While Peter Pan winner Global Campaign is unlikely to run in the Belmont Stakes, two horses who finished behind him on Saturday are being pointed to the third leg of the Triple Crown.
Sir Winston, who rallied from last to finish second to Global Campaign, and Intrepid Heart, who finished third after stumbling at the break of the race, are both targeting the Belmont Stakes, according to their trainers.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – A Single 6 jackpot carryover of $261,677 awaits horseplayers when a four-day race week begins at Churchill with an eight-race Thursday program. The 20-cent bet will span races 3-8 and include both allowances on the card.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Princess Warrior, winner of the Grade 2 Mrs. Revere Stakes last fall at Churchill Downs, was scheduled to undergo fusion surgery Monday afternoon for an ankle fracture the filly sustained Friday during a race over the Churchill turf.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Santa Anita is likely to run three-day race weeks through the end of the spring-summer meeting on June 23 and has extended a $10,000 per race increase in overnight purses through at least June 9, racing secretary Steve Lym said over the weekend.
Santa Anita began three-day racing weeks on April 26-28 because of concern over the availability of race-ready horses. At the time, track officials said the schedule would continue through June 2 and running on the first three Thursdays of June would be evaluated at a later date.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Brad Cox hasn’t spent a whole lot of time in Maryland. Based primarily in the Midwest, the 39-year-old trainer has traveled to Pimlico twice, Laurel Park once, and the Timonium sales a few times. One of his most enduring memories – the crabcakes at Michael’s, the popular restaurant located right across York Road from the Timonium fairgrounds.
“Amazing,” Cox said.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Bob Baffert has implicit trust in his longtime assistant Jimmy Barnes, but the Hall of Fame trainer felt like it wouldn’t hurt anything to stop by Churchill Downs on his way to another Preakness just to check in on Improbable.
“I just wanted to make sure he’s still got a lot of energy and going over the ground really well,” Baffert said Monday morning after an easy half-mile breeze in 51.80 seconds by Improbable, the morning-line favorite for the 144th Preakness on Saturday at Pimlico in Baltimore. “He looks really healthy. He’s held his weight really well.”
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Jockey Luis Saez has been suspended 15 racing days by Churchill Downs stewards for his ride in the Kentucky Derby aboard Maximum Security, who crossed the wire first before being disqualified for causing interference leaving the second turn of the race. Saez was cited for “failure to control his mount and make the proper effort to maintain a straight course,” the stewards cited in their ruling, which was released Monday on the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission website.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Causeforcommotion, the winner of the Grade 3 Santa Barbara Stakes at Santa Anita on Saturday, thrives in distance races on turf. That could lead to a journey outside of California this summer, trainer and co-owner Eric Kruljac said on Sunday.
Kruljac was debating Causeforcommotion’s next start on Sunday following her impressive win in the Santa Barbara Stakes at 1 1/4 miles on turf. Ridden by Geovanni Franco, Causeforcommotion was always near the front and pulled clear in the stretch to win by nine lengths.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Hunt, the winner of the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile and four other stakes, has been retired after a series of disappointing performances.
Trainer Phil D’Amato said on Sunday the decision was reached to retire Hunt after he finished seventh in an optional claimer at Santa Anita on April 28. He did not win in three starts this year.
“His form dropped off,” D’Amato said.
