ARCADIA, Calif. – Unique Bella, who won the La Brea Stakes on Dec. 26, remained on target for the Santa Maria Stakes on Feb. 10 with a dazzling five-furlong work in 59 seconds on Sunday morning, the best time of 109 works at the distance and one of only four works that were less than one minute.
“Did you see her? She was 15 lanes off the rail,” marveled Dan Ward, the local assistant to Jerry Hollendorfer, Unique Bella’s trainer.
ARCADIA, Calif. – McKinzie, the unbeaten winner of the CashCall Futurity at Los Alamitos, worked an easy half-mile in 49 seconds Sunday morning under Drayden Van Dyke as Baffert contemplates his options for the highly regarded Kentucky Derby prospect.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Collected came the closest to Gun Runner when second in the Breeders’ Cup Classic two months ago, then threw in a stinker in the San Antonio Stakes on Dec. 26 here at Santa Anita. He is typically a good work horse, and he looked like his old self on Sunday morning in his final drill for the Pegasus World Cup on Saturday at Gulfstream Park.
The combination of that work and the intention to put him into the race – rather than let him lag, as happened in the San Antonio – certainly makes him capable of running back to his best form in the Pegasus.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – While Gun Runner was sent through an easy gallop during his second morning at Gulfstream Park, a handful of his opponents for the $16 million Pegasus World Cup had their final prerace breezes at various Florida venues on a busy Saturday morning.
Sharp Azteca, War Story, and Gunnevera worked just across town at Gulfstream Park West, while Stellar Wind worked at the Palm Meadows training center and Fear the Cowboy worked at the Oak Ridge Training Center near Ocala, Fla.
According to multiple horsemen, there was a positive test for the equine herpesvirus at Laurel Park on Friday.
Track officials did not immediately respond to voice or text messages Friday night, but the reported positive could affect this weekend's races.
The Saturday card has already lost five horses stabled at Belmont Park due to an ongoing quarantine for the equine herpesvirus at that track.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – A quarantine of a barn at Belmont Park will remain in place as a horse who tested positive for the equine herpesvirus (EHV-1) on Jan. 9, re-tested positive for the virus this week, the New York Racing Association announced on Friday.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Oaklawn is collecting memorabilia from the riding career of Larry Snyder after the retired jockey and his wife, Jeanette, lost their home in a Tuesday fire in Arkansas, said track spokeswoman Jennifer Hoyt. The Snyders were out of town.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – David Cohen’s comeback from a layoff of more than three years has been exceptional. Based at Oaklawn Park for the first time, Cohen is tied atop the standings after a week of racing and has had more mounts than any of his peers in a deep jockeys’ room.
Cohen had won four races from 27 mounts through Friday, placing him in a five-way tie with Gary Stevens, Jon Court, David Cabrera, and C.J. McMahon. His mounts have earned $163,548, and he has several strong chances on the card Sunday. Racing was canceled Thursday and Friday.
ARCADIA, Calif. – The final Saturday of January will be a showcase for California-breds at Santa Anita. Four stakes for statebreds will be run that day.
The most high-profile stakes will be the $150,000 California Cup Sprint at six furlongs, featuring the Grade 1 runners Edwards Going Left and Masochistic.
Edwards Going Left was second in the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes for 3-year-olds at seven furlongs Dec. 26. Masochistic, 8, won the Grade 1 Triple Bend Stakes at seven furlongs at Santa Anita in 2015.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Giant Expectations is bound for Gulfstream Park and the $16 million Pegasus World Cup on Jan. 27 following a fast workout at Santa Anita on Friday.
Clockers timed Giant Expectations in 58 seconds for five furlongs. Trainer Peter Eurton timed Giant Expectations in 46.60 seconds for the first half-mile and in 59 seconds for five furlongs.
“It was a little quicker than what I was looking for,” Eurton said.
