. 7 in which he earned a 100 Beyer Speed figure. Notoriously slow out of the gate, Kobe’s Back won the Grade III, seven furlong Commonwealth Stakes at Keeneland by three quarters of a length in April, 2015 but was winless in five consecutive starts, including a third to San Carlos contender Wild Dude in the Bing Crosby Stakes in July and seventh to Eclipse Champion Runhappy in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint Oct. 31.

Owned by Lee Searing of CRK Stable, he will retain the services of Gary Stevens Saturday. Kobe’s Back has won four races in 17 lifetime starts and has earnings of $772,250.

SAN CARLOS STAKES FIELD, IN POST POSITION...