Hoosier Philly is gearing up for her next start following a close third-place finish in last month’s Grade 3 Houston Ladies Classic at Sam Houston. She was beaten just three-quarters of a length after contesting the pace and equaled her best career Beyer Speed Figure, an 89.
Trainer Tom Amoss said last week that Hoosier Philly has a couple of options for her next start. She has been working at her base of Fair Grounds.
Caldera, who fought to the wire when second by a nose in the $400,000 Sunland Derby, could be headed next to the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby, trainer D. Wayne Lukas said Wednesday.
Caldera was making his stakes debut in the Sunland Derby and was just edged by the Southern California-based Getaway Car. Caldera raced in fifth in the early stages, engaged leader Getaway Car at the top of the stretch, and the pair battled to the wire. Caldera earned a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 91.
Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., has canceled live racing for Saturday, but remains on schedule to conduct the Rebel Day card on Sunday, track president Lou Cella said. He said Oaklawn also is scheduled to race Monday.
Oaklawn has had to cancel training from Wednesday through Friday after a winter storm system brought freezing temperatures that dropped dangerously cold in the overnight hours. Officials had hoped to open for training Friday afternoon, but now the intention is to reopen for training in the afternoon hours Saturday.
First Resort, the 2-1 morning-line favorite for Saturday’s $175,000 John Battaglia Memorial Stakes at Turfway Park, will scratch from that race due to soreness, trainer Eoin Harty said Friday.
The Battaglia, a Kentucky Derby points race, was to be First Resort’s 3-year-old debut. He ended his 2-year-old campaign with a victory in the Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill Downs last Nov. 30.
Harty said First Resort worked on Monday at Turfway Park but when Harty sent him back out to the track on Wednesday, “he seemed a little short behind,” Harty said.
Gaming, a finalist for the Eclipse Award as the nation’s outstanding 2-year-olds of 2024 but only eighth of nine in the Grade 3 Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park on Jan. 25, had his first workout in more than a month at Santa Anita on Friday.
Gaming worked five furlongs in a quick 59.40 seconds. “He looked good,” trainer Bob Baffert said.
Stronghold, winner of the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby last April, is in the midst of a brief vacation after finishing 10th of 11 in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 25, and could resume racing in the Grade 1 Metropolitan Mile at Saratoga in June.
Trainer Phil D’Amato said on Friday that Stronghold remains at his Santa Anita stable.
“He’s never had a true break where we’ve turned him out,” D’Amato said. “We’re going to try to do that in-house with him at Santa Anita. We want to give him an extended break.”
A sharp two-length win by Du Jour last March prevented trainer Phil D’Amato from recording a third consecutive win in the Grade 1 Frank Kilroe Mile on turf at Santa Anita.
Du Jour has since been retired to a career as a riding horse in Kentucky, but D’Amato’s stable is back in this year’s $300,000 Kilroe Mile on March 1 with the erratic Almendares.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Coming off victories in the Gravesend and Toboggan Stakes at Aqueduct in his last two starts, the Parx-based Maximus Meridius seemed a natural fit for next Saturday’s Grade 3 $175,000 Tom Fool Stakes.
But with an eye toward the Grade 2 Carter here on April 5, trainer Butch Reid wanted to give Maximus Meridius an easier race and found one in a Pennsylvania-bred allowance race Tuesday at Parx where he is the 1-5 morning-line favorite in a field of nine.
OZONE PARK, N.Y.– The prospective runners for next Saturday’s Grade 3, $300,000 Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct will all be getting a class test as they make their graded stakes debut in the one-mile race.
The field is expected to be led by unbeaten New York-breds Sand Devil (3 for 3) and Sacrosanct (4 for 4), who have yet to win outside of restricted company. Several horses will be shipping here, including Normandy Coast, who is expected in from New Orleans for trainer Eddie Kenneally.
Ruidoso Downs received approval from the New Mexico State Racing Commission on Thursday to operate a meeting entirely for Quarter Horses for the first time this spring and summer, ending a tradition of a mixed meeting that included Thoroughbreds.
The track made the announcement on Wednesday. The decision comes seven months after Ruidoso Downs was forced to relocate the final weeks of its season to Albuquerque because of widespread flooding caused by runoff from local wildfires.
