OZONE PARK, N.Y. – It would not have surprised anybody if the connections of Diversify had opted to run him in Saturday’s $125,000 Jazil Stakes. After three dominant wins to begin his career, the 4-year-old New York-bred gelding certainly looks stakes-caliber.
But they opted to take incremental steps with Diversify, who is running Saturday at Aqueduct but in a first-level, open-company allowance race at a mile and 70 yards in the race immediately following the Jazil.
Arrogate, the winner of the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 5, continues to train for the $12 million Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 28 despite days of rain in the last week in Southern California.
Trainer Bob Baffert said on Thursday that he intends to work Arrogate this weekend and that the 4-year-old colt remains on schedule.
“We’re just training day to day,” Baffert said. “We’ll get a breeze in.”
Arrogate was among several leading horses to work before and between races last Sunday.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – The Oaklawn Park meet that opens Friday will again be defined by the track’s outstanding 3-year-old program, rising purse structure, large crowds, and rabid claiming activity. But it also will be a meet of transition.
Eric Jackson, Oaklawn’s general manager since 1987 who along with track owner Charles Cella has guided Oaklawn through its most significant growth period, will at some point this season hand the baton to Wayne Smith. Oaklawn also will have a new voice. Vic Stauffer is set to become just the sixth announcer in the 113-year history of the track.
The Friday card at Laurel Park includes a pair of second-level optional-claiming races and a first-level allowance sprint. There is a $2,351 Super Hi 5 carryover to race 1, if the seven-horse field holds together. If there are scratches and the Super Hi 5 is canceled, the carryover will be to race 2.
Penn National-based trainer Bernie Houghton’s promising 3-year-old filly Crabcakes improved her record to 3 for 3 last Saturday at Laurel Park, drawing off to a more than six-length victory in an optional-claiming race. Houghton is now debating between two upcoming stakes for Crabcakes and has hopes she may be good enough to earn a start in the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan at Pimlico in May.
There will be 42 stakes worth a total of $2.65 million at Hastings this year.
The Grade 3, $150,000 British Columbia Derby is the highlight of the 53-day meet, which begins April 16 and concludes Oct. 22. The 1 1/8-mile race for 3-year-olds anchors six stakes totaling $600,000 on Saturday, Sept. 9. Included on the stakes-rich card are the $100,000 British Columbia Oaks and a couple of $100,000 2-year-old stakes restricted to Canadian-breds – the Jack Diamond Futurity for colts and geldings and Sadie Diamond Futurity for fillies.
With an untimely freeze having come and gone in northern Kentucky, racing was expected to be conducted without interruption this week at Turfway Park, starting with Friday’s card. Racing was canceled last Friday and Saturday because of extreme cold.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – As the trainer of Gander, John Terranova has desired to run a horse in the stakes race NYRA named in honor of the multiple-stakes-winning New York-bred gelding.
On Jan. 28, Terranova will get that chance when he runs Lost in the Fog Stakes winner Caledonian in the Gander for New York-bred 3-year-olds.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Saturday’s $100,000 Ruthless Stakes, postponed a week when last Sunday’s card was canceled due to cold, picked up two horses but lost one from its original lineup.
Treatherlikestar, a debut winner for maiden $40,000 claiming, and Tiz Rae Anna, winner of a starter allowance Jan. 5, were both entered Wednesday for the six-furlong race for 3-year-old fillies. Alice B Winkle, a maiden, was not entered back by trainer Jeffrey Englehart.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Royal Posse has won 11 races, including seven stakes, from 34 starts and banked more than $1 million. But he has yet to solve Aqueduct’s inner track.
The 6-year-old gelding will try to rectify that Saturday when he heads a field of six entered Wednesday for the $125,000 Jazil Stakes at a mile and 70 yards.
