LEXINGTON, Ky. – Sandwiched midway between the Blue Grass Stakes last Saturday and the Lexington Stakes this Saturday is a lesser Keeneland race for sophomore dirt route horses. Wednesday’s eight-race program ends with three allowance contests, the second of which, race 7, is carded for 3-year-old first-level allowance horses or $100,000 claimers at 1 1/16 miles on the main track.
Heals the Soul is the 9-5 morning-line favorite in Thursday’s seventh race at Gulfstream Park, a first-level allowance restricted to Florida-breds at five furlongs on the Tapeta surface.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise as Heals the Soul, a 6-year-old son of Maclean’s Music, started as the chalk in his last five starts and compiled three wins, a second, and a third during that span. He is a nine-time winner facing six foes that have combined for 11 victories and has the tactical speed to adapt to any pace scenario.
As 2-year-old racing got under way last week, Thousand Words became the first North American freshman sire off the mark with a winner as The Queens M G recorded a $92.74 upset in her debut Sunday at Keeneland.
The Queens M G outdueled West Memorial – the first starter for fellow freshman Caracaro – by a head, with the pair 11 lengths clear of the third-place finisher. The time for the 4 1/2 furlongs was 52.44 seconds. The Queens M G, owned and trained by Israel Acevedo, was a $3,500 Fasig-Tipton October yearling purchase.
Trainer Mike Dini appears poised to have a successful Wednesday at Tampa Bay Downs with runners in five of the nine races on the card led by Hopesndreams in the featured starter/optional claimer for 3-year-old fillies, which goes as race 6.
Hopesndreams, a daughter of Ride On Curlin, is 3 for 4 at the meet, having won a maiden $25,000 claimer on Jan. 10 and then two versions of this same starter condition on Feb. 16 and March 10. Dini ran Hopesndreams in the Sophomore Fillies Stakes on March 24, when she finished third to the heavily favored Mystic Lake.
The first daughter of internationally popular four-time Australian Horse of the Year Winx sold for a record $10 million Australian (about $6.6 million in U.S. funds) at the Inglis Australian Easter yearling sale on Monday.
The price eclipses the Australian yearling record of $5 million in local funds paid for a half-brother to champion Black Caviar at the 2013 Inglis Easter sale.
In the span of one weekend, kingpin Into Mischief gave a remarkable demonstration of why he is the dominant sire of this time. The five-time reigning leading sire took over atop the North American earnings list with three new graded stakes winners – including yet another Grade 1 winner – and now has likely representation in both the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks.
PHOENIX – After a big allowance win in March 2023 at Santa Anita, Midnight Jostar got a shot at the deep end of the pool in the Grade 2 Charlie Whittingham last April. Alas, he fell in the lane and wasn’t seen again for 10 months.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Ralph Todd, who owned the multiple Grade 1 winner The Tin Man as well as the California stakes winners Mama Simba and Oraibi, died in March, his daughter Stacey Nance said Sunday.
A memorial service was held recently in Santa Ynez, Calif. Todd was 90.
Todd, who owned a pipe and supply company based in Buellton, Calif., owned and bred Thoroughbreds for more than 40 years. He also owned a stone import business.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – All eyes were to the sky to start the week at Keeneland, which was just outside the path of totality for Monday’s eclipse. But those handicapping the midweek cards ought to keep their eyes skyward a bit longer.
The early forecast for the area is for wet weather, with a 69 percent chance of rain on Tuesday increasing to 92 percent Wednesday before giving way to Thursday thunderstorms. The fate of the Thursday card’s two turf features is up in the air.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Santa Anita concluded the winter-spring portion of its marathon meeting on Sunday, and will start its spring season on April 19.
The spring season runs through June 16 and includes two Grade 1 races on turf May 27 worth $300,000 – the Shoemaker Mile and the Gamely Stakes at 1 1/8 miles for fillies and mares – as well as the Grade 2 Hollywood Gold Cup, a $200,000 race on dirt at 1 1/4 miles.
