Race plans are uncertain for Chanteline, who won the first division of the Richie Scherer Memorial on Saturday, but there are, in fact, plans to continue racing the mare as a 6-year-old in 2018.
“It’s my understanding she’ll keep running,” trainer Steve Asmussen said. “She’s been a nice sound filly, and her last two numbers probably were her best two. She’s pretty versatile.”
Had all gone according to plan, Rapid Rhythm would have been in the late stages of pregnancy last weekend. Instead, she won a division of the $50,000 Richie Scherer Memorial Stakes while retaining her perfect record over the Fair Grounds grass course.
Rapid Rhythm has won six times on the Fair Grounds grass, and she is likely to get a chance at a seventh victory Jan. 6 in the $50,000 Pan Zareta Stakes, trainer Mike Stidham said.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – When Jose Ortiz guided In the Lee to victory in Sunday’s allowance feature at Aqueduct, it was the 266th – and final – victory of 2017 for the 24-year-old jockey. For Ortiz, his next race is the one for an Eclipse Award, one he seems likely and wants very badly to win.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Santino Di Paola, a 23-year-old trainer, recorded his first career win Nov. 26 when D’s Double Eagle rallied from off the pace under jockey Emma-Jayne Wilson to win by a head in an $8,000 maiden claimer over seven furlongs on Woodbine’s Tapeta.
“I didn’t really think he got it, to be honest,” Di Paola said. “It’s a great feeling to win, but it really topped it off when the whole Woodbine community started blowing up my phone.”
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Pink Lloyd recorded his eighth consecutive stakes win with a 2 1/4-length victory over Ikerrin Road in the Grade 2, $197,050 Kennedy Road Stakes on Nov. 25, capping a perfect 2017 campaign.
Trainer Robert Tiller said Pink Lloyd will not race again this season and will spend the winter at Buttigieg Training Centre in Egbert, Ontario.
Tiller said the plan is to bring Pink Lloyd back next year as a 6-year-old. He added that the connections have not finalized potential target races or if Pink Lloyd would make a start away from Woodbine next season.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – With Sunday as the meet’s closing day, Jonathan Zammit, Woodbine’s vice president of Thoroughbred racing, revealed some details for the 2018 season in a memo to horsemen.
Woodbine’s 2018 season will start a week later next year, the Dec. 2 memo said, with opening day scheduled for April 21 and closing day set for Dec. 16. The backstretch will open Feb. 26, with ship-in day scheduled for Feb. 27. The first day of training will be Feb. 28.
CYPRESS, Calif. - The two-time stakes winner One Fast Broad will continue to race against California-bred fillies in early 2018, owner and trainer Mick Ruis said Sunday.
One Fast Broad won the $101,380 Soviet Problem Stakes for 2-year-old statebred fillies at a mile on dirt at Los Alamitos on Saturday, four weeks after her win in the Golden State Juvenile Fillies on dirt at Del Mar. Ruis, who co-owns the filly with his wife Wendy, said the next goal will be the $200,000 California Cup Oaks at a mile on turf for statebred 3-year-old fillies at Santa Anita on Feb. 19.
ARCADIA, Calif. - The graded stakes winners Faypien and Unique Bella worked at Santa Anita on Sunday in advance of a first-ever meeting in the Grade 1 La Brea Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at seven furlongs Dec. 26.
The $300,000 La Brea Stakes is part of the opening-day program of Santa Anita’s winter-spring meeting.
Unique Bella, a four-time graded stakes winner, worked five furlongs in 58.80 seconds, the fastest of 55 recorded works at the distance.
ARCADIA, Calif. - McKinzie, the maiden-race winner who will be favored to win his stakes debut in Saturday’s Grade 1 Los Alamitos CashCall Futurity, worked six furlongs in 1:12.80 at Santa Anita on Sunday.
The workout included a vital lesson for the colt, who has had one start. Another horse worked in front of McKinzie, who took dirt in his face. McKinzie had the fastest six-furlong work Sunday.
“It was one of his best,” trainer Bob Baffert said. “He took the dirt well.”
Catholic Boy came out of his 4 3/4-length victory in Saturday’s Grade 2 Remsen Stakes in good order and will get a little freshening at Bridlewood Farm in Ocala, Fla., as his connections consider what road to take to a potential start in the Kentucky Derby.
Trainer Jonathan Thomas and John Panagot, racing manager for owner Robert LaPenta, said Catholic Boy would likely get three weeks off. They may not run him until the end of February or early March, which would rule out the Grade 3 Withers, at 1 1/8 miles, here Feb. 3.
