Shanghai Bobby, unbeaten at age 2 and the Eclipse Award-winning 2-year-old male of 2012, on Wednesday was given top weight of 126 pounds in the Experimental Free Handicap, a weight-based ranking of the previous year’s 2-year-olds put out annually by The Jockey Club.
Barring some late changes in heart, it would appear the four major players from last Saturday’s program could all wind up bypassing the Fountain of Youth on Feb. 23, including Itsmyluckyday and Shanghai Bobby, the first- and second-place finishers in the Grade 3 Holy Bull.
Fury Kapcori, second in the Grade 1 CashCall Futurity at Betfair Hollywood Park in December, will miss the $200,000 Robert Lewis Stakes for 3-year-olds at Santa Anita this Saturday, trainer Jerry Hollendorfer said on Sunday.
Itsmyluckyday ran back to his huge performance in the Gulfstream Park Derby on New Year’s Day, and then some, when upsetting reigning Eclipse Award champion Shanghai Bobby and setting a new track record in the process in Saturday’s Grade 3, $400,000 Holy Bull at Gulfstream Park.
Friday at Santa Anita, just before the first race on a rainy day, He’s Had Enough worked in company with his 4-year-old stablemate Handsome Mike in preparation for the $200,000 Robert Lewis Stakes over 1 1/16 miles this Saturday. Through the six-furlong workout, He’s Had Enough was under frequent urging from jockey Mario Gutierrez.
Trainer Dominick Schettino hopes to get a second horse on the road to the Kentucky Derby when he sends out Escapefromreality in next Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Withers Stakes at Aqueduct.
Countdown to the Crown is Jeremy Plonk's weekly comprehensive handicapper’s scouting report of the 3-year-old scene. Find it every Friday on DRF.com.
Pataky Kid, winner of the Grade 3 Arlington-Washington Futurity at 2, will launch his 3-year-old campaign next Saturday in the Grade 2 Hutcheson, trainer Tom Proctor confirmed Thursday.
Can anyone beat the champ? That’s the question that will be on everybody’s mind when the recently elected 2-year-old champion Shanghai Bobby launches his 3-year-old campaign against nine rivals in Saturday’s $400,000 Holy Bull at Gulfstream Park.
Flashback, a sharp maiden race winner in his 2-year-old debut at Hollywood Park on Dec. 8, worked five furlongs in 58.60 seconds Wednesday.
