Da Stoops aiming at Affirmed and Swaps

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Da Stoops, a striking winner of the $250,000 Snow Chief Stakes on April 30, returned to racetrack training at Santa Anita on Thursday after missing more than a week of training because of a bout of colic, trainer Bob Baffert said.

The colic was detected the day after the Snow Chief Stakes, the richest race for California-bred 3-year-olds.

Da Stoops won the Snow Chief Stakes by 5 1/2 lengths, his third stakes win. The first two stakes wins came in sprints at Santa Anita during the winter.

After the Snow Chief Stakes, Baffert mentioned that Da Stoops could return in the Preakness Stakes on May 20, but the illness has put an end to those plans.

Da Stoops will be pointed for the graded stakes for 3-year-olds at the current Hollywood Park meeting - the $100,000 Affirmed Handicap at 1 1/16 miles on June 17 and the $300,000 Swaps Breeders' Cup Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on July 8.

Da Stoops has won 4 of 11 starts and $486,950.

Attima now Honeymoon bound

Attima earned a place in the $175,000 Honeymoon Breeders' Cup Handicap on June 4 after an impressive U.S. debut in an allowance race on Wednesday.

Ridden by Victor Espinoza, Attima stalked pacesetter Maxxi Arte and rallied on the final turn to win by 3 1/2 lengths over Proxenia. Attima ran a mile on turf in 1:34.27.

While the victory was a solid start for the former French runner, trainer Julio Canani was reluctant to consider Attima a candidate for the $750,000 American Oaks at 1 1/4 miles on July 2.

"Forget a mile and a quarter," he said. "I don't know. I know she's a nice filly."

Attima was group stakes-placed in France last year. She was an intended starter at Santa Anita in February but was involved in a morning training mishap, Canani said.

"I was worried that she wasn't fit," Canani said of Attima's condition for Wednesday's race. "She was a nice filly going in."

Generator burnout brings fire trucks

A burnout in a rooftop generator resulted in several fire trucks being summoned to Hollywood Park on Thursday morning, an incident that caused only minimal damage, according to track general manager Eual Wyatt Jr.

The problem was first noticed by an employee who saw a significant amount of smoke.

As a result of the accident, the elevator that serviced the grandstand and the press box was not in operation on Thursday.

Wyatt said it was unclear how much it would cost to repair the generator.

Garcia gets three-day suspension

Apprentice jockey Martin Garcia, who began riding here on Saturday, will miss three days next week after being suspended by the Golden Gate stewards for causing interference in the fourth race there on May 7.

Garcia was cited for causing interference on Do Not Assume, who was demoted from second to fifth. The three-day suspension begins on Wednesday and continues through Friday.

Garcia, 21, won the riding title at the Golden Gate Fields spring meeting and is second in the nation in wins.

Chinese Dragon gets ready

Chinese Dragon, a candidate for the $300,000 Shoemaker Breeders' Cup Mile on turf May 29, worked a half-mile on turf in 48.60 seconds on Thursday. Trained by Bob Hess Jr., Chinese Dragon was second in the Arcadia Handicap at Santa Anita last month. A 4-year-old, Chinese Dragon won four stakes on turf last year.