HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Dale Romans thrives on controlled chaos. With a handful of hopefuls for the 2018 Kentucky Derby, Romans is doing his level best to cut through all the clutter and various options and make it back home to Louisville with one shot or more at the roses.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Twenty-four hours after Heart to Heart finally broke through with his first Grade 1 victory – a hard-fought neck decision over Kurilov in the nine-furlong Gulfstream Park Turf on Saturday – trainer Brian Lynch was still a little choked up when asked to reflect on the achievement.
Howard Bender, who died in September 2015, has posthumously been named Maryland breeder of the year for 2017.
Bender bred Just Howard, who won the Grade 3 Commonwealth Derby at Laurel Park in September in addition to a pair of restricted stakes, the Find and Caveat. He also bred Blu Moon Ace, whose 2017 wins included the Maryland Million Sprint at Laurel and the Coalition Stakes at Timonium.
In all, horses bred by Bender won 37 races and had earnings of more than $1.2 million last year. This is the fifth time he has been named breeder of the year in Maryland.
Trainer Bobby Ribaudo and owner Marc Keller have carefully managed the career of Quezon, who will be among the favorites in the Grade 2 Barbara Fritchie at Laurel Park on Saturday. Following this weekend’s race, they will huddle up to determine her path going forward.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Pavel, a troubled fourth in the Grade 2 San Pasqual Stakes at Santa Anita on Feb. 3, is a likely starter in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap on March 10.
The $600,000 Big Cap at 1 1/4 miles will be Pavel’s fourth start in a Grade 1. Pavel was third in the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park last October, 10th in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar in November, and fourth in the Malibu Stakes on Dec. 26.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Pee Wee Reese, a winner of two stakes at Santa Anita since July, will not race again until the spring at the earliest.
Trainer Phil D’Amato said on Sunday that Pee Wee Reese will have a rest at owner and breeder Nick Alexander’s central California farm after tailing off in recent weeks. Pee Wee Reese won the Joe Hernandez Stakes on the hillside turf course Jan. 1 and was nominated for the Grade 3 Thunder Road Stakes at a mile on turf last Saturday before D’Amato opted not to start the 5-year-old horse.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Sassy Little Lila, second in the Grade 1 American Oaks here in December 2016, will have her first start for trainer Richard Mandella in what should be a competitive running of the Grade 2 Buena Vista Stakes at Santa Anita on Saturday.
Sassy Little Lila was previously trained by Brad Cox and owned by Sheep Pond Partners and Michael Ryan. At the Fasig-Tipton November sale in 2017, Sassy Little Lila was listed as purchased for $600,000 by Ryan and Jeff Drown.
OLDSMAR, Fla. – Ignacio Correas entered the Tampa winner’s circle Saturday with a glint in his eyes. The 58-year-old trainer hardly could have been happier with the way his stable star Dona Bruja dominated the Grade 3 Endeavour Stakes. La Coronel, a Grade 1 winner, finished four lengths back in second.
“She’s an amazing mare,” Correas said of Dona Bruja.
The Grade 2 Hillsborough on March 10 is a next-out option for Dona Bruja, but Correas said he is inclined to bypass that race in favor of the Grade 1 Jenny Wiley on April 14 at Keeneland.
OLDSMAR, Fla. – Less than 48 hours after World Approval won his 6-year-old debut in what was supposed to be a prep for the $6 million Dubai Turf, trainer Mark Casse said Monday he will not be sending his 2017 turf champion overseas for the March 31 race after all.
Ridden by John Velazquez, World Approval won the 1 1/16-mile Tampa Bay Stakes here Saturday by a half-length over Forge. He earned a 103 Beyer, marking his sixth straight race with a triple-digit figure, and went past the $3 million mark with his 12th win from 25 starts.
ARCADIA, Calif. – West Coast, the champion 3-year-old male of 2017, worked three furlongs in 36.60 seconds at Santa Anita on Sunday, the start of preparation for a spring campaign that could include the $10 million Dubai World Cup in the United Arab Emirates on March 31.
Sunday’s workout was the first major exercise for West Coast since a second-place finish to 2017 Horse of the Year Gun Runner in the $16 million Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 27.
“It was a little maintenance drill,” trainer Bob Baffert said.
