A pair of older geldings seem to be improving with age and over the weekend both Stoney Bennett and Stan the Man showed the ability to stretch out in distance.
On Saturday, the 4-year-old New York-bred Stoney Bennett successfully carried his speed a mile, winning an open-company, first-level allowance race by a neck. He ran a mile in 1:37.62 and earned a 94 Beyer Speed Figure.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Multiple winning New York-bred 3-year-olds Le General and Not That Brady have been confirmed by their connections as starters for the Grade 3, $250,000 Withers Stakes on Feb. 2 at Aqueduct.
Le General has won two straight races after losing his debut. In his most recent start, he won a one-mile, statebred first-level allowance race by 6 3/4 lengths. Two starts back, Le General won a six-furlong maiden race by 3 1/4 lengths over Blindwillie McTell, who has come back to win two straight restricted stakes, including Sunday’s $100,000 Rego Park.
ARCADIA, Calif. – The carryover in the 20-cent Rainbow 6 has reached $883,200 for Thursday’s program at Santa Anita. The jackpot pick six bet, which is paid out only if there is one winning ticket, has not been hit at the meeting, which began Dec. 26.
The Rainbow 6 is scheduled to have a mandatory payout day on Feb. 2, pending approval from the California Horse Racing Board later this month. A day with a mandatory payout is expected to result in a pool of new money of several million dollars.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Amandine could become the first horse to start in three stakes at the current Santa Anita winter-spring meeting in Monday’s Grade 3 Megahertz Stakes for fillies and mares at a mile on turf.
Amandine had a busy opening week of the meeting last month, winning the Lady of Shamrock Stakes at a mile on turf Dec. 26 and finishing third in the Grade 1 American Oaks at 1 1/4 miles on Dec. 29.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Steve Lym was in his position as racing secretary at Santa Anita for about a day last weekend when the Toronto transplant experienced a Southern California winter storm – a Saturday with about an inch of rain.
Bad weather in California in January has a different meaning than what Lym was used to in southern Ontario, where he held a similar position at Woodbine. Lym was named racing secretary at Santa Anita last month following the dismissal of Rick Hammerle.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – It’s been nearly two years since David Brownlee had to give up training, but you can’t keep him away from his horses. Brownlee was at Gulfstream last week to lend a hand and moral support to trainer Juan Arias with She’s No Joke, whom he co-owns in a partnership. The 4-year-old filly ran second in a claiming race.
“I’ve had liver cancer,” said Brownlee, 72, “but the doctors say I’m clean now, thankfully. I had to quit training because of all the chemotherapy treatments, so I turned my horses over to Juan. He’s doing a great job.”
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Flavien Prat, the star French jockey based in Southern California, has been named to ride Audible in the $9 million Pegasus World Cup on Jan. 26, it was announced Sunday by trainer Todd Pletcher.
The mount on Audible came open when his regular rider, Javier Castellano, opted to stick with City of Light, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile in his last start.
“Flavien seems to be riding in really good form,” Pletcher said. “We thought he’d fit him well.”
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – When Starship Jubilee won the Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf last year at Gulfstream Park, she was making amends as a beaten favorite in the Claiming Crown Tiara.
Trainer Kevin Attard is hoping history repeats itself Saturday when Starship Jubilee runs back in the $150,000 Filly and Mare Turf after fading to fourth as an odds-on choice last month in the Tiara.
Top 3-year-old prospect and undefeated Maximus Mischief turned in his first work Saturday since shipping to South Florida following his impressive victory in the Grade 2 Remsen. He went four furlongs in a swift 46.97 seconds at Gulfstream despite flipping leads near the sixteenth pole and looking around quite a bit down the stretch.
ARCADIA, Calif. - A week of expected wet weather will disrupt the workout schedule for Game Winner, the undefeated winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Churchill Downs on Nov. 2.
Game Winner worked three furlongs in 35.20 seconds on Jan. 9, his first work since the BC Juvenile. Trainer Bob Baffert on Sunday said he had no plans for Game Winner’s next workout.
