Mon, 03/12/2018 - 13:06

Servis loaded with turf sprinters

Leslie Martin/Coglianese Photos
Blue Bahia’s victory in Saturday’s Captiva Island capped a stakes double for trainer Jason Servis and jockey Paco Lopez.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Jason Servis had himself a busy day last Saturday that included sending out key contenders in a couple of important Kentucky Derby preps, the Tampa Bay Derby and Gotham. But Servis ended up having his best success on the afternoon in a pair of five-furlong stakes over the local turf course, sweeping the co-featured Silks Run and Captiva Island with Vision Perfect and Blue Bahia.

Mon, 03/12/2018 - 12:50

Saez picks up winning thread after suspension

Michael Amoruso
Luis Saez rode four winners at Gulfstream Park on Sunday.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Leading jockey Luis Saez, who served a three-day riding suspension last week, wasted little time picking right up where he left off upon returning to the saddle over the weekend. Saez registered a four-bagger Sunday that included a last-to-first triumph aboard Lalibela, a 3-year-old son of Giant’s Causeway trained by Michael Matz, who paid $65 after capturing his career debut in impressive fashion on the turf.

Mon, 03/12/2018 - 12:46

Rainbow 6 pool tops $3.1 million going into Wednesday

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – The Rainbow 6 jackpot has grown to more than $3.1 million heading into Wednesday’s action after surviving a couple of scares over the weekend. A combination of large and, in many cases, inscrutable fields led to some major upsets during both sequences, leaving three horses alive for the entire jackpot Saturday and two more on Sunday. In both cases, the winner of the finale led to multiple winning combinations, which returned $61,173 for a 20-cent wager Saturday and $30,870 the following afternoon.

Mon, 03/12/2018 - 11:56

Smarty Jones winner Mourinho euthanized after training accident

Coady Photography
Mourinho won the one-mile Smarty Jones at Oaklawn last month and must stretch his speed an extra sixteenth in the Southwest Stakes on Monday.

Mourinho, winner of the Smarty Jones Stakes at Oaklawn earlier this year and fourth most recently in the Southwest Stakes, was euthanized on Monday morning at Santa Anita after suffering a severe sesamoid fracture in a front leg, trainer Bob Baffert said.

“It’s terrible. He was going easily, breezing, head-and-head, when he took a bad step,” Baffert said.

Baffert was at a 2-year-old sale in Ocala, Fla. The work was supervised by his top assistant, Jimmy Barnes, who relayed the information to Baffert.

Mon, 03/12/2018 - 11:50

Roman starts next phase as jockey

Barbara D. Livingston
Apprentice jockey Evin Roman leads all riders at Santa Anita with 38 wins through Sunday.

ARCADIA, Calif. – When Evin Roman, the champion apprentice jockey of 2017, rides as a journeyman for the first time Thursday, he has to look only across Santa Anita’s jockey room for inspiration on the newest phase of his career.

Sun, 03/11/2018 - 16:17

Nevin riding high with Skyler's Scramjet, My Boy Tate

Debra A. Roma
Skyler's Scramjet returned $7.10 as the favorite in the Tom Fool Handicap at Aqueduct.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Between Skyler’s Scramjet and My Boy Tate, trainer Michelle Nevin has two male sprinters who have combined to win eight consecutive races including three stakes.

Keeping them separated will be a nice problem throughout the spring and summer.

Skyler’s Scramjet won his first stakes Saturday, scoring a 1 1/2-length victory in the Grade 3, $200,000 Tom Fool Handicap at Aqueduct that was more impressive than the final margin might suggest.

Sun, 03/11/2018 - 14:52

City of Light targeting Met Mile

Shigeki Kikkawa
City of Light wins the Grade 1 Triple Bend Stakes on Saturday.

ARCADIA, Calif. – City of Light, the winner of the Triple Bend for older sprinters on Saturday, has the Met Mile on Belmont Stakes Day as his long-term goal, trainer Michael McCarthy said Sunday morning.

McCarthy said the Churchill Downs Stakes on Kentucky Derby Day might be used as a prep for the Met Mile.

"The horse came out of the race in good order, ate up," McCarthy said. "We'll let him get his feet underneath him. After skipping the race in Arkansas, I was glad he didn't boil over."

Sun, 03/11/2018 - 14:43

Sadler savors first Big Cap win with Accelerate

Emily Shields
Accelerate scores in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap on Saturday.

ARCADIA, Calif. – John Sadler grew up in Southern California and was a fan of racing even before he began training nearly four decades ago, so he said the Santa Anita Handicap win on Saturday with Accelerate was "very satisfying."

"It's one of the most iconic races on our circuit," Sadler, who had never before won the Big Cap, said Sunday morning. "I'm old enough to remember when it was more important than the 3-year-old races. I grew up watching Quicken Tree. I remember Ack Ack. I love the Big Cap. It was a great win for us."

Sun, 03/11/2018 - 13:48

McKinzie, Bolt d'Oro eye rematch in Santa Anita Derby

Barbara D. Livingston
Bolt d'Oro (left) and McKinzie battle to the wire in the San Felipe Stakes on Saturday.

ARCADIA, Calif. – The controversial disqualification of McKinzie in favor of Bolt d’Oro in the San Felipe Stakes on Saturday was still on the minds of the participants on Sunday morning at Santa Anita, but the fact that both 3-year-olds furthered their Kentucky Derby aspirations, came out of the race well, and likely will meet again in the Santa Anita Derby had many looking forward to Round 2 in their budding rivalry.

Sun, 03/11/2018 - 12:14

Wood Memorial likely next for Gotham winner Enticed

Debra A. Roma
Enticed earned 50 qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby with a 2 3/4-length win in Saturday's Grade 3 Gotham.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – New York’s reconstructed winter road to the Kentucky Derby has been smooth sailing for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin and Sheikh Mohammed’s Godolphin Racing.

Five weeks after winning the Grade 3 Withers with Avery Island, the trainer-owner tandem struck again Saturday with Enticed, who won the Grade 3, $300,000 Gotham Stakes by 2 3/4 lengths at Aqueduct.

Now, McLaughlin and Godolphin will set their sights on the Grade 2 Wood Memorial on April 7, the “most likely” next target for Enticed, McLaughlin said Sunday.