Enticed to Gotham; Avery Island to Louisiana Derby

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Plans for Godolphin’s Enticed and Avery Island were confirmed this week as both continued their training at Palm Meadows for Kiaran McLaughlin.

Enticed, a disappointing fourth behind Audible in the Feb. 3 Holy Bull in his seasonal debut, breezed an easy half-mile in 53.80 seconds Thursday ahead of his next start in the March 10 Gotham at Aqueduct. The Medaglia d’Oro colt ended his 2-year-old season by winning the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes.

Avery Island, winner of the Grade 3 Withers earlier this month at Aqueduct, was scheduled to work Saturday. McLaughlin said he intends just one more Derby prep, the March 24 Louisiana Derby, for the Street Sense colt.

“After this, he’ll breeze two more times,” McLaughlin said.

Meanwhile, Audible also had his first work since the Holy Bull when going a half-mile Thursday in 49.40 seconds at Palm Beach Downs for Todd Pletcher.

Overnight purses get boost

Gulfstream Park has announced a 10 percent increase in overnight purses for the final four weeks of its championship meet, which ends April 1. The increase will become effective with the card of Wednesday, March 7.

General manager Billy Badgett said in a press release that the track is up about 9 percent in all-sources handle at a meet that began Dec. 2.

To this point, maiden special races at Gulfstream have been worth as much as $50,000, with first-level allowances worth $51,000 and a second-level allowance worth $52,000. Stakes purses are not affected by the increase.

Pearl Chain with a winner

The first victory in more than 17 years for female trainer Pearl Chain came in the first race at Gulfstream on Friday when Asian Moonlady rallied to a 16-1 upset in the conditioned $6,250 claimer.

Prior to a third-place finish in a Feb. 1 race by Asian Moonlady, Chain had not saddled a horse in her name since Huckster’s Girl won at Suffolk Downs on Oct. 7, 2000.