Trainer Bob Baffert did not ship either of his top two Kentucky Derby prospects to New York for the Saturday’s Grade 1 Wood Memorial, but he did send the 3-year-old Lord Nelson cross-country for Saturday’s Grade 3, $300,000 Bay Shore Stakes at seven furlongs.
Wonder Gal made an eye-catching debut last summer when she galloped to a 14 1/2-length victory in the Lynbrook Stakes, a six-furlong race at Belmont Park. Her 3-year-old debut figures to be much more challenging.
It is final auditions for the Kentucky Oaks for the 11 fillies that were entered Wednesday in the Grade 3, $400,000 Fantasy Stakes. The 1 1/16-mile race that runs Saturday opens Oaklawn Park’s annual Racing Festival of the South, for which at least one major stakes is carded on each of the programs making up the final week of the meet. The season wraps April 11.
Todd Pletcher may have lost one top contender for Saturday’s Grade 1 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct when Far From Over got hurt, but he still has another big chance to win the $1 million race with Daredevil.
Absolutely nothing could put a damper on this weekend in Lexington. Yes, it’s supposed to rain, but with Keeneland opening its 15-day spring meet Friday afternoon and the Kentucky Wildcats poised to make basketball history the following night, this town is ready to unloose its party jones in a fearsome way, precipitation or no.
Trainer Linda Rice could have chosen a $70,000 New York-bred allowance race here on Thursday in which to bring back her multiple-Grade 1-winning sprinter Palace. Instead, she chose Saturday’s Grade 1, $400,000 Carter Handicap.
Trainer Cliff Sise stands a very good chance of winning the Santa Anita Derby, and having a prominent starter in the Kentucky Derby. His hopes ride on Prospect Park, who finished second to the unbeaten Dortmund in last month’s San Felipe Stakes and is set for a rematch on Saturday in the Grade 1, $1 million Santa Anita Derby
C J’s Awesome could set himself up for a start in next month’s Alysheba Stakes at Churchill Downs if he fires a strong race Friday in the featured eighth at Oaklawn Park. He will vie for favoritism in the optional $40,000 claiming route that carries second-level allowance conditions. The race is at 1 1/16 miles, the same distance of the Grade 2, $400,000 Alysheba that will be run on the Kentucky Oaks undercard May 1.
Of all the people who knew, revered, and loved the late Allen Jerkens, nobody spent more time with the Chief on a daily basis over the past 18 1/2 years than longtime assistant Fernando Abreu.
Horse racing does not need new fans as much as it needs to take perfect care of the fans it has, which means horse racing must stop trying to be hip, or liked, or trending, and spend more time and resources on getting the little things right.
