HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Great Navigator, who finished in front of Forte when second-best in the Grade 3 Sanford last summer at Saratoga, will find the competition a lot less imposing when taking on six other 3-year-olds in Saturday’s $51,000 allowance feature at Gulfstream Park.
Forte’s only defeat in seven career starts came as the 7-5 favorite in the six-furlong Sanford when he checked home fourth, 5 3/4 lengths behind race winner Mo Strike and 2 1/4 lengths in back of Great Navigator.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Mage, runner-up despite a slow start and wide trip in the Grade 1 Florida Derby, will have the first of his three scheduled pre-Kentucky Derby workouts at Gulfstream Park this weekend, assistant trainer Gustavo Delgado Jr. said Thursday.
It’s easy to root for Coffeewithchris, a $2,000 yearling that dances every dance.
Coffeewithchris might earn a trip to the Preakness in Saturday’s $125,000 Federico Tesio Stakes for 3-year-olds at Laurel Park. The winner of the 1 1/8-mile Tesio automatically receives a Preakness entry if the horse is nominated to the Triple Crown, and trainer John Salzman Jr. said “if he wins it [Tesio], then I’m probably going to look at the Preakness.”
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Next stop, Louisville. Another long series of Kentucky Derby preps will make its traditional final stop Saturday when the Grade 3, $400,000 Lexington Stakes is run for the 41st time at Keeneland.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Oeuvre and Opening Buzz have both already found the winner’s circle multiple times in stakes in 2023. They meet in an overflow field full of other stakes winners in Saturday’s $250,000 Giant’s Causeway, a 5 1/2-furlong stakes for fillies and mares on the Keeneland turf.
Oeuvre’s record is a model of consistency. The 4-year-old Illinois-bred, who races as a homebred for Richard Perkins, has won five straight races and nine of her last 10 outings. Overall, her career mark stands at 16-10-3-2.
AINTREE, England – Finding the winner of the Grand National, the world’s most famous horse race not run in Kentucky, requires creative handicapping, ample homework, and a hefty dose of good luck.
A field of 40 will assemble, without a starting gate, at 12:15 p.m. Eastern at Aintree Racecourse north of Liverpool on Saturday for a start always hectic and sometimes chaotic.
Once underway, the massive herd of 7-year-olds and up will set off on two circuits of the famous race that covers 4 5/16 miles and 30 stamina-testing obstacles.
PHOENIX – A brutally difficult Wildcat Stakes at Turf Paradise matches a dozen runners at 1 3/8 miles on the turf. Most of the runners, 3-year-olds and upward, have been knocking heads and taking turns, and the form of Southern California invader Luvluv only adds to the confusion.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – The stablemates Tejano Twist and Edge to Edge will bring complementary running styles into the Grade 3, $500,000 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap on Saturday at Oaklawn Park.
The six-furlong race for 4-year-olds and up shares a card with the Grade 1, $1 million Apple Blossom Handicap. The stakes continue the Racing Festival of the South and will be showcased on a 12-race card. The forecast is for a high of 78 degrees with an 80 percent chance of a thunderstorm, according to AccuWeather.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Secret Oath and Clairiere face the same tall task Saturday at Oaklawn Park in the Grade 1, $1 million Apple Blossom Handicap – catch loose-on-the-lead Hot and Sultry.
The 1 1/16-mile feature shares a card with the Count Fleet as a part of the Racing Festival of the South and seems to be that easy of a read. The field of four includes a speed horse and three confirmed closers. It’s a recipe for a potential upset.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – In Italian went into a hibernation of sorts after making her most recent public appearance at Keeneland, but some five months later, the standout turf mare will be front and center once again when she makes her 5-year-old debut here Saturday as a solid favorite in the Grade 1 Jenny Wiley Stakes.
