Trainers Jamie Ness and Brittany Russell are separated by one victory entering the final weekend of the winter meet at Laurel Park, ensuring a tight finish in the race for the training title. Ness entered 14 horses for the final three days and has an obvious edge, but Russell has made the most of her starters all meet and has a chance to run the table with her four entrants.
Yedsit Hazlewood, a 17-year-old apprentice jockey, is settling into Laurel Park with the help of trainer Jose Corrales. Last weekend, the young rider earned his first five mounts from Corrales and finished third in his debut on Friday, March 21.
Hazlewood has been riding horses in Panama since he was 12 and has always dreamed of becoming a jockey. His brother, Angel A. Rodriguez, also is a jockey and has made nearly 2,000 starts in the United States.
“My brother is an idol to me,” Hazlewood said through Corrales. “Ever since I was little, I’ve loved the horses.”
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer George Weaver said he was looking to find a spot where he wouldn’t be facing any “gorillas” when bringing his Grade 1-placed Dorth Vader back from an 11-month hiatus in Friday’s $97,000 allowance feature at Gulfstream Park. That plan may not have worked out quite the way he’d hoped, since the graded stakes-placed Grand Job is among the six other fillies and mares who signed on for the one-mile main event.
Render Judgment is scheduled to make his next start in the Grade 1, $1.25 million Blue Grass on April 5 at Keeneland, trainer Kenny McPeek said.
The son of Blame is one of two prospects McPeek currently has in play for the Kentucky Derby, a race he won last year with Mystik Dan. The other is Maximum Promise, who was third in the Grade 3 Jeff Ruby Steaks last Saturday at Turfway Park.
“I think that’s about where we’re at,” McPeek said.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – A stall toy gave trainer Lonnie Briley a tip-off about how to proceed with Coal Battle on the road to the Kentucky Derby.
Briley has been closely monitoring the Rebel winner, to see if he should run him back in the Grade 1, $1.5 million Arkansas Derby on Saturday or just train up to the Kentucky Derby. He said last week that Coal Battle gave him a clear sign to enter the Arkansas Derby.
“I thought he was going to rip his ball off the wall yesterday, playing with it,” Briley said. “He’s jumping out of his skin. He’s feeling so good right now.”
Led by the Kentucky-bred colt Luxor Cafe, 15 3-year-olds have been nominated for Saturday’s Fukuryu Stakes at Nayakama Racecourse, the final race of the Japanese qualifying series for the Kentucky Derby.
The Fukuryu Stakes is run at 1 1/8 miles, a distance that many of the nominees have already tried.
Luxor Cafe, by American Pharoah, has had five starts and has won his last three starts in a maiden race at a mile at Tokyo last November, an allowance race at 1 1/8 miles at Nayakama on Jan. 11, and the Hyacinth Stakes at a mile at Tokyo on Feb. 23.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Bettors face a tricky question Friday at Santa Anita – how much to wager on the $2 pick six that begins with a $71,790 carryover?
The pool is likely to top $500,000 on a sequence (races 4-9) without an obvious single. Instead, it is filled with landmines. Vulnerable program favorites include a nine-start maiden, a slow $8,000 maiden-claiming filly, and a stretch-out sprinter who has never run well at two turns.
Parx shipper Delray looks for her second consecutive victory at Aqueduct on Friday when she heads a field of six entered for a first-level allowance/optional $100,000 claiming race scheduled for seven furlongs.
Delray, trained by Tyler Servis, has made two previous ships to New York. On New Year’s Day, Delray got beat a nose by Shadyside in a starter race going 6 1/2 furlongs. She returned on Jan. 30 to win that same condition by 4 1/4 lengths. Of the five horses Delray defeated that day, three came back to win their next starts.
Disruptor
Colt by Gun Runner – Margate Gardens, by Speightstown
Bred in Kentucky by Runnymede Farm and Peter J. Callahan ($1.15 million Keeneland September yearling purchase by Repole Stable and Spendthrift Farm)
Champion Gun Runner ended his career in the month of January at Gulfstream Park, soaring to victory in the 2018 Pegasus World Cup. A few weeks later, he started his smashing stud career.
Although Bullard may be nominated to the Santa Anita Derby, trainer Michael McCarthy said it would be “just to keep our options open.” Bullard is more likely to be trained toward the Grade 3 Lexington Stakes on April 12 at Keeneland.
