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6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Breeders' Cup Winner Nobals, Frankie Dettori Headline Hawthorne Turf Stakes
Breeders' Cup Winner Nobals, Frankie Dettori Headline Hawthorne Turf Stakes originally appeared on Paulick Report. Top turf sprinters will be the focus on Sunday at Hawthorne as a pair of $100,000 stakes events will take place at 5 ½ furlongs on the turf in Stickney, Ill. The 2023 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint Champion Nobals headlines the Robert S. Molaro Memorial for the boys, while Frankie Dettori is set to ride for trainer Wesley Ward in the Lady Carey Turf Molaro goes as race six on the Sunday card with a 5:30 PM Central post time. The field of seven is led by 4-5 morning line favorite Nobals for owner Patricia's Hope LLC of Vince Foglia and trainer Larry Rivelli. A winner of 12 of 26 career starts for over $1.75 million, Nobals was the game winner of the 2023 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint at Santa Anita. In eight starts since that Breeders' Cup score, Nobals has won a pair of races, including the Grade 2 Kennedy Road at Woodbine in November of 2024. In 2025 he posted runner-up performances in the Big Daddy at Turfway and the Karl Boyes Stakes at Presque Isle. Jareth Loveberry has the mount aboard Nobals on Sunday. Also, from the Rivelli barn is Uncashed, as the 9-2 second choice with Walter Rodriguez in the saddle. With over $300,000 in lifetime earnings, Uncashed has won nine times from 18 career starts, including winning three of four on the Hawthorne main track. Race eight Sunday is the second running of the Lady Carey Turf Sprint as a full, competitive, field of fillies and mares will line up. Champion jockey Frankie Dettori is slated to ride 7-2 morning line favorite Saturday Flirt for owner Mrs. Fitriani Hay and trainer Wesley Ward. The lightly raced three-year-old filly has won three of four career starts, most recently scoring in the Soaring Softly Stakes at Saratoga in her most recent start. If shifted to the main track, Ward and Dettori may shift their focus to main track only entrant and stakes winner Rivelli sends out a trio in the Lady Carey of Foxxy Cleopatra, Rich City Girl, and Shezafunkydrummer. All accomplished runners, Foxxy Cleopatra has won three of six lifetime starts, including her last two in turf sprints. Rich City Girl won in her only turf try at Kentucky Downs last fall and most recently took the Goldfinch at Prairie Meadows in her most recent start. Shezafunkydrummer earned over $250,000 during her juvenile campaign and is slated to make her 2025 debut in the Lady Brisset sends out B G Warrior with Marcelino Pedroza, Jr. slated to ride. With earnings of over $500,000, B G Warrior comes off a solid second-place performance in the Clarksville Handicap on the turf at Horseshoe Indianapolis in her most recent start. This story was originally reported by Paulick Report on Jul 25, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
‘There Are More Opportunities': Hall Of Fame Jockey Victor Espinoza Looking Forward To Saratoga Meet
'There Are More Opportunities': Hall Of Fame Jockey Victor Espinoza Looking Forward To Saratoga Meet originally appeared on Paulick Report. After what could be called a friendly scolding by trainer Wesley Ward, 53-year-old Hall of Fame jockey Victor Espinoza has moved his tack to Saratoga Racecourse in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., for the summer in an attempt to rejuvenate his career. Espinoza recounted to the Daily Racing Form that he had called Ward to tell him he'd be vacationing in Saratoga. 'Wesley was like, 'What's wrong with you? You need to go and ride,'' Espinoza said. 'I said 'What do you mean?' He said, 'It's got to be like old times – come back strong and ride. You won everywhere, you won in Ascot for me, you got to come back and ride.' I said, 'You got to put me on good horses,' and he said he would. He was kind to help me out.' Advertisement Best known as the rider of Hall of Fame racehorses American Pharoah and California Chrome, Espinoza's career has stagnated after fracturing a neck vertebra in a fall in 2018. He has ridden in just 26 races this year. 'I feel like there are more opportunities on this circuit because there are many trainers,' Espinoza said. 'I'd never been on the backside in Saratoga and this year I went there and went around the stables and it was amazing. There are many, many trainers here and they have a lot of horses and I was impressed. California, I feel if you don't ride for three or four trainers who dominate everything, there's not much to do.' Represented by agent Jose Santos Jr., Espinoza is entered in four races on opening day, July 10, and two on the second day of the meet. He rides for trainers Ward, Robert Johnston, Wayne Potts, and Marcelo Aerenas. Read more at This story was originally reported by Paulick Report on Jul 9, 2025, where it first appeared.
