As of this writing, the scheduled turf races at Keeneland remain on the grass despite steady rain this morning in Lexington. So bear in mind, my “How I’d play today” thoughts, being made late a.m. Sunday, are with the expectation those races will be run on a yielding grass course.
Quiet Hour takes on a field of seven in Sunday's sixth race at Gulfstream Park, the one-mile Sand Dollar Stakes. Since Jan. 1, 2014, trainer Martin Wolfson is winning at a 31 percent clip when saddling a horse switching from sprint to route, for a return on investment of $4.73.
Arties Party Girl (#6, ML 5-1) will return to action in Sunday's third race at Aqueduct, a 6 1/2-furlong maiden claimer. It will be her first start since a third-place finish by three lengths in a six-furlong race March 8 at Aqueduct. The first- and second-place finishers from that maiden claimer came back to win their next starts.
Jockey Pablo Flores sustained a small fracture in the tip of his left thumb when unseated by Monsajem Accrete prior to the first race Saturday at Golden Gate Fields.
P H Supercam will look to repeat in the George Morton Levy Series Final.
Despite racing wide on both turns of the $150,000 Sugar Maple Stakes, Taketheodds dug in through the stretch under jockey Mike Smith and was up by a neck to deny Flattering Bea a repeat victory in the seven-furlong race for fillies and mares.
While Shared Belief was pulled up on the backstretch of the $1.5 million Charles Town Classic on Saturday with an apparent stifle injury, Moreno was storming home a two-length winner.
Employing a stalking style while traveling for the first time and stepping up to a Grade 3, $400,000 race, Whiskey Ticket won again, showing heart to hold clear a late, wide rally from Conquest Curlinate in the Illinois Derby at Hawthorne.
Even-money favorite Control Stake somewhat surprisingly wasn't on the early lead in the $100,000 Robert Hilton Memorial Stakes at Charles Town on Saturday. Instead, he found himself in a stalking position in the seven-furlong race for 3-year-olds.
Shared Belief stumbled at the start of the Charles Town Classic and then was pulled up on the backstretch, six furlongs from the start. Mike Smith dismounted and Shared Belief appeared to be standing on all four legs. He is being vanned off in the equine ambulance. More in a while.
