Horse Racing News on January 8, 2011

Though it still has a long way to go to recoup the handle lost from the closure of NYC Off-Track Betting Corp., NYRA officials have been encouraged by the increased handle through its Internet and telephone wagering platforms in the last month.

Trainer Al Stall is about to swing into stakes action at Fair Grounds and Louisiana points beyond, but Grade 1 winner J.B.'s Thunder will not be among the stable's participants, Stall said Friday.

The New York Racing Association is looking into a breakdown in communication that led to an injured jockey being left unattended to in the paddock for several minutes and nearly prompted the cancellation of the final 3 races on Saturday at Aqueduct.

Mucho Macho Man, among the leading candidates for the Grade 3 Holy Bull on Jan. 30, took his first major step in that direction by working a bullet five furlongs in 59.01 seconds Saturday at Gulfstream Park.

It took until the end of his 5-year-old year for Aggie Engineer to finally win a stakes race, but the way he ran on Saturday, in the Grade 2, $150,000 San Pasqual Stakes at Santa Anita, there could be plenty more to come.

On Saturday, the vastly improved Soaring Empire turned the tables when holding off a late bid from Rule to register a 1 1/4-length victory in Gulfstream Park's $100,000 Hal's Hope. Morning Line finished third as the 3-5 favorite.