Athena’s Wisdom seeks a third straight win when she steps up in class in a second-level $32,000 allowance/optional-claiming race going seven furlongs on dirt that serves as the Wednesday feature on Tampa Bay’s nine-race program.
There are only six runners in this race, but the morning-line reflects the competitive nature of the field. Athena’s Wisdom is the 3-1 morning-line favorite, while the longest prices are Sea Art and Sequin Lady, both at 9-2.
The last time Gold Phoenix returned from a layoff and started at a mile on turf, he scored a 10-1 upset in the Grade 1 Frank Kilroe Mile at Santa Anita in March 2023.
The same structure is in place when Gold Phoenix has his 2024 debut in Thursday’s Grade 3 American Stakes at a mile on turf at Santa Anita.
The race was scheduled for Sunday, but was postponed because of extensive rain in Southern California last weekend. The forthcoming four-day weekend is highlighted by the Santa Anita Derby program on Saturday.
Through a wet weekend and into a gorgeous Monday morning, the synthetic training track at Santa Anita was used for workouts for the first time since it was installed over the winter, with a few prominent names among the active runners.
At a cost of approximately $8 million, Santa Anita replaced its infield dirt training surface with a Tapeta Footings surface. Activity was limited to joggers when the track opened for use in early March, with gallopers allowed by the middle of the month.
Saturday was the first day for full workouts.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas is taking his best shot with his mare Backyard Money in Thursday’s third race at Oaklawn Park.
She goes in a $62,500 starter allowance for fillies and mares at six furlongs after being scratched from the $250,000 Matron here last Saturday.
“They wrote a race that fits her very, very well, so I scratched her out of the stakes,” Lukas said. “I went from 15-1 to probably 3-1 by entering back, so I’m going to run her there.”
Facing a seven-figure overpayment, Santa Anita has reduced overnight purses by approximately 12 percent for its spring meeting, compared to the corresponding period in 2023.
The spring meetings runs from April 19 to June 16.
The reduction comes at a time when the track has been unable to reverse a downward trend in handle, leading to a severe deficit in the purse pool. Officials told the California Horse Racing Board earlier this year that the purse pool was in arrears by $4 million, with concern the figure could grow before mid-June.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – The landscape of the South Florida racing circuit will change dramatically starting Thursday with the Championship meet in the rearview mirror and the Royal Palm session set to kick off and run through Sept. 1.
Racing will be conducted on a four-day-per-week schedule, Thursday through Sunday, to open the session with post time at 1:10 p.m. daily. The meet will be highlighted by the second running of the $120,000 Royal Palm Juvenile and Juvenile Fillies stakes, both carded at five furlongs on turf.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – David Jacobson closed Aqueduct’s winter meet with a remarkable five-win afternoon Saturday, and the trainer looks live in a couple of spots Thursday as Aqueduct begins its 16-day spring meet with an eight-race card.
The early part of the spring meet won’t look too much different than the winter season, with all racing on dirt until April 20. Saturday’s card features five stakes, topped by the Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial for 3-year-olds, as 12 stakes worth $2.675 million will be offered during April.
Keeneland’s wagering menu for the spring meet includes a takeout reduction on the daily double from 22 percent to 15 percent.
Daily doubles are offered on all but the final race each day.
“This pricing is advantageous to our core horseplayers but also is a great opportunity for emerging bettors to try horse racing’s equivalent of a ‘two-game parlay,’ ” said Jim Goodman, Keeneland’s director of wagering development.
Blue Grass hits 100
ARCADIA, Calif. – One unexpected benefit to the Santa Anita rain cancellation last week is the subsequent upgrade to the field for the Grade 3 Wilshire Stakes, a turf-mile for fillies and mares postponed from Saturday to Thursday.
The five-day delay provided stakes-winning sprinter Stay and Scam 19 days between starts, and allows her to run in the Wilshire as the likely pacesetter and most probable winner. If the race had been run as scheduled last Saturday, Stay and Scam would have stayed in the barn.
The Keeneland grounds look different this spring. Inside, however, the same quality racing reigns, with compelling editions of the Grade 1, $600,000 Ashland Stakes and Grade 1, $1 million Blue Grass taking shape for opening weekend.
