ARCADIA, Calif. – Grade 1 winner Marley’s Freedom rebounded from her subpar effort in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint and could ship to Aqueduct to start in the Grade 3, $250,000 Go for Wand Handicap on Dec. 1, according to trainer Bob Baffert.
Marley’s Freedom worked a sharp half-mile in 47.60 seconds Wednesday at Santa Anita, the fastest of the day. Plans call for Marley’s Freedom to remain in training as a 5-year-old in 2019.
ARCADIA, Calif. – A nuclear scan this week on Catalina Cruiser revealed nothing of consequence, but trainer John Sadler plans to give him an extended freshening following his dull sixth as the favorite in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile.
“We’re going to give him 60 days off and then bring him back for next year,” Sadler said. “We’re looking at an all-year campaign; he’s the big horse.”
ARCADIA, Calif. – Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Accelerate returned to Santa Anita on Monday and resumed light training this week in preparation for his career finale in the Grade 1, $9 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational on Jan. 26 at Gulfstream Park.
Accelerate walked Tuesday, jogged Wednesday and Thursday, and will begin galloping Friday.
“He looks great, really bright,” trainer John Sadler said. “We’ll start breezing him in December” to prepare for the Pegasus.
Laurel Park canceled its Thursday card as the horses were preparing to load into the gate for race 1.
The winter storm coming north up the coast resulted in a wintry mix of precipitation and turned the Laurel track muddy. The temperature was 37 degrees.
Sal Sinatra, president of the Maryland Jockey Club, said the freezing rain and sleet had switched to rain before the horses were brought to the paddock, and it looked as if the track would be able to race. But after the horses left the paddock, the rain switched back to sleet.
Mahoning Valley is preparing for the biggest card of its meet on Monday, with the $250,000 Steel Valley Sprint and the $75,000 Mahoning Distaff, both open-company events. The Austintown, Ohio, track first sets the table with a pair of $75,000 stakes for Ohio-accredited runners this Saturday with the Ruff/Kirchberg Memorial Handicap for 3-year-olds and up and the Glacial Princess for 2-year-old fillies.
MIAMI – The work tab was light at Gulfstream Park on Thursday but did feature a pair of graded stakes horses who figure to see action during the upcoming championship meet – the long-winded, Grade 3-winning turf specialist Some in Tieme and the Grade 1-placed sprinter Sweetontheladies.
There’s a lot of history on the line for Jessies First Down before the calendar turns in January. He has one more start this year, and with a victory could become just the third Quarter Horse to win three world champion titles, according to statistics from the American Quarter Horse Association. Shue Fly accomplished the feat in 1941-43 and Go Man Go in 1955-57.
The $1 million Land of Enchantment card next Wednesday at Zia Park in Hobbs, N.M., drew strong support from stables based in California. The program of seven Thoroughbred stakes drew nine horses from California, including four in the $250,000 Zia Park Derby – Air Strike, Restrainedvengence, Yulong Warrior, and All Out Blitz.
California also is sending Secret Spice, the possible favorite for the $250,000 Zia Park Oaks; Alliford Bay for the $100,000 Distaff; Watch Me Burn and Six Pack Gal for the $75,000 Princess; and Anyportinastorm for the $100,000 Sprint.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Monomoy Girl has been withdrawn from consideration for the Pegasus World Cup after her ownership group decided to give her a freshening ahead of her 4-year-old campaign of 2019.
Monomoy Girl left the Churchill Downs stable of trainer Brad Cox on Monday for about 60 days of downtime at the Ocala, Fla., farm of Paul Sharp. The Tapizar filly essentially clinched a 2018 Eclipse Award for top 3-year-old filly by winning the Nov. 3 Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Churchill.
The nine-race Friday card at Aqueduct is topped by a first-level New York-bred optional-claiming race for fillies and mares and includes a first-level allowance turf sprint and four maiden races. The trouble is, autumn has suddenly started to look like the beginning of an early winter and four of the day’s races are scheduled for turf.
Aqueduct was off the grass Wednesday, and the first hard freeze of the season was expected Thursday morning. There is the possibility of sleet and ice Thursday afternoon with rain continuing into Friday morning.
