Mon, 05/20/2019 - 13:56

Ward pair breeze fast on Keeneland turf in Royal Ascot prep

Coady Photography
Debut winner Nayibeth breezed a half-mile in company in 45.60 seconds over the Keeneland turf Sunday.

Anna’s Fast and Nayibeth, a pair of debut 2-year-old winners last month, made morning history Sunday at Keeneland.

The duo, aimed for races at England’s prestigious Royal Ascot meeting in June by trainer Wesley Ward, breezed a half-mile in company on the Keeneland turf course in 45.60 seconds, the fastest grass breeze over that distance there since at least 1996. A search of Daily Racing Form’s workout database, which dates back to spring 1996, revealed that before Sunday, the prior-best time had been 46.20, set by two-time Horse of the Year Wise Dan in October 2011.

Mon, 05/20/2019 - 13:40

Two trainers ordered to vacate stalls at Santa Anita

Barbara D. Livingston
The absence of racing on the downhill turf course has had an impact on entries.

ARCADIA, Calif. – California trainers Mike Pender and Marcelo Polanco were told by Santa Anita management over the weekend to vacate their stalls, according to two track officials who declined to speak publicly.

Pender, who has approximately 19 horses, was cited for an undisclosed horse-welfare issue, while Polanco, who has five horses in his care, was cited for training a horse on behalf of another person, according to the track officials.

It was not immediately clear when Pender and Polanco would be required to disperse their horses.

Mon, 05/20/2019 - 13:10

Suburban up next for Catholic Boy

Ronnie Betor
Catholic Boy returned from a six-month layoff with a victory on turf in the Grade 2 Dixie Stakes.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Following a successful return to the races in Saturday’s Grade 2 Dixie Stakes on turf at Pimlico, Catholic Boy will return to the dirt for his next start in the Grade 2, $700,000 Suburban Stakes at Belmont Park on July 6, trainer Jonathan Thomas said Monday.

Mon, 05/20/2019 - 13:10

Pletcher has Spinoff, Intrepid Heart for Belmont Stakes

Emily Shields
Spinoff wound up 18th in the Kentucky Derby, with trainer Todd Pletcher theorizing that the colt didn't handle the off going.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Trainer Todd Pletcher is throwing out Spinoff’s 18th-place finish in the Kentucky Derby and plans to run him in the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes on June 8. On Sunday, Spinoff worked a half-mile in 48.72 seconds over the Belmont training track, his first work back since the Derby.

Mon, 05/20/2019 - 13:06

Thunder Snow latest name in the mix for Met Mile

Neville Hopwood/Dubai Racing Club
Two-time Dubai World Cup winner Thunder Snow (left) is expected for the Met Mile at Belmont Park on June 8.

ELMONT, N.Y. – The Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap keeps getting better and better.

Thunder Snow, the two-time winner of the Dubai World Cup, is now targeting the Grade 1, $1.2 million Met Mile at Belmont Park on June 8, according to a report in The Sporting Life.

Though Thunder Snow is nominated to the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot, trainer Saeed bin Suroor said he is more likely to run in the Met Mile.

Mon, 05/20/2019 - 13:06

Royally bred River Front wins maiden race at Gulfstream Park

Lauren King/Coglianese Photos
River Front is by top sire War Front out of the great racemare Havre de Grace.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – All wins are good but some are a little better than others. A case in point is River Front’s maiden victory here Sunday for trainer Ralph Nicks. River Front is the third foal out of the champion mare Havre de Grace to make the races and is now the third winner in a family that also includes older sister Graceful Princess and younger sibling Heavenly Grace, both of whom are also trained by Nicks. All three Havre de Grace offspring are owned by Mandy Pope’s Whisper Hill Farm.

Mon, 05/20/2019 - 12:16

Cookie Dough transferred from Gold to McLaughlin following Black-Eyed Susan third

Emily Shields
Cookie Dough has been sent to trainer Kiaran McLaughlin, who will point her to the Grade 1 Acorn.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Cookie Dough is coming off arguably the best performance of her career, a third-place finish in the prestigious Black-Eyed Susan last Friday at Pimlico. But she will not be coming back to trainer Stanley Gold’s barn at Gulfstream Park.

Instead, Cookie Dough, who set the pace to midstretch before tiring to finish 2 3/4 lengths behind Point of Honor in the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan, has been sent to trainer Kiaran McLaughlin at Belmont Park to be pointed to the one-mile, Grade 1 Acorn at Belmont on June 8.

Mon, 05/20/2019 - 11:26

Alwaysmining, Win Win Win will target summer campaigns

Barbara D. Livingston
The Maryland-bred Alwaysmining wound up 11th in the Preakness on Saturday.

BALTIMORE – Alwaysmining and Win Win Win, the two Maryland-based horses in Saturday’s Preakness, appear to have come out of the race well, according to their trainers. Although neither will move on to the Belmont Stakes, they both are expected to target other stakes this summer.

Alwaysmining moved up to challenge pacesetting Warrior’s Charge and Anothertwistafate nearing the far turn of the 1 3/16-mile Preakness but tired during the stretch run and finished 11th. The Maryland-bred is a popular local runner and ended up the 6-1 fourth choice in the 13-horse field.

Mon, 05/20/2019 - 08:36

From savvy claim to stable star, Ohio earning his keep and then some

Benoit Photo
Ohio (right), a $50,000 claim last June, won the Grade 1 Frank Kilroe Mile last time out.

ARCADIA, Calif. – The first goal was simply to win a race at Del Mar.

Last spring, trainer Michael McCarthy approached two clients – Bruce Treitman and Aron Wellman of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners – with the idea of claiming Ohio, a 7-year-old Brazilian-bred gelding who was graded stakes-placed in 2016.

“We thought we’d get ourselves a horse that would be live at Del Mar,” McCarthy recalled on Sunday.

Sun, 05/19/2019 - 18:56

Bellafina likely to train up to Test Stakes

Debra A. Roma
Bellafina will target one-turn races for the remainder of the year, trainer Simon Callaghan said.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Bellafina, the six-time stakes winner who was fifth in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs on May 3, has returned to trainer Simon Callaghan’s stable at Santa Anita.

Callaghan said on Sunday that Bellafina is scheduled to have her next start in the Grade 1 Test Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at seven furlongs at Saratoga on Aug. 3 and is unlikely to have a race in the interim.

“Most likely, we’ll point for the Test,” Callaghan said. “We’ll take our time with her.”