There were agonizing moments when Jeff Greenhill questioned why he ever gave up the security of being a government-employed chemical engineer to become a Thoroughbred horse trainer.
Will Take Charge, who was dropped from the list after finishing sixth in the Southwest, is back on after rebounding with a narrow victory over Derby Watch member Oxbow in last Saturday's Rebel at Oaklawn.
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What amounts to a berth in the May 4 Kentucky Derby will be up for grabs Saturday when a wide-open field of 3-year-olds goes off at Turfway Park in the 42nd running of the Grade 3, $550,000 Spiral Stakes.
Quinzieme Monarque, fourth to Rydilluc in the Grade 3 Palm Beach Stakes at Gulfstream on March 3, will switch to dirt for the Grade 1 Wood Memorial, trainer Tom Albertrani said.
The Grade 3, $800,000 Sunland Derby on Sunday takes place in the American Southwest, so it could be a shootout, and since the track is in New Mexico, hard by El Paso, Texas, it could be a border war. But, really, it’s nothing more than a schoolyard brawl.
Trainer Carl Nafzger has already won two Kentucky Derbies, with Unbridled and Street Sense, but at the moment he’s in no hurry to try for a third with his latest 3-year-old prospect Looking Cool.
Carve is to make his next start at Oaklawn Park on April 13, in either the Arkansas Derby or the Northern Spur.
Led by trainer Bob Baffert's duo of Shakin It Up and Govenor Charlie, as well as local hero Dry Summer, a field of nine was entered on Wednesday for the Grade 3, $800,000 Sunland Derby at Sunland Park on Sunday.
A full field of 12 3-year-olds was drawn today at the new Horseshoe Casino in downtown Cincinnati for the annual showcase event set for Saturday at nearby Turfway Park, with Uncaptured being listed as a lukewarm 3-1 morning-line favorite for the 1 1/8-mile Polytrack race.
Six new horses are in the lineup of 23 separately listed wagering interests and Verrazano is a lukewarm morning-line favorite in Pool 3 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager, which opens its customary three-day run Friday at noon Eastern.
