Battle of Hastings to wait for Fort Lauderdale Handicap

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Battle of Hastings probably won’t race again until the Jan. 9 Fort Lauderdale Handicap at Gulfstream Park after making a successful first run for new trainer Greg Fox in capturing the Grade 3 River City Handicap here last Thursday.

“He’ll move down to Payson Park with our other horses in a couple of weeks,” said Fox, who will have about 15 horses at the south Florida training center. “He ran the race I envisioned he would run, and obviously it’s very gratifying when that happens.”

Fox also is the trainer of Tizdejavu, a multiple stakes winner in middle-distance turf races. Tizdejavu is recovering after having a splint bone surgically removed and also will be part of the Payson string.

Battle of Hastings, now an earner of more than $1.3 million, was previously based in Southern California with Jeff Mullins before owner Michael House sent him to Fox this fall.

Distinctive Dixie points to Falls City

The Nov. 25 Falls City at Churchill could be next for Distinctive Dixie after the Fusaichi Pegasus mare broke out with her first stakes victory in the Grade 2 Chilukki Stakes on the Saturday Breeders’ Cup undercard.

“The Falls City is a distinct possibility,” said Wally Dollase, who trains Distinctive Dixie for the Bob and Beverly Lewis Trust. “I’m just glad she got some black type. It really was great to see her run the way we knew she could.”

The $150,000 Falls City goes at 1 1/8 miles as the traditional Thanksgiving Day feature.

◗ The Churchill stakes schedule is pretty light between the Breeders’ Cup and closing weekend, with just two races on tap in the interim: The Grade 3, $100,000 Commonwealth Turf on Saturday and the Grade 2, $175,000 Mrs. Revere on Nov. 20.

Thirty-nine 3-year-olds are nominated to the Commonwealth, a 1 1/16-mile turf race for which entries were to be drawn Wednesday.