What’s a guy who is almost 102 – John Nerud’s exact birthdate, according to legend, is Feb. 9, 1913 – doing with a 3-year-old Thoroughbred who just cruised home to win a maiden race at Aqueduct last Friday?
The three stakes starters trainer Mike Maker had at Sam Houston Race Park last Saturday night are headed in different directions. Coalport, who won the Grade 3, $200,000 Connally Turf Cup, is returning to Florida; Dreams Cut Short, who finished fourth in the same race, will target stakes at Fair Grounds; and Shanon Nicole, a close third in the $400,000 Houston Ladies Classic, is headed to next month’s Fasig-Tipton auction in Kentucky.
Fast workouts are rare at six furlongs on the Tapeta Footings synthetic surface at Golden Gate Fields – unless the horse in question is the champion Shared Belief. On Wednesday, Shared Belief, the champion 2-year-old male of 2013, worked six furlongs in 1:11.80, which trainer Jerry Hollendorfer described as the 4-year-old gelding’s last major workout before the $500,000 San Antonio Stakes at Santa Anita on Feb. 7.
Two things have happened since the $125,000 Rego Park Stakes was originally drawn that have trainer Rick Violette feeling even better about his chances with Deficit Hawk going into Friday’s rescheduled stakes at Aqueduct.
After Good Luck Gus won the Damon Runyon Stakes for New York-breds on Dec. 14, part-owner Michael Dubb said he would like to give the colt a chance in an open-company stakes for 3-year-olds early in 2015.
Belle Gallantey, a dual Grade 1 winner in 2014, could decide her own future based on how she runs in Saturday’s $100,000 Ladies Handicap at Aqueduct.
Bayern, Toast of New York, California Chrome, and Shared Belief - the first four finishers of the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita on Nov. 1 - are among 296 horses from 15 countries nominated for the $10 million Dubai World Cup at Meydan Racecourse in the United Arab Emirates.
Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin is changing paths to jump-start Mawthooq’s return to the Triple Crown trail.
Trainer Brad Cox is hoping for a better start for Prosecution in Friday’s eighth race at Oaklawn than the horse had in his most recent out.
The Gomper has one win in two starts and runs in a first-level optional $80,000 claimer at a mile at Santa Anita on Friday, a race that could lead to major stakes in coming months.
