Free's Santa Anita Horses to Watch for the week of May 25
Brad Free's Horses to Watch for the week of May 25 at Santa Anita.
Brad FreeMay 26, 2015
Brad Free's Horses to Watch for the week of May 25 at Santa Anita.
Upstart, who was eased to the wire by jockey Jose Ortiz far behind American Pharoah in the Kentucky Derby, returned to trainer Rick Violette’s barn at Aqueduct late last week to resume training for a summer and fall campaign.
Trainer Todd Pletcher said Tuesday that Palace Malice will not be back to defend his title in the Metropolitan Handicap on June 6.
Saturday easily will be the biggest day of the year so far for Midwest Thoroughbreds and trainer Roger Brueggemann as their two homebred, Illinois-bred stable stars, Work All Week and The Pizza Man, will make their 6-year-old debuts in separate stakes races at Churchill.
While he was at Churchill Downs on Tuesday morning to oversee the workout by Triple Crown hopeful American Pharoah, trainer Bob Baffert also sent out 2014 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Bayern for a five-furlong breeze in 1:00.40 over a fast track.
Don’t Tell Sophia isn’t officially retired yet, according to trainer and co-owner Phil Sims, but the standout 7-year-old mare has been bred to Medaglia d’Oro and taken out of training.
It may not be a Test of the Champion, but seven turf-meant older males will attempt to negotiate 1 1/2 miles in Thursday’s feature race scheduled for the Widener turf.
Trainer Neil Howard will saddle Class Leader, a stakes winner last year at 3, in the first of two allowances on an eight-race card on Thursday at Churchill Downs.
The second year of a non-Met Mile Memorial Day at Belmont Park was better than the first for the New York Racing Association.
With less than two weeks remaining until American Pharoah attempts to become Thoroughbred racing’s first Triple Crown winner in 37 years at the Belmont Stakes on June 6, approximately 22,000 grandstand general admission tickets still are available, according to the New York Racing Association.