Tom Amoss put several stakes horses through timed workouts Saturday morning at Fair Grounds, including Risen Star hopeful Rise Up, who whizzed through a half-mile in a near-bullet 47.40 seconds.
Last summer at Saratoga, Strong Mandate and Tapiture ran one-two in a maiden special weight sprint. Both have since won major stakes races, and on Monday the pair will meet again in the Grade 3, $300,000 Southwest.
Cairo Prince had his first workout since his 5 3/4-length romp in the Holy Bull when going an easy half-mile Saturday in 48.60 seconds over a fast track at the Palm Meadows training center.
Strong Mandate will break from post 8 in a field of 12 on Monday, when he makes his first start since the Breeders’ Cup in the Grade 3, $300,000 Southwest at Oaklawn Park.
Things are starting to get a little dizzy around the Lee and Susan Searing household, what with Candy Boy winning the Robert B. Lewis Stakes last weekend and Kobe’s Back primed for the San Vicente Stakes at Santa Anita on Sunday. Good 3-year-olds in February will do that to you.
Bayern could make his stakes debut in the $300,000 San Felipe Stakes on March 8 after a 15-length win in an allowance race at Santa Anita on Thursday.
It will be Kobe’s Back’s turn to show he belongs on the trail to Kentucky Derby when he cuts back to seven furlongs for Sunday's San Vicente Stakes at Santa Anita.
Eight 3-year-olds take what could be their first step toward Kentucky on Saturday at Golden Gate Fields in the 33rd running of the Grade 3 El Camino Real Derby. On the line in the 1 1/8-mile race are a $200,000 purse and 17 Kentucky Derby qualifying points, including 10 to the winner.
Honor Code, one of the leading contenders for the 140th Kentucky Derby, had his first breeze since he missed about a week of training when going three furlongs on a warm Wednesday morning at Gulfstream Park. As Honor Code was cooling out, trainer Shug McGaughey confirmed that the son of A.P. Indy most likely will make the first start of his 3-year-old season in the March 15 Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park.
Noble Moon will skip the Grade 3 Gotham Stakes on March 1, trainer Leah Gyarmati confirmed Wednesday, and will likely be pointed to the $1 million Wood Memorial on April 5.
