Oaklawn Park racing secretary Pat Pope said before the start of the meet he felt he had more 3-year-old colts on the grounds than fillies, and his assessment is backed up by the track’s twin features on Thursday. A pair of entry-level allowances for 3-year-olds highlight the card, with the 1 1/16-mile races going as the eighth and ninth while drawing a total of 17 horses.
The catalog for the Stars of Tomorrow 2-year-olds in training sale, hosted by Evangeline Downs and the Breeders Sales Company of Louisiana, is now available online with 93 entries.
Put it this way: They are definitely not the post positions – the rail for Shook Up in the Rachel Alexandra Stakes, and post 2 for Tiznow R J in the Risen Star – that trainer Steve Asmussen would have chosen for his top 3-year-old stakes horses on Saturday at Fair Grounds.
Condo Commando, the multiple graded stakes-winning 2-year-old filly of 2014, drew the outside post in a field of six entered Monday for Saturday’s $100,000 Busher Stakes at Aqueduct.
Mike Repole hopes Misconnect’s 11-1 upset victory in Monday’s Grade 3 General George Handicap at Laurel Park was the start of a big week for his stable.
Despite cold weather and snow that forced the cancellation of the Sunday card, Laurel Park had a good weekend from a business perspective.
Laurel-based Barbara Fritchie winner Lady Sabelia has won six of her last seven starts for trainer Robin Graham. In her only recent loss, she finished third in the $77,500 Cornucopia Stakes at Parx in October following a layoff of nearly four months.
The Magna 5 will be returning in the near future with a lower minimum bet and a new name. The Magna 5 will link five races within a one-hour time span from Stronach Group tracks.
It’s a 136-mile drive from the Evangeline Training Center, where trainer Steve Flint is based, to Fair Grounds, where Flint will start Fly Friendly Sky in the featured sixth race Thursday.
Brad Free's horses to watch at Santa Anita for the week of Feb. 17.
