LEXINGTON, Ky. – With no stakes here Sunday on a nine-race card, the next such races are set for next week with the Grade 3 Doubledogdare on Friday and the Grade 2 Elkhorn on Saturday.
Blue Prize, who enjoyed a breakthrough 2018 when she earned $730,893, all for Merriebelle Stable and trainer Ignacio Correas, will make her seasonal debut in the 1 1/16-mile Doubledogdare. Zulu Alpha, winner of the Sycamore here last fall, figures to be favored in the Elkorn at 1 1/2 miles on turf.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Just minutes after J Zar was declared the victor in a tight photo in the fourth race Thursday at Keeneland, the winning trainer, Brendan Walsh, said he sent a text message to his mother in Ireland.
“I told her, ‘He must be looking down on us,’ ” said Walsh.
Walsh’s father, Patrick, died April 5 at age 80 in their homeland of County Cork after suffering from cancer. It was a crushing blow for Walsh, whose interest in horses was sparked by that of his father.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Kentucky Oaks remains in play for Serengeti Empress, whose bleeding incident in the Fair Grounds Oaks has cast doubt on whether she’ll be among the 14 3-year-old fillies in the starting gate for the May 3 race.
Serengeti Empress is comfortably above the qualifying-points cutoff for the Grade 1, $1 million Oaks, but trainer Tom Amoss wants to make sure the speedy daughter of Alternation is 100 percent healthy before committing her to the Churchill Downs filly classic.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The $1 million Travers Stakes at Saratoga on Aug. 24 will air on the national FOX network, it was announced Thursday.
The Travers will be broadcast from 5-6 p.m. Eastern. The Travers had been broadcast on NBC or NBCSN since 2011.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Jockey Nik Juarez informed New York stewards on Thursday that he will not appeal the suspension handed him for careless riding in Saturday’s Wood Memorial. Thus, the suspension will be reduced from 15 days to 10. Juarez, who was also fined $2,500, will serve the days from April 23 through May 2. Since he rides at Gulfstream, Juarez will be missing only five racing days.
The stewards did deny a request from Juarez to ride a stakes at Gulfstream on April 27 in exchange for serving an additional day.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Trainer Wesley Ward nominated 15 fillies to Saturday’s $100,000 Bridgetown Stakes for 3-year-olds and has decided to run Wonder Stone against males in the six-furlong turf stakes.
The Bridgetown drew a field of six, though one, Majid, was entered only to run if the race is moved to the main track.
Wonder Stone, a daughter of Super Saver, beat males on dirt in her debut last April 18 at Keeneland. She made her second start in the Astoria against females at Belmont and finished fifth. She was stopped on “for little niggling issues,” Ward said.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Gustavo Delgado and the rest of the connections of Florida Derby runner-up Bodexpress will be paying close attention to both the Arkansas Derby and Lexington Stakes on Saturday while also doing a lot of scoreboard watching in the days and weeks ahead.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Willis Horton had long made a point of attending the Arkansas Derby each April at his home track of Oaklawn Park. But this year is particularly special.
Horton will be represented in the Grade 1, $1 million Arkansas Derby with his homebred Long Range Toddy, who drew post 11 for the 1 1/8-mile race on Wednesday. Long Range Toddy enters with a big chance, as he comes off a win in the first division of the Grade 2, $750,000 Rebel last month at Oaklawn.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Espresso Shot, who was beaten five lengths when finishing fifth in the Grade 2 Gazelle Stakes here on Saturday, will not point to the Kentucky Oaks and will likely shorten up to a one-turn race for her next start, said Daniel Zanatta, co-managing partner of Final Furlong Racing Stable, part-owner of the filly along with Maspeth Stables and Parkland Thoroughbreds.
The $125,000 Bouwerie, a seven-furlong race at Belmont Park on May 27, is the likely next target for Espresso Shot, Zanatta said.
