Sierra Leone, winner of the Grade 2 Risen Star in his most recent start, closed as the favorite in last weekend’s Kentucky Derby Future Wager pool, followed by last year’s 2-year-old champion, Fierceness.
Sierra Leone, who is being pointed to the April 6 Blue Grass Stakes for his final Derby prep, was 7-1 at the close of betting, tops among the 39 individual interests. Fierceness, who has a single start this year, closed at 9-1. Fierceness is being pointed to the Florida Derby.
Mike Gillum, a produce-company manager from Indianapolis, Ind., squeaked into the final round of the National Horseplayers Championship on Sunday but used a strong run in the semifinals and finals to take the overall title, winning the $800,000 first-place prize.
Gillum, a regular at Horseshoe Indianapolis in Shelbyville, was in 64th place after two days of play on Saturday night, when the cut line was set at 77 entries. He set his handicapping strategy early on Sunday morning and stuck to it.
Nutella Fella, who upset the Grade 1 Hopeful at 54-1 last September, and Becky’s Joker, the 21-1 winner of the Grade 3 Schuylerville in July, are both in training at separate facilities in Ocala, Fla., and are being prepared for a late spring return, trainer Gary Contessa said Sunday.
Leave No Trace, the Grade 1 Spinaway winner in 2022, won her first race since then when she captured a second-level allowance race by a neck Sunday at Aqueduct.
After dueling outside of Starship Defiant and wresting the lead from that one at the eighth pole, Leave No Trace held off a rail run from Dame Cinco to get the victory in the 6 1/2-furlong race.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Ghalia Princess, the six-length winner of Saturday’s Cicada Stakes, will be given the opportunity to stretch out in distance and will most likely make her next start in the Grade 3, $200,000 Gazelle Stakes going 1 1/8 miles on April 6 at Aqueduct, trainer Brad Cox said Sunday.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Recent stakes wins on turf by Medoro and Stay Hot at Santa Anita have left trainer Peter Eurton pondering how to campaign the promising 3-year-olds this spring.
Medoro won the China Doll Stakes at a mile for fillies on March 10 in her first start of the year, remaining unbeaten in three career starts.
ARCADIA, Calif. - The Chosen Vron, winner of the 15th stakes of his career at Santa Anita on Saturday, will not have a busy race schedule in coming months prior to an expected start in the Grade 1 Bing Crosby Stakes at Del Mar in the summer.
The Chosen Vron won his Grade 1 debut in the Bing Crosby Stakes last July, a victory trainer Eric Kruljac said remains a personal highlight.
“That’s the milestone moment of my career,” Kruljac said on Sunday. “That, and winning the Test.”
David Howard, 45, a trainer based at Pimlico Race Course, died Friday evening after suffering a heart attack, according to racing officials at the Maryland Jockey Club.
A native of Germantown, Maryland, Howard began his training career in 2021 and saddled his first winner in the second race at Laurel on Feb. 27, 2022, when Hot Choice was placed first via disqualification.
A full field of 12, plus two also-eligibles, was entered Saturday evening for Turfway Park’s signature Kentucky Derby prep, the Grade 3, $700,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks on March 23.
The Ruby awards Derby points to its top finishers on a 100-50-25-15-10 scale.
Endlessly, who won the El Camino Real Derby on a synthetic surface in his 3-year-old debut, was made the 5-2 morning-line favorite in the large field. The colt was a multiple graded stakes winner on turf last season for Michael McCarthy.
Eclipse Award champion Improbable, whose first foals will race this year, was euthanized Saturday night after a loss of coordination led to a leg fracture. The son of City Zip was 8.
A release from WinStar Farm, where Improbable was standing at stud, said the stallion began displaying ataxia, or a loss of coordination, “behind” on Saturday morning. He was shipped to Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Ky., for treatment.
