HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Ferocious, who was multiple Grade 1-placed at 2 before suffering through an eventful trip in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, moved closer to his 3-year-old debut after breezing an easy half-mile in 48.17 seconds Thursday at Gulfstream Park. Ferocious is trained by Gustavo Delgado, who won the 2023 Kentucky Derby with Mage.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Though she had always trained well on dirt, Weigh the Risks was intended to be good on turf. At least that’s what trainer Chad Brown believed.
“With all the Mendelssohns I had, they were better on turf, so I was really excited about her that if she’s better on turf based on her solid works on dirt, I might have something special,” Brown said.
The 3-year-old filly Whata Moon could not quite hold clear Simply Joking in the Letellier Memorial Stakes on Dec. 21 at Fair Grounds, and since Simply Joking looked like a key fixture in the Silverbulletday Stakes, carded for Jan. 18, Whata Moon will take some beating coming back from the Letellier in a first-level allowance Sunday.
A dispersal of broodmares, horses of racing age, yearlings, and 2-year-olds owned by the estate of Don Valpredo is among the high-profile consignments at Tuesday’s winter mixed sale in Pomona, Calif.
Valpredo, a third-generation owner and breeder, died in October. He was 85.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Tripolina and Pharoah’s Heart both will get the added ground their trainers want for them Sunday, when they take on probable favorite Corningstone in the $150,000 Pippin at Oaklawn Park.
The 1 1/16-mile race is for fillies and mares and the field of nine also includes Grade 2 winner Taxed, stakes winner Tapit Jenallie, and the multiple stakes-placed Neom Beach.
ARCADIA, Calif. – A rare five-day racing week at Santa Anita concludes Monday with a nuts-and-bolts program centered on claiming-caliber horses.
The 10-race card includes seven races with claiming provisions, a pair of starter-allowance races for horses who have raced for a tag, and a maiden special-weight turf mile for 3-year-old fillies. Monday is mostly about gambling. For bettors, it depends on backing the right horse.
ARCADIA, Calif. – The one-week postponement of the Grade 3 Las Cienegas Stakes is no big deal for Laulne. She has been off eight months, and one more week is unlikely to make a difference.
The Las Cienegas, a Santa Anita hillside race for fillies and mares, was originally scheduled for Jan. 12. Racing was canceled due to the fires, however, and the Las Cienegas was pushed back a week. Nine re-entered the Las Cienegas, which is race 9 on Sunday. The Grade 3 La Canada Stakes is race 8. There will be a pick six carryover of $52,051, with the sequence starting in race 6.
ARCADIA, Calif. – The female dirt division gets a small boost Sunday at Santa Anita, where an eclectic field runs a 1 1/16 miles in the Grade 3 La Canada Stakes.
Veteran mare Alpha Bella and lightly raced filly Cavalieri top the first dirt route stakes of winter for fillies and mares. The field also includes Grade 2 winners Musical Mischief and Chatalas, South American Group 1 winner Che Evasora and Big Hug, a 13-time winner in Canada. There will be a pick six carryover of $52,051, with the sequence starting in race 6.
Natural disasters, decoupled casinos, contentious senate confirmations – all that melts into the labyrinth of the past-performances puzzle if you reach the access concentration Buddhists seek through meditation. But we’re not looking for inner peace. We’re looking for Saturday stakes winners.
Lecomte
