Harness: Sharp Horses and Track Trends for January 15 to January 18
Bob Pandolfo's Sharp Horses and Track Trends for January 15 to 18, 2015.
Bob PandolfoJan 21, 2015
Bob Pandolfo's Sharp Horses and Track Trends for January 15 to 18, 2015.
Opulent Yankee, who joined Julie Miller’s stable in November, won both of his starts in the preliminary rounds of the Super Bowl Series for 3- and 4-year-old trotters at the Big M and is likely to be among the favorites in Saturday’s $50,000 final.
Lucky Player, the winner of the Grade 3 Iroquois at Churchill Downs in September, likely will make his next start on grass, said trainer Steve Asmussen. Lucky Player finished eighth in the Smarty Jones at Oaklawn Park on Monday.
Angelica Zapata will be looking for the 11th stakes win of her career Saturday night in the $400,000 Houston Ladies Classic at Sam Houston Race Park.
Shared Belief, the winner of the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes on Dec. 26, worked six furlongs in 1:13.20 at Golden Gate Fields on Wednesday, moving closer to a start in the $500,000 San Antonio Stakes on Feb. 7 at Santa Anita Park.
Holy Boss, an impressive debut winner at Churchill Downs who has seen Grade 1 company in New York, figures to go favored Friday in a $50,000 optional-claiming allowance for 3-year-olds that highlights the card at Oaklawn Park.
As the California Chrome crew made its way to the stage to accept the golden Horse of the Year trophy, led by trainer Art Sherman and co-owner Steve Coburn, Jay Robbins,trainer of 2000 Horse of the Year Tiznow, heard broadcast announcer Larry Collmus introduce the newly crowned champion as “the first ever California-bred to win the Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year.” How soon they forget.
Comeflywithanangel, who went through the ring at the 2009 Michigan Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association yearling sale without drawing a single bid, won the state's Horse of the Year title for 2014.
Instant Replay could get a shot at next month’s Grade 3, $300,000 Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park after winning a first-level allowance at the track in eye-catching fashion on Monday.
Trainer Richie Scherer said last week he was aiming Bourbon Cowboy at the Black Gold Stakes, but Scherer, evidently, found a better spot sooner. Bourbon Cowboy, a sharp second to Cinco Charlie in the Sugar Bowl Stakes here last month, is one of eight horses entered in Friday’s featured eighth race, a first-level, turf sprint allowance for 3-year-olds that’s also open to $50,000 claimers.