With management and horsemen committing to be more vigilant and with a planned re-examination of an inner track it already deems safe, the New York Racing Association plans to go on with the remainder of Aqueduct’s winter meet schedule as is, officials said Saturday afternoon.
A 50-cent pick four closes out the card at Gulfstream Park on Sunday, and with the modest minimum, the ticket can be played at levels that won’t deplete the wallet.
Calculator hadn’t run since September, his trainer warned he wasn’t fully cranked up for his comeback Saturday in the Sham Stakes, and Calculator was fanned five paths wide on the first turn and three paths wide on the far turn. Add all that up, using an abacus, your fingers, or a calculator, and it often results in a loss, but Calculator overcame it all while rolling to a dominating 4 1/4-length victory at Santa Anita.
Private Zone, a two-time Grade 1 winner in 2014 and a finalist for an Eclipse Award as the nation's premier sprinter, will be trained by Jorge Navarro when he returns to the races in 2015.
Good Deed does not race that often, but when she does, she tends to win. On Saturday at Fair Grounds, she beat Seeking Ms Shelley by 2 1/2 lengths in the $57,600 Pan Zareta Stakes, her ninth victory from 16 starts. Pretty good, indeed.
Parranda returned quick dividends after being purchased two months earlier at the Keeneland November Sale, parlaying her inherent class and a perfect ride by jockey John Velazquez into a popular three-length victory over Skylander Girl in Saturday’s Grade 3 Marshua’s River at Gulfstream Park.
Bold Thunder lived up to his name at Tampa Bay Downs on Saturday with a thunderous track record-setting victory against an overmatched field of 10 turf sprinters in the $80,000 Tampa Turf Dash.
Lea overcame an 11-month layoff and an eventful trip to successfully defend his title in Saturday’s $150,000 Hal’s Hope at Gulfstream Park.
The main track at Santa Anita was sealed before the first race Saturday as track superintendent Dennis Moore prepared for rain. How that affects the racing program a day later, on Sunday, is a mystery.
California Chrome continued his pattern of strong works in preparation for next month’s San Antonio Stakes when he went six furlongs Saturday morning in 1:11.60 at Los Alamitos. The time was the fastest of 16 works at the distance.
