ARCADIA, Calif. – Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens is in the midst of a road trip this weekend.
Stevens, 55, has spent the last several months riding primarily in Arkansas and Kentucky, and is returning to his longtime base in California. He and his family planned to spend this weekend driving from Louisville, Ky., to Southern California before Stevens resumes riding at Santa Anita on May 17.
Stevens has not ridden at Santa Anita since Dec. 31.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Everybody can calm down now.
Justify was sent through a spirited gallop early Thursday at Churchill Downs in his first day of training since the colt won the 144th Kentucky Derby, allaying concerns that his bid for the May 19 Preakness at Pimlico will be hindered by the minor injury he incurred during the Derby.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Hi Happy, the sharp winner of the Grade 2 Pan American at Gulfstream Park on March 31, drew post 7 in a field of 10 for Saturday’s Grade 1, $700,000 Man o’ War Stakes at 1 3/8 miles on turf.
Hi Happy will face a familiar rival in One Go All Go, whom Hi Happy defeated by 2 3/4 lengths in the Pan Am. One Go All Go returned to win the Grade 2 Elkhorn at Keeneland. One Go All Go drew post 9 and will have regular rider Chris Landeros up.
ELMONT, N.Y. – By virtue of his victory in the Federico Tesio Stakes at Laurel on April 21, Diamond King secured a fees-paid berth in the $1.5 million Preakness Stakes at Pimlico on May 19.
While his connections are still considering the Preakness, on Wednesday they entered Diamond King in Saturday’s Grade 3, $350,000 Peter Pan Stakes at Belmont Park. The Peter Pan is run at 1 1/8 miles around one turn.
Chuck Zacney, whose Cash Is King Stable is a co-owner of Diamond King, said Wednesday, “We’re at the enter-and-to-be-determined stage.”
ELMONT, N.Y. – While Chad Brown doesn’t plan on running Kentucky Derby runner-up Good Magic in the Belmont Stakes, he could have another horse in that race.
On Tuesday, it was announced that Gronkowski, the 3-year-old named for New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, is being moved from trainer Jeremy Noseda to Brown by owner Phoenix Thoroughbreds. On Wednesday, Brown said he expected the horse to clear quarantine Monday.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Cloud Computing, who won last year’s Preakness, came out of his narrow fourth-place finish in last Saturday’s Grade 3 Westchester Stakes at Belmont Park with a chip in a front ankle and will need surgery, trainer Chad Brown said Wednesday.
Cloud Computing had a similar problem last September, when an ankle chip was diagnosed following a workout three weeks after he ran in the Travers Stakes.
ARCADIA, Calif. – The graded stakes winners Kanthaka and Moonshine Memories have been entered in stakes for 3-year-old sprinters at Santa Anita on Saturday.
Kanthaka will start in the Grade 3 Lazaro Barrera Stakes at seven furlongs in an attempt to rebound from a sixth-place finish in the Grade 2 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland on April 7. Good Magic won the Blue Grass Stakes and was second in the Kentucky Derby last Saturday.
Stormy Liberal, the winner of the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Del Mar last November and second in the Group 1 Al Quoz Sprint in Dubai in March, will resume racing in the Grade 2 Jaipur Invitational at Belmont Park on June 9.
Brian Trump, racing manager for co-owner Rockingham Ranch, made the announcement on Twitter on Tuesday. The $400,000 Jaipur Invitational is run at six furlongs on turf and is part of the undercard of the Belmont Stakes program.
Longden is known primarily as the workmate for Justify prior to the Kentucky Derby. There is more to Longden, a colt with talent and upside. His climb continues in race 7 on Friday at Santa Anita, a first-level allowance route for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles.
After surgery last summer to remove an undescended testicle that caused discomfort, Longden improved each subsequent start. His most recent was his best yet, a maiden victory in his sixth attempt.
American Gal, who reemerged as one of the country’s top female sprinters with her decisive victory Saturday in the Grade 1 Humana Distaff at Churchill Downs, will campaign sparingly in 2018.
“We’ll pick our spots with her, the Ballerina and Breeders’ Cup are our two main goals,” trainer Simon Callaghan said.
The Grade 1 Ballerina is Aug. 25 at Saratoga; the BC Filly and Mare Sprint is Nov. 3 at Churchill Downs.
“We’ll decide what we do in between, it probably won’t be more than three races” total, Callaghan said.
