Puca is looking to make Kentucky Derby history when her son Dornoch starts in next Saturday’s spring classic. In a century and a half, no broodmare has ever produced multiple winners of the race. Puca, the dam of 2023 Kentucky Derby winner Mage, makes the attempt with that colt’s full brother.

“We’re talking against the odds here,” said Robert Clay, who bred both Mage and Dornoch in the name of Grandview Equine before selling Puca to John Stewart’s Resolute Farm last fall. “It would just be unbelievable. It would be incredible. It would be a great thrill for us.”

Choose Joy figures to be among the favorites in the $75,000 Golden Beach on Sunday at Gulfstream Park. After all, the 7-year-old Kentucky-bred daughter of Munnings has finished first or second in all 11 of her starts going the five-furlong distance of the Golden Beach, and they all came over the Gulfstream Park turf course.

An overnight handicap, the Golden Beach attracted nine older fillies and mares, with Choose Joy assigned to be the highweight at 122 pounds. It goes as race 9 on a 10-race program that kicks off at 1:10 p.m. Eastern.

Saturday’s 11-race program at Gulfstream Park is a very good one for this time of the season, featuring a pair of overnight handicaps and a trio of solid allowance races – the perfect time to offer fans another mandatory payout of the Rainbow 6. The bet figures to offer a carryover in the neighborhood of $400,000 and a final pool somewhere in the vicinity of $3.5 million to $4 million if not solved by single winning ticket either Thursday or Friday.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Hoosier Philly will have a number of key variables in her favor Saturday when she makes her second start of the year in the $200,000 Dig A Diamond Stakes at Oaklawn Park.

The race is one of two stakes on the program. Valentine Candy will be looking for his fourth stakes win at the meet in the $200,000 Bachelor. Post time for the 11-race card is 12:30 p.m. Central.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – It comes as no shock to Whit Beckman that the first time he has a horse as a trainer in the Kentucky Derby, two of his biggest impediments to success are Todd Pletcher and Chad Brown.

Before going out on his own in 2021, Beckman worked as an assistant to both Pletcher and Brown. He was a New York-based assistant to Pletcher when the now Hall of Fame trainer won his first Derby with Super Saver in 2010. Beckman worked for Brown when that trainer won his first Preakness with Cloud Computing in 2017.

CHURCHILL DOWNS
Thursday, April 25
Weather: Clear
Temperature: 45
Track: Fast

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Louisiana Derby runner-up Honor Marie showed off a somewhat surprising turn of speed Thursday morning at Churchill Downs while at the same time kicking off what promises to be an extremely busy several days on the Kentucky Derby workout watch. Honor Marie completed five furlongs in a bullet 59.13 seconds under clear and crisp skies on a racetrack yielding relatively faster than usual times.

Astronomer’s first graded stakes win may be part of California racing history.

On Saturday, Astronomer is a leading candidate to beat a remarkably competitive group in the Grade 3 San Francisco Mile on turf at Golden Gate Fields, the track’s final stakes before its scheduled closure on June 9.

Racing in Northern California will shift to the annual fair circuit this summer before relocating to a new base at the Alameda County fairgrounds beginning in mid-October.

ARCADIA, Calif. – The main question in the Grade 3 Royal Heroine Stakes on Saturday at Santa Anita concerns the likely pacesetter – can Stay and Scam stay the trip?

At a mile on turf, the Royal Heroine may or may not be within reach for Stay and Scam. She ran well finishing second last out in the Grade 3 Wilshire Stakes, her initial try at two turns. But she also squandered a 2 1/2-length lead in the stretch.

This Saturday’s stakes racing is like the opening band on a seven-act bill. The headliners, in fact, aren’t coming out for another week.

Royal Heroine

This is the only graded race among the trio under consideration, and that, as much as an especially strong opinion, places it first on the weekly ledger.