HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Stone Silent can become the first horse to win all three legs of the local grass sprint series for fillies and mares in the same season if she can complete the unique sweep with a victory Sunday in the $100,000 Captiva Island Stakes at Gulfstream Park.
Timberlake, who opened his season with a win in the Grade 1, $1.25 million Rebel on Feb. 24 at Oaklawn, breezed Friday morning at Fair Grounds. He went a half-mile in 48.40 seconds on a fast track, the fifth-fastest move of 73 at the distance Friday in New Orleans.
“It was his first work back,” said trainer Brad Cox. “It was a really good move, by himself.”
Timberlake remains under consideration for the Arkansas Derby and Blue Grass, said Cox.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Jockey Tyler Gaffalione will have the mount on Liberal Arts for the Grade 1, $1.5 million Arkansas Derby, according to trainer Robbie Medina.
The race is March 30 at Oaklawn Park.
Liberal Arts also had been under consideration for the Blue Grass on April 6 at Keeneland, but the decision has been made to target the Arkansas Derby. He last raced Feb. 3, finishing third in the Grade 3 Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn.
Impel is set to advance to a Kentucky Oaks prep after running her record to 2 for 2 with an impressive allowance win March 3 at Oaklawn. She darted home by more than eight lengths.
Impel is a homebred for the Juddmonte operation founded by the late Prince Khalid bin Abdullah. She is by Quality Road. Impel won her debut in a maiden special weight sprint at Fair Grounds.
On your mark, get set, go. The North American breeze-up sale season gets under way this week, with the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co.’s March sale of 2-year-olds in training taking place over three sessions, from Tuesday through Thursday.
This is the first of three sales that OBS will host this season on a major-market calendar virtually unchanged from the 2023 layout. Between its March sale – which has 853 hips cataloged – and its April and June auctions, OBS will handle the bulk of the offerings from this crop.
Trainer Danny Gargan hopes a different kind of trip can lead to a different result when Brick Ambush tops a field of six 3-year-olds entered Sunday in a New York-bred first-level $80,000 allowance/optional-claimer at 6 1/2 furlongs that goes as the second race on Aqueduct’s eight-race card.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Excess Magic established himself as a turf runner of note early in his career, but of late he’s been doing just fine on dirt and looks like a significant player in Sunday’s eighth race at Oaklawn Park.
Excess Magic is one of four stakes winners in the nine-horse conditioned allowance for 4-year-olds and up at six furlongs. The others are Tyler’s Tribe, Sir Wellington, and Chipofftheoldblock.
Medoro had a perfect finish to her 2-year-old season in December, winning a maiden race at Del Mar and the Blue Norther Stakes at Santa Anita in a span of four weeks.
The unbeaten record led to an early winter break that ends in Sunday’s $100,000 China Doll Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at a mile on turf at Santa Anita.
The race is part of a late winter and spring campaign designed to have Medoro in peak form for turf races such as the Grade 2 San Clemente Stakes and Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks this summer.
The California Horse Racing Board has agreed to order the disqualification of 2018 Horse of the Year Justify from the 2018 Santa Anita Derby and pay $300,000 to the owner of the second-place finisher in the race, Bolt d’Oro, under a settlement reached earlier this week.
The settlement will require the redistribution of the Santa Anita Derby’s $1 million purse. Justify earned $600,000 for his dominating three-length win in the race but will now be placed last. Bolt d’Oro, owned by Mick Ruis, who earned $200,000 for his second-place finish, will be elevated to first.
