Curlin’s Fox bled in China Doll

ARCADIA, Calif. – A lack of pace appeared to compromise the chances of Curlin’s Fox when she finished second as the favorite in the China Doll Stakes on March 7, but trainer Carla Gaines said Curlin’s Fox bled in the race, too.

Highly touted before her Feb. 1 debut, Curlin’s Fox won impressively, as advertised. Thus far, she has made both her starts on turf, but she is expected to move to dirt for the Grade 1, $400,000 Santa Anita Oaks on April 4, the same card on which Gaines will run Bolo in the Grade 1, $1 million Santa Anita Derby.

The female grass runner Lady Pimpernel, who was conspicuous by her absence from the Santa Ana last weekend, is a Gaines stable star currently getting a freshening. Earlier this meet, Lady Pimpernel won the Grade 3 Robert Frankel on Dec. 27 and was second in the Astra on Jan. 18.

“We did a nuclear scan on her, and her condyles lit up, so she’s getting a break,” Gaines said. “She should be back late at Del Mar.”

** The Sam Thompson Memorial Golf Tournament, a fundraiser for disabled jockeys that is named for a rider who died after an accident at Los Alamitos in 2008, will be held Monday at the California Country Club in Whittier. A luncheon, raffle, and auction also are part of the day. For information, visit http://thestfoundation.org.

** The dates of the Barretts sale in May of 2-year-olds in training and horses of racing age at Del Mar have been tweaked due to the Memorial Day holiday. The breeze-up now will be May 26 and the sale May 28.