ARCADIA, Calif. – Before they go their separate ways, Grade 2 winners Cabo Spirit and Mi Hermano Ramon meet Friday at Santa Anita in a turf allowance that attracted a high-class field.
Five of the six entered in the 1 1/8-mile race are graded winners, led by Mi Hermano Ramon and five-time stakes winner Cabo Spirit. Mi Hermano Ramon is on his way back, making the second start of his comeback. Cabo Spirit is on his way out, as he will be freshened after Friday.
The Boston Red Sox vs Houston Astros clash is one of the most anticipated matchups on the MLB schedule, bringing together two powerhouse teams with playoff expectations. With elite talent on both sides and early-season momentum at stake, this game offers strong appeal for both fans and bettors.
To make it even better, BetMGM is offering a risk-free first bet of up to $1,500, giving new users a valuable safety net.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – A significant change in the national trainer ranks begins on Thursday at Oaklawn Park, where Tom Amoss hands over the reins of his prominent stable to his longtime assistant, Kinnon LaRose.
LaRose will have his first starters as a head trainer on a card that features a $52,482 carryover in the pick six. The $1 bet covers races 4-9.
No plans have been set for Touchuponastar, but the $750,000 Alysheba on May 1 at Churchill is one of two races that owner Jake Delhomme and trainer Jeff Delhomme are tentatively considering for the standout Louisiana-bred 7-year-old.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Counterbalance, winner of the China Doll Stakes for 3-year-old fillies on March 8, will miss Sunday’s $100,000 Providencia Stakes at Santa Anita in favor of Saturday’s Grade 2, $500,000 Appalachian Stakes at Keeneland.
Aside from the significant difference in purses for the turf races, trainer Michael McCarthy said the one-mile distance of the Appalachian is preferred over the Providencia Stakes, run at 1 1/8 miles.
“I think a mile and an eighth is more than what she is looking for,” McCarthy said.
The weekend news that leading Kentucky Derby hope Paladin had suffered an injury and will not race in the Triple Crown drastically altered the complexion of Saturday’s Blue Grass Stakes, Paladin’s intended final Derby prep.
The Blue Grass favorite out of the picture, Reagan’s Honor’s Blue Grass stock has risen, and a Sunday workout at Keeneland, his first since shipping from Fair Grounds, did nothing to alter that notion.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Stronghold, winner of the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby in 2024, will have a delayed start to his 2026 season.
Trainer Phil D’Amato withdrew Stronghold from Sunday’s Grade 3 San Carlos Stakes at Santa Anita in favor of races at Keeneland or Oaklawn Park in coming weeks.
“I think he’s one work away,” D’Amato said on Sunday morning. “There are a couple of spots at Oaklawn Park and Keeneland. I think they will prove to be better, timing-wise.”
Midwest stakes winner Express Kid will not be sent to California for Saturday’s Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby.
“He spiked a little fever at feed time” on Sunday, trainer Justin Evans said on Monday morning from Sunland Park in New Mexico. “It blew us all out of the water. We had to treat him this morning. I’ve had two or three in the last week that have spiked a temperature.”
