OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Maedean, the 5 1/2-length winner of the Tempted Stakes last Friday at Aqueduct, will point to the Grade 2, $250,000 Demoiselle Stakes at Aqueduct on Dec. 7, trainer Mark Hennig said Monday.
Maedean, a daughter of Tapit owned by Courtlandt Farms, earned a 74 Beyer in the Tempted, running a mile in 1:36.75.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The connections of Tiz the Law, the Grade 1 Champagne winner by Constitution, believe a victory in the Grade 2, $300,000 Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill Downs on Nov. 30 could put them in the hunt for an Eclipse Award in the 2-year-old male division.
Typically, the award goes to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner, but that race was won by 45-1 longshot Storm the Court. Tiz the Law skipped the Breeders’ Cup because neither trainer Barclay Tagg nor the owner, Sackatoga Stable, wanted to ship cross-country to run a young horse at Santa Anita.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – If not for a burst water pipe that forced Laurel Park to cancel its Oct. 24 card, we still might not know just how good a colt Independence Hall is.
Independence Hall dominated Sunday’s Grade 3, $150,000 Nashua Stakes at Aqueduct by 12 1/4 lengths, earning a 101 Beyer Speed Figure that ranks as the best figure achieved by a 2-year-old of any gender in 2019. Yet, the Nashua was Plan B after a first-level allowance on Oct. 24 at Laurel was lost when that card – and subsequently three more – was canceled due to a broken water pipe along the track apron.
ARCADIA, Calif. – For the last five years, and for most of the nearly 50 years that the Eclipse Awards have existed, the Horse of the Year has been either the outstanding 3-year-old from the Triple Crown races, or the best older distance horse on dirt.
Led by Mr. Jordan in the Millions Classic Preview, 137 horses were nominated to the eight stakes races for Florida-breds that will make up the bulk of Sunshine Millions Preview Day on Saturday at Gulfstream Park West. The races each carry a $75,000 purse.
Sunshine Millions Preview Day is the highlight of the Gulfstream Park West meet. The races serve as early preps for Sunshine Millions Day on Jan. 18 at Gulfstream Park.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Cool Shadows looped the field under jockey Jerome Lermyte to win the Princess Elizabeth Stakes on Oct. 26 and will likely make her final start of the season in the $125,000 Ontario Lassie Stakes on Dec. 8, trainer Stu Simon said.
“That’s what we’re looking at right now as long as the weather stays good and the track stays good,” he said.
Cool Shadows has won two of her last three starts. Simon said the connections had been high on Cool Shadows coming into this season, and the 2-year-old daughter of Munnings has improved in the last several weeks.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Just about every human emotion was being felt by trainers on Sunday morning in the aftermath of participating in the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Saturday at Santa Anita, ranging from the pride and satisfaction felt by Todd Pletcher for Vino Rosso’s victory to the profound sadness of Enebish Ganbat, whose Mongolian Groom suffered an injury that proved fatal.
Bob Baffert was thrilled with the runner-up performance by McKinzie, and Shug McGaughey, whose Code of Honor was seventh, was infuriated over what he thought was a difficult racing surface.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Mo Forza won his stakes debut in Saturday’s Grade 2 Twilight Derby at Santa Anita in an 18-1 upset. The win has left trainer Peter Miller eager to start Mo Forza in a more important race – the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby at Del Mar on Nov. 30.
The Hollywood Derby, run at 1 1/8 miles on turf, is one of two Grade 1 races worth $300,000 at the Del Mar autumn meeting, which begins on Friday. The Matriarch Stakes for fillies and mares at a mile on turf will be run on Dec. 1, the closing day of the season.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Paradise Woods, the winner of four graded stakes, has run her last race.
After finishing last of 11 in Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Santa Anita, Paradise Woods will be sent to Kentucky on Wednesday and will be bred in 2020, trainer John Shirreffs said on Sunday.
Shirreffs said stallion plans have not been determined and that the 5-year-old mare will be sent to Lane’s End Farm.
Owned by Marty and Pam Wygod and Steve Sarkowsky, Paradise Woods won five of 18 starts and earned $1,123,890 in a three-year career.
