HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – For the second year in a row, the U.S. road to Royal Ascot passes through Gulfstream Park. The winners of Saturday’s $120,000 Royal Palm Juvenile and its filly counterpart, the $120,000 Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies, will receive $25,000 travel stipends and automatic berths into one of the six juvenile stakes to be decided from June 18-22 at the Royal Ascot meeting.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – At one point, New York Racing Association officials expected a large field, perhaps one bordering on capacity, for Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Peter Pan Stakes at Aqueduct.
It now appears the race will run with six starters.
ARCADIA, Calif. – On her terms, the 5-year-old mare Musical Rhapsody can be a dangerous closer, a style trainer Phil D’Amato and jockey Mike Smith hope to utilize in Saturday’s $100,000 Santa Barbara Stakes at Santa Anita.
Run at 1 1/2 miles on turf for fillies and mares, the Santa Barbara is a stamina test at a distance Musical Rhapsody seems to prefer. She closed from fourth of seven to finish second to the well-regarded Linda’s Gift in the Astra Stakes at 1 1/2 miles on turf in February, and won an allowance race at 1 1/4 miles on turf April 4 in her latest start.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Charlie Appleby has a rare losing streak in North America.
Appleby, among Europe’s premier trainers, went a combined 0 for 4 in stakes at Churchill and Aqueduct last weekend, finishing a painfully close second with Naval Power in the Grade 1 Old Forester Turf Classic at Churchill Downs.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Straight No Chaser appeared on his way to becoming a significant player in the male sprint division last spring when an injury forced his connections to stop on him. Nearly one year later, Straight No Chaser returns to the races in Saturday’s Grade 3, $175,000 Runhappy Stakes going six furlongs at the Belmont at Aqueduct meet.
Monmouth Park isn’t what it used to be, but after years of decline, the flagship New Jersey track is at least mildly rising again.
Year-over-year average daily handle rose more than 11 percent during 2023, the third straight season the track posted a handle increase, while field size rose to 7.71 starters per race, up considerably from the 7.10 in 2018, the track’s low-water mark.
It’s Turbo figures to benefit from an expected swift early pace and looks like the one to beat in Saturday’s feature race at Emerald Downs.
The 5 1/2-furlong allowance event will go as the seventh race on a card that boasts a trio of allowance events.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Nice Ace ships in and tries to extend his win streak to four races against some classy opposition off a long layoff in Saturday’s Woodbine feature, a seven-furlong conditioned allowance with an $80,000 claiming option.
Trained by Tim Girten, the speedy Nice Ace won each of his last three outings last summer over the Tapeta at Presque Isle Downs. That run included back-to-back stakes scores going a mile and 70 yards, with a pair of Beyer Speed Figures in the mid-80s.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Trainer Christophe Clement seems to have a top contender regardless of whether Friday’s featured $62,500 second-level allowance/optional-claiming feature scheduled for 1 1/16 miles on turf stays on grass or if potential wet weather forces it to the dirt.
On turf, Clement has the uncoupled pair of Breath Away and Malleymoo. On dirt, where the race would be cut back to a one-turn mile, he would send out the streaking Ocean Gateway.
