Gouldings Green nears season debut

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - Gouldings Green is nearing his first start of the year, and one of two options for his return is the Grade 3, $300,000 Texas Mile at Lone Star Park on April 28, said his trainer, Tony Reinstedler. He also is being considered for the Grade 3 Hanshin Cup at Arlington Park on May 26.

"He's worked two five-eighths at Churchill Downs already, so we're getting close," said Reinstedler. "It's either between the Texas Mile and the race in Chicago. It depends on how much he progresses the next 10 days.

"He's doing super."

Gouldings Green was freshened after finishing fourth in the Grade 3 Durham Cup at 1 1/8 miles at Woodbine in October. One start earlier, he won the Grade 3 Turfway Park Fall Championship at a mile in September. Overall, Gouldings Green has won 8 of 16 starts and $509,034. He races for Melnyk Racing Stable.

The Texas Mile will share a card with three other stakes, the $60,000 Grand Prairie Turf Challenge for 3-year-olds on turf; the $60,000 Irving Distaff for fillies and mares on turf, and the $50,000 Richland Hills for 3-year-old fillies at six furlongs. The races serve as preps for the Lone Star Million Day card here May 28.

Reinstedler's 3-year-olds

Reinstedler said that Harrow Land is being considered for the Grade 3, $300,000 Lone Star Derby here May 12. He also trains the Grade 3-winning 3-year-old U D Ghetto and the promising Moyer's Pond.

"I was thinking about the Lone Star Derby with one or two of them," he said. "I think probably Harrow Land is the most logical at this point in time."

Harrow Land made his stakes debut earlier this month, encountering significant trouble when second by a neck to Takedown in the $100,000 Northern Spur Breeders' Cup at Oaklawn Park. Prior to that race, he won two one-mile allowances at Oaklawn.

Reinstedler won the Lone Star Derby in 2001 with Percy Hope.

Proven Cure back at 13

Proven Cure, a stakes winner last year at the age of 12, makes his first start of the year Friday night in the featured ninth race, a five-furlong turf allowance. The race drew a field of 10, including stakes winners That Tat and April's Lucky Boy.

Proven Cure closed out his season last year with a seventh-place finish in an allowance at Remington Park on Nov. 27. Prior to that race, he was third in the $50,000 Brother Brown at five furlongs on turf at Remington in August and won the $40,000 Littlebitlively at five furlongs on turf at Lone Star in April.

Proven Cure has worked consecutive bullets leading up to the allowance, his latest a five-furlong move in 1:00 here April 12. He had been entered in the $50,000 Sam Houston Turf Sprint earlier this month, but was scratched from the race, which was run on yielding turf. John Locke trains Proven Cure, and has given the mount to Quincy Hamilton.

Proven Cure races for Stonecrest Farm. He has won 21 races and $739,031.

Options for Going Ballistic

Going Ballistic, who closed for fifth to Curlin in the Grade 2, $1 million Arkansas Derby, is one of two stakes-winning 3-year-old colts trainer Donnie Von Hemel has at Lone Star. The other is Slew By Slew, who was eighth in the Arkansas Derby and before that won an allowance at Oaklawn. Both have options at Lone Star.

"We'll look at the Lone Star Derby, and then they've got a couple turf races for 3-year-olds," said Von Hemel.

Going Ballistic and Slew By Slew have both won stakes on turf, with Going Ballistic winning the $100,000 El Joven last year at Retama Park, and Slew By Slew the $50,000 Centennial last fall at Remington Park.