Daring Kathy skips Tropical Park Oaks

There certainly was no shortage of interest in Saturday’s two stakes, the Tropical Park Derby and its filly counterpart the Tropical Park Oaks. Both $75,000 races are carded at 1 1/16 miles on turf.

A total of 15 3-year-olds passed the box for the derby, while 23 3-year-old fillies were entered for the Oaks. Conspicuous by her absence from laundry list of Oaks entries was Daring Kathy, a four-time stakes winner who is coming off a wire-to-wire victory against older rivals in the Grade 3 My Charmer Handicap at Gulfstream Park West.

“She ran hard in her last start and this was just a little bit too quick to come back,” said Daring Kathy’s trainer, David Fawkes. “I’ve got two races I’m looking at for her next month, either the Marshua’s River on Jan. 10 or the Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf the following week.”

Irad Ortiz comes south

With Aqueduct closed until Dec. 26, Irad Ortiz Jr. will ride here through the weekend before heading home to Puerto Rico to spend Christmas with his family, according to his agent, Steve Rushing.

Ortiz will be back here on Dec. 27 to ride North Slope for Kiaran McLaughlin in the Grade 3 W.L. McKnight Handicap and one of two fillies trainer Christophe Clement is planning on running that same afternoon in the Grade 3 La Prevoyante.

Ortiz also has the call on Frosted in the Grade 2 Holy Bull here on Jan. 24, Rushing said.

Weekend pick four guarantees

There will be a $100,000-guaranteed late pick four on every Saturday and Sunday program through the end of December. There will also be a $50,000 guarantee on the late pick five on Saturdays and Sundays until the end of the month.

There will be no racing here next week on Monday, Wednesday, or Thursday (Christmas Day). The regular Wednesday through Sunday racing schedule will resume on Dec. 31.