Sharp Starr News Today

 Irad Ortiz Jr. cemented his status as meet-leading rider with three wins, including two stakes scores, on Empire Showcase Day, a special 10-race card for New York-breds Sunday on closing day of the Belmont at the Big A fall meet.

"Empire Showcase Day reflects the quality, popularity and continued growth of the New York-bred program,” said Najja Thompson

Over the last four and a half years, there isn’t much that jockey Victor Carrasco and Hillwood Stable’s Cordmaker haven’t done together.The Eclipse Award winner as champion apprentice of 2013 was up when Cordmaker, a chestnut son of two-time Horse of the Year and 2014 Hall of Famer Curlin, ran third in his Aug. 19, 2017, debut at Laurel Park in Maryland.Carrasco, 29, will be back aboard for the 25th time and 10th in a row in Saturday’s $250,000 General George (G3).

Aqueduct’s fall meet concludes this weekend, but the winter meets starts right up later next week. The Big A features four graded stakes on Saturday.

Racing in New York never ends, an eternal loop of horses running in circles around Aqueduct, Belmont Park and Saratoga.

The Riskaverse Stakes is Thursday’s ninth race, and it features a larger field that we have seen from recent stakes races this meet. With 11 entrants…

Sponsored by: The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) will host an all-stakes Cross Country Pick 5 on Saturday, featuring Kentucky Derby qualifiers from Aqueduct Racetrack and Tampa Bay Downs. Live coverage will be available with Americas Day at the Races on FOX Sports. Free Equibase past performances for the Cross Country Pick 5 sequence are now available for download at https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/cross-country-wagers. The sequence begins at 4:25 p.m. Eastern at Tampa...

Sponsored by: Hibiscus Punch and jockey Horacio Karamanos posted a 41-1 upset of the Barbara Fritchie Edward Seltzer and Beverly Andersons homebred Hibiscus Punch rolled up to dueling favorites Hello Beautiful and Dontletsweetfoolya on the far turn and cruised past once straightened for home, sprinting clear for a 41-1 upset in Saturdays $250,000 Runhappy Barbara Fritchie (G3) at Laurel Park in Maryland. The 69th running of the Fritchie for fillies and mares 4 and older and the 45th e...

Across The Board With Andy Serling: Horacio DePaz Sponsored by: Andy Serling Following an extended hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Across the Board with Andy Serling podcast returns this week featuring an interview with trainer Horacio DePaz. The 35-year-old DePaz, who grew up watching Quarter Horses as a teenager in his native Texas, discusses his life in racing including working on the backstretch of Louisiana Downs; serving as an exercise rider and assistant for Kentucky D...

Russell Seeking First Graded Win With Hello Beautiful Sponsored by: Hello Beautiful and Sheldon Russell win the Safely Kept by 11 1/4 lengths With few remaining gaps on Hello Beautifuls resume, trainer Brittany Russell will seek to achieve a significant milestone for both herself and her stable star when they go up against seven rivals in Saturdays $250,000 Runhappy Barbara Fritchie (G3) at Laurel Park.   th running of the Fritchie for fillies and mares 4 and older and the 45 th ed...