Trainer Mike Tomlinson has split his stable between Gulfstream and Tampa for the first time, sending 24 horses here while maintaining roughly the same number on the other side of the Florida peninsula.
“We’ve grown the last few years,” said Tomlinson, whose permanent base is Kentucky.
Tomlinson's Tampa assistant is Mike Thompson, a former longtime trainer who had his most recent starter in November. Longtime assistant D.W. Fries remains based at Gulfstream.
No doubt that World of Trouble was the star of the Cotillion Festival program held last Saturday at Tampa by earning a 109 Beyer Speed Figure in a 13 3/4-length romp in the restricted Marion County Stakes, one of four stakes on the card. World of Trouble will make his next start in the Gulfstream Turf Sprint on the Jan. 26 Pegasus World Cup undercard.
Imperial Hint could have his first breeze since the Breeders’ Cup as early as next week, trainer Luis Carvajal Jr. said Wednesday from Tampa Bay Downs in Oldsmar, Fla.
“Maybe an easy three-eighths,” Carvajal said. “He has been back training a few weeks, looking good, doing good.”
:: Want to get the latest news with your past performances? Try DRF’s new digital PPs
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer James Lawrence reported Glorious Empire returned to his home base at the Fair Hill Training Center early Monday morning in “great shape” following his impressive, wire-to-wire win in Saturday’s Grade 2 Fort Lauderdale at Gulfstream Park and that the thought, at the moment, is to bring him back here for the $7 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational on Jan. 26.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – There are only 14 horses nominated to Saturday’s Grade 3 Mr. Prospector, four of whom come out of the same barn and belong to the same owner, Looch Racing Stable’s Ron Paolucci.
Paolucci nominated Mo Don’t Know, Sightforsoreeyes, Storm Advisory, and Uno Mas Modelo to the seven-furlong Mr. Prospector at Gulfstream Park; all four are trained by Anthony Quartarolo.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Although Sir Anthony won Saturday’s Grade 3 Harlan’s Holiday, it was the Pegasus World Cup-bound Audible who became the big story after finishing second as the 1-9 favorite in his 3-year-old finale. But that didn’t stop Sir Anthony’s trainer, Anthony Mitchell, and his crew from enjoying the moment in the aftermath of the improbable David and Goliath ending to the Grade 3 event.
CYPRESS, Calif. - Kookie Gal is likely to start against open company at Santa Anita in early 2019 after winning Saturday’s $100,000 Soviet Problem Stakes for 2-year-old California-bred fillies at Los Alamitos.
Kookie Gal won the one-mile Soviet Problem Stakes by four lengths, closing from fourth in a field of six. Ridden by Flavien Prat, Kookie Gal drifted to the inside when she reached the front, but was clear at the time.
“She is still a little green,” trainer Peter Miller reflected on Sunday. “She ran well. Hopefully, we can build on that.”
McKinzie, the three-time graded stakes winner who was 12th in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill Downs last month, worked six furlongs in 1:13.20 at Santa Anita on Sunday for an expected start in the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes on Dec. 26.
McKinzie may be among four candidates for the $300,000 Malibu for trainer Bob Baffert, who said he is considering the race for Ax Man, Nero and Solomini.
“It looks like those four,” Baffert said. “All are aiming for the Malibu.”
The Dec. 26 program is opening day of the track’s winter-spring meeting.
The Aqueduct pick six went unhit for a third straight day Sunday, resulting in a carryover of $175,909 into Thursday's eight-race card. The pick six will begin on race 3.
There was a carryover of $48,374 into the Sunday program and another $223,762 in fresh money was wagered.
The sequence started off with wins by Show Prince ($4.20), Summer Punch ($24), and Playwright ($12.80).
Testosterstone's $50.50 victory in race 7 knocked out a slew of tickets before Blindwillie McTell won the eighth, paying $7.50.
The stakes winner Rye is nearing a return to racing. Trainer William Morey said on Friday that he hopes to have Rye ready for the $200,000 Unusual Heat Turf Classic for California-breds at 1 1/8 miles on turf at Santa Anita on Jan. 26, a race the 5-year-old horse won last January.
Rye was later third in the Grade 3 San Juan Capistrano Stakes at about 1 3/4 miles on turf in April.
Owned by Joseph Morey Jr., who is not related to the trainer, Rye is in training at Golden Gate Fields.
