ARCADIA, Calif. – Paradise Woods will be ridden for the first time by Joel Rosario when the two-time Grade 1 winner makes her debut for trainer John Shirreffs in Saturday’s Grade 2 Santa Monica Stakes at Santa Anita.
Paradise Woods was previously trained by Richard Mandella and was transferred to Shirreffs late last year. Owned by Marty and Pam Wygod and Steve Sarkowsky, Paradise Woods has worked quickly in recent weeks, including six furlongs in 1:10.80 last Friday.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Platinum Warrior, the winner of the Grade 2 San Marcos Stakes at Santa Anita last Saturday, is expected to start on the Dubai World Cup program on March 30 at Meydan.
Three races are under consideration, trainer John Sadler said: the Dubai Turf at 1 1/8 miles and Sheema Classic at 1 1/2 miles, both Group 1, $6 million races, and the Group 2 Dubai Gold Cup at two miles. Sadler said Platinum Warrior is most likely to run in one of the $6 million races, pending discussions between Sadler and owner Yuesheng Zhang of China and his European-based racing advisors.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Jockey Mario Gutierrez, who has won the Kentucky Derby twice, has switched agents, replacing Tom Knust with Matt Nakatani.
Nakatani, the son of jockey Corey Nakatani, said the change is effective immediately. Through Sunday, Gutierrez had 5 wins from 68 mounts at the Santa Anita winter-spring meeting. Gutierrez rode Listing to a win in the California Cup Turf Sprint on Jan. 26.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Apprentice jockey Jean Diaz Jr. won a race on Saturday and a race Sunday at Santa Anita in his first week of riding in California.
The 18-year-old Diaz relocated from Puerto Rico earlier this month and recorded the fifth and sixth wins of his career last weekend. He won Saturday’s sixth race on Hero for Hire ($26) and Sunday’s fifth race on turf on Swirling ($3.40).
Sunday’s fifth race was the subject of an inquiry into the stretch run when Swirling drifted to the inside. The stewards did not change the order of finish.
The pool for Gulfstream Park’s 20-cent Rainbow 6 on Saturday reached $8.2 million, and those who selected all six winners received $100,919.88. Usually the Rainbow 6 jackpot is paid out only if there is a single winning ticket, but Gulfstream designated Saturday as a mandatory disbursal day.
There was a $1,509,922 million carryover in the Rainbow 6 going into the day, and $6,754,787 was wagered on the bet Saturday.
ARCADIA, Calif. - One was expected, one was a surprise.
Trainer Simon Callaghan had his first stakes double at Santa Anita on Saturday, winning the Grade 2 Las Virgenes Stakes for 3-year-old fillies with the heavily favored Bellafina and the Grade 3 Thunder Road Stakes for turf milers with the outsider True Valour.
The two are likely to take diverse paths to their next starts.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Noble Commander, the winner of the Woodchopper Stakes at Fair Grounds on Dec. 29, was recently acquired by Agave Racing and has joined trainer Phil D’Amato stable in California.
On Sunday at Santa Anita, Noble Commander worked five furlongs in 1:00.60 in his first major exercise since joining D’Amato's stable. D’Amato said he does not have any race goals for Noble Commander, who has won 3 of 6 starts and earned $143,843.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - There were two stakes races, one a Grade 3, along with a mandatory disbursement of an $8.3 million Rainbow 6 pool here Saturday. But the number one topic of conversation coming out of the card was the performance of the undefeated 3-year-old prospect Global Campaign, who successfully stretched out around two turns for the first time to register an eye-catching victory under entry-level allowance conditions in the afternoon’s 10th race.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Gray Attempt worked Sunday morning at Oaklawn Park for an intended start in the Grade 3, $500,000 Southwest Stakes, a Kentucky Derby points race scheduled for Feb. 18.
Gray Attempt, who is an individual interest in Pool 2 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager, has won back-to-back stakes in his last two starts. He captured the $74,000 Sugar Bowl on Dec. 22 at Fair Grounds, then moved to two turns for the first time and picked up 10 points for the Kentucky Derby by wiring the field in the $150,000 Smarty Jones on Jan. 25 at Oaklawn.
OLDSMAR, Fla. – Well Defined emerged from his breakthrough victory Saturday in the Sam F. Davis Stakes in good shape and could run back in four weeks in the Tampa Bay Derby, trainer Kathleen O’Connell said Sunday.
O’Connell did not fully commit Well Defined to the March 9 Tampa Bay Derby, saying the gelding “will let us know.” But the annual Tampa Bay Downs showcase clearly is a logical spot, given the way Well Defined dominated the 1 1/16-mile Davis from the start to earn a career-high 93 Beyer Speed Figure and 10 qualifying points toward the May 4 Kentucky Derby.
