ARCADIA, Calif. - What started last fall at Del Mar has continued through the winter and spring at Santa Anita. The 5-year-old mare Mrs. Astor thrives in distance stakes on turf.
On Saturday at Santa Anita, Mrs. Astor won her fourth stakes in her last five starts with a nose victory in the $100,500 Possibly Perfect Stakes for fillies and mares at 1 1/4 miles.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Nysos, a three-time Grade 3 stakes winner who is a neck away from an unbeaten record, is scheduled to have his next start in the Grade 2 San Diego Handicap at Del Mar on July 26.
Nysos, trained by Bob Baffert for Charles and Susan Chu’s Baoma Corp., was second by a neck in the Grade 1 Churchill Downs Stakes at seven furlongs on May 3 in his first start of the year. Nysos was the brilliant winner of the Grade 3 Triple Bend Stakes at seven furlongs at Santa Anita on May 31 in his most recent appearance.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - The quarantine of a Belmont Park barn due to a case of strangles will not prevent trainer Rick Dutrow from running his 3-year-olds McAfee and Captain Cook in upcoming stakes out of town.
Two weeks ago, Dutrow shipped the pair of McAfee and Captain Cook to Churchill Downs where both have put in two workouts. McAfee, second in the Grade 3 Peter Pan on May 10, is entered in Saturday’s Grade 3, $500,000 Ohio Derby at Thistledown. Captain Cook, third as the favorite in the Peter Pan, is pointing to the $250,000 Maxfield Stakes at Churchill on June 29.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Jockey Dylan Davis on Sunday began serving a three-day suspension handed him by the New York stewards for his ride aboard Strategic Focus at Saratoga on June 6.
That day, Strategic Focus won a first-level allowance by three-quarters of a length over Malarchuk. Strategic Focus, making just his second career start, came over in front of Marlarchuk after clearing him.
Barn 28 at Belmont Park has been placed under a 14-day precautionary quarantine due to a confirmed case of strangles found in a horse who resided in that barn, according to a release issued Saturday night by the New York Racing Association and New York State Gaming Commission.
Barn 28 contains horses trained by George Weaver, Todd Pletcher, and Rudy Rodriguez.
Jockey J.G. Torrealba was taken off his remaining mounts at Laurel Park Friday and transported to a nearby hospital after falling off 4-year-old Aonbharr in the third race. According to his agent, Torrealba did not sustain any significant injuries.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – There will be a two-day pick-six carryover of $124,619 for bettors to chase Saturday at Aqueduct.
The pick six was not hit for a second straight card Friday, the biggest upset being posted in the second leg when Widdershins ($89.50) won a maiden claiming race under Junior Alvarado for trainer Amira Chichakly. The remainder of the sequence was rather logical, with the next highest-priced winner returning $10.20.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Friday was a track-record setting day at Aqueduct.
The 7-year-old gelding Baby Yoda, away from the races since last November, won a stakes-caliber allowance race by 4 1/4 lengths. He ran 6 1/2 furlongs over the main track in 1:13.86 which established a track record, eclipsing the mark set by Coronado’s Quest (1:14.35) when, as a 2-year-old in 1997, he won the Grade 2 Cowdin Stakes.
Himika cost $900,000 at the Ocala Breeders’ Sale of 2-year-olds in-training in April, the second most-expensive filly of the four-day auction.
On Thursday at Santa Anita, Himika showed why she drew a sky-high price.
Making her debut for trainer Bob Baffert, Himika won a five-furlong maiden race by six lengths in the deceptive time of 57.86 seconds.
Ridden by Juan Hernandez, Himika, a strong favorite who paid $3, stalked Stuffy Mist to early stretch before taking the lead with more than a furlong remaining. Hernandez did not urge Himika in the final furlong.
In the last few weeks, Thought Process, a two-time stakes winner in 2024, has been scratched from the Grade 2 Summertime Oaks at Santa Anita and considered for stakes at Churchill Downs and Penn National later this month.
Instead of starting in those races, Thought Process will be heavily favored to win her first start of 2025 in an allowance race for 3-year-old fillies at a mile on turf at Santa Anita on Saturday.
