Fri, 12/01/2017 - 15:06

West Point, others buy maiden winner Septimius Severus

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The 2-year-old Septimius Severus, who won his career debut by a nose at Aqueduct on Nov. 24, has been purchased privately by West Point Thoroughbreds, Dean and Patti Reeves, and Randy Hill. He has been transferred to trainer George Weaver.

Fri, 12/01/2017 - 14:40

Estrella Damm, Strykr Force streak into Southwest Juvenile Championship

Coady Photography
Strykr Force wins the La Fiesta Futurity in September.

Zia Park does not close out its meet until Dec. 12, but the final stakes of the season will be run Sunday. The Grade 1, $200,000 Southwest Juvenile Championship for Quarter Horses highlights the program, which also includes races for Thoroughbreds.

Estrella Damm and Strykr Force each will be attempting to win their fourth straight race when they meet in the Southwest Juvenile. They are part of a field of 10 for the 440-yard stakes, which also drew graded stakes winners Carris Cartel and Suenos Dineros.

Fri, 12/01/2017 - 14:36

Proud and Fearless considered for Houston Ladies Classic

Coady Photography
Sandy's Surprise, shown winning last month's Zia Park Oaks, might start in the Houston Ladies Classic.

Trainer Larry Jones has won two runnings of the richest Thoroughbred stakes in Texas, the $400,000 Houston Ladies Classic at Sam Houston, and could be chasing a third victory come Jan. 28.

Proud and Fearless will be considered for the race, Jones said Thursday. She finished a troubled fourth as the favorite in the $300,000 Zia Park Oaks on Nov. 22. The Zia Oaks was that meet’s richest for Thoroughbreds. Proud and Fearless was always in contention in the 1 1/16-mile stakes and was making her bid in the stretch under Brian Pedroza when a rival suddenly thwarted her momentum.

Fri, 12/01/2017 - 14:20

Baffert has strong pair for CashCall Futurity

CYPRESS, Calif. – McKinzie, an exciting maiden race winner at Santa Anita in October in his debut, and Solomini, second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Del Mar last month, give trainer Bob Baffert an ultra-strong team for the Grade 1 Los Alamitos CashCall Futurity on Dec. 9.

Fri, 12/01/2017 - 14:10

Vision catches the eye in debut win

CYPRESS, Calif. – Vision, a $500,000 auction purchase earlier this year, won his debut in a maiden race at 5 1/2 furlongs at Los Alamitos on Thursday, a distance well short of what should be the colt’s specialty.

Ridden by Mike Smith, Vision closed from fourth in the long stretch to win by 1 1/4 lengths as the 8-5 favorite. Vision quickened noticeably after Smith moved the colt toward the inside in the final furlong.

“He’s really big, but he’s quick,” Smith said. “When I let him drop down, he gave me another gear.”

Fri, 12/01/2017 - 14:10

Paradise Woods on track for La Brea

Barbara D. Livingston
Paradise Woods is pointing to the Grade 1 La Brea on Dec. 26 at Santa Anita.

Paradise Woods, third in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Santa Anita on Nov. 3, is progressing toward the Grade 1 La Brea Stakes at Santa Anita on Dec. 26 in excellent form, trainer Richard Mandella said on Friday.

Mandella said he was encouraged by the way Paradise Woods worked a half-mile in 49 seconds at Santa Anita on Wednesday.

“She’s just good,” he said. “It’s the same thing we’ve seen all year. She came out of the race in good shape and there’s no reason not to try it.”

Wednesday’s workout was the first for Paradise Woods since the BC Distaff.

Fri, 12/01/2017 - 13:46

Santa Anita makes several changes to winter-spring stakes schedule

Santa Anita has made several changes to the stakes schedule for the winter-spring meeting, revamping the calendar for older males on dirt, cutting the purse of the Santa Anita Handicap, adding a six-figure race for 3-year-olds on turf, and putting a graded stakes on turf on hiatus.

The stakes schedule was announced on Thursday. The meeting runs from Dec. 26 to April 8 and will be followed by a spring-summer meeting through June 26. The spring-summer stakes schedule will be announced in early 20 18.

Thu, 11/30/2017 - 18:56

Maker represented by 2,000th winner

Churchill Downs/Coady Photography
Mike Maker

Mike Maker was represented by the 2,000th winner of his training career when Tomahawk Kitten rallied to win the first race Thursday night at Turfway Park in northern Kentucky.

Ridden by Alex Canchari, Tomahawk Kitten circled rivals on the far turn before proceeding to an easy score in the $7,500 maiden-claiming race going a mile on Polytrack. Fittingly, the winner is a 2-year-old colt bred and owned by Ken and Sarah Ramsey, with whom Maker has enjoyed considerable success through the years. He paid $5 as favorite in a field of eight.

Thu, 11/30/2017 - 13:36

Hunt getting a break

Benoit & Associates
Hunt (right) narrowly beats He Will in the Grade 2 Seabiscuit Handicap.

Hunt and Pee Wee Reese finished first and third for trainer Phil D’Amato in the Grade 2 Seabiscuit Handicap at Del Mar last Sunday. It could be months before they meet again.

D’Amato said Hunt will be given a month’s rest before resuming training, while Pee Wee Reese will be active in the early months of the Santa Anita winter-spring meeting, which begins Dec. 26.

Thu, 11/30/2017 - 13:36

Shenandoah Queen looks to rebound in Bayakoa

Benoit & Associates
Shenandoah Queen ($42.40) won by three-quarters of a length Friday in the Tranquility Lake Stakes at Del Mar.

CYPRESS, Calif. – The 5-year-old Shenandoah Queen will be part of a rebuilding winter for trainer John Sadler and his principal clients, Kosta and Pete Hronis.

In early November, their Stellar Wind, the champion 3-year-old filly of 2015, had her final start in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Del Mar, finishing eighth. She was sold days later at Keeneland’s November sale for $6 million.