HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Ferocious, currently the fifth-ranked 2-year-old in Daily Racing Form’s divisional ratings released earlier this week, has returned to his winter base at Gulfstream Park to begin preparations for his 3-year-old campaign that is expected to begin in the Grade 3 Holy Bull Stakes here Feb. 1.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Castle Chaos, third in last year’s Cigar Mile and second in this year’s Carter, returned to the work tab Friday morning, breezing a half-mile in 50.38 seconds over the Belmont Park training track. It was his first breeze since he finished last of seven in an allowance race at Saratoga.
Trainer Robert Falcone Jr. noted that in that race Castle Chaos stumbled at the start and injured part of his foot, known as a grabbed quarter, and was given ample time off.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Giant Mischief, winner of the Fall Highweight Stakes on Nov. 29, will be aimed at a stakes in the Middle East in the first quarter of 2025, trainer Brad Cox said.
Cox said if Giant Mischief gets invited to the Grade 2 Riyadh Dirt Sprint on Feb. 22 he would consider running him there. If not, then he would look for a race in the United States to prep for the Dubai Golden Shaheen on April 5 at Meydan.
Cox said Giant Mischief would soon ship to Payson Park in South Florida, where Cox has a 40-horse string for the first time.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Law Professor is expected to scratch from Saturday’s Grade 2, $500,000 Cigar Mile Handicap at Aqueduct and will now point to the $150,000 Queens County Stakes, also at Aqueduct, on Dec. 29, trainer Rob Atras said Friday.
Atras cited the degree of difficulty of the Cigar Mile field as well as Law Professor’s preference for 1 1/8 miles as the reasons for passing on Saturday’s race.
The Cigar Mile field drew four Grade 1 winners – Mullikin, Locked, Book’em Danno, and Senor Buscador – as well as the Grade 2 winner Post Time.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Though Ellen Jay seems to have found a home on turf, her connections want to give her one more opportunity on dirt before year’s end so the well-bred 3-year-old filly will take on older females in Sunday’s $135,000 Garland of Roses Stakes at Aqueduct.
Remington Park closes its meet next Friday, Dec. 13, and the final race of the season will be the $300,000 Springboard Mile. It drew 12 horses and will award points for the Kentucky Derby.
The race will be showcased on a card of six stakes. First post is 5 p.m. Central. The Springboard Mile has a scheduled post of 10:26 p.m.
Red Route One and Dimatic are two-turn stakes winners that could see action in some of Oaklawn’s route races this season, according to trainer Steve Asmussen. Both sons of Gun Runner race for their breeder, Winchell Thoroughbreds.
“I think we’ll be well represented,” Asmussen said.
Red Route One captured the Grade 2 New Orleans Classic earlier this year and was third in last season’s Oaklawn Handicap. He is a stakes winner at Oaklawn and to date has earned $1.8 million.
Skelly could bid for an unprecedented third consecutive win in the Grade 3, $500,000 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap later this season at Oaklawn Park.
The champion Whitmore won three runnings of the race – in 2017, 2018, and 2020 – and holds the record for most victories in the Count Fleet. The meet’s premier race for sprinters was first held in 1974.
Grateful My Love arguably needed one more stride to secure a 6-1 victory in the $176,500 Golden State Juvenile Fillies on Nov. 1 at Del Mar, her impressive rally just missing.
“She was unfortunate not to get the job done,” trainer Michael McCarthy recalled Friday. “I thought we were going to get there.”
After finishing second by a nose, Grateful My Love rates as a leading contender in Sunday’s $100,000 Soviet Problem Stakes for California-bred 2-year-old fillies at a mile at Los Alamitos.
The 2-year-old Tiz the Law filly Book’em proved more than ready for a step up in class Nov. 30 at Churchill, winning a one-turn-mile first-level allowance race by more than 11 lengths, her 89 Beyer among the highest in her division this year.
Book’em cleared the maiden ranks and won her second start in restricted competition, but made short work of stronger rivals last weekend, disputing the early pace before drawing away to an easy win.
