OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Virtual Machine has scored two impressive victories at Aqueduct since being transferred to trainer David Cannizzo and could be headed to the stakes ranks this summer.
In his first start for Cannizzo, which came following an eight-month layoff, Virtual Machine won a 1 1/16-mile maiden race over the inner track by 8 1/2 lengths. He came back March 24 to win a first-level optional-claiming race by 9 1/2 lengths. He earned Beyer Speed Figures of 86 and 91.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Last year, Juddmonte Farms sent a top-class turf horse to trainer Chad Brown, and the horse went on to win two Grade 1 races in the United States and was crowned champion turf male.
Flintshire has since been retired and is standing stud at Hill ‘n Dale Farm in Kentucky.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – While Todd Pletcher is seemingly loaded with 3-year-old horses who want to go a route of ground, he also has a couple of pretty talented one-turn horses in the division.
One of them is Theory, the winner of the Grade 3 Futurity at Belmont last fall, who will make his 3-year-old debut in Saturday’s Grade 3, $250,000 Bay Shore Stakes at Aqueduct. This became Plan B for Theory after the Spectacular Bid Stakes, scheduled for March 25 at Gulfstream Park, failed to fill.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Fifty Five, a 3-year-old New York-bred filly who won the Grade 3 Florida Oaks at Tampa Bay Downs, was purchased privately by Peter Brant and has been turned over to trainer Chad Brown.
On Sunday, Fifty Five worked a half-mile in 48 seconds over the Palm Meadows turf course in company with fellow 3-year-old filly India Mantuana, another recent addition to the Brown brigade. The pair came home in 23.07 seconds for their final quarter.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - As expected, the first three finishers from Saturday’s $1 million Florida Derby - Always Dreaming, State of Honor, and Gunnevera - will all be heading to Churchill Downs, where they will meet again on May 6 in the Kentucky Derby.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Arrogate is having a staycation at trainer Bob Baffert’s stable this month after his win in the $10 million Dubai World Cup in the United Arab Emirates on March 25.
Arrogate arrived at Baffert’s stable Sunday after undergoing quarantine at a local facility. Baffert does not have immediate plans for Arrogate, who may not race again until the $1 million Pacific Classic at Del Mar on Aug. 19.
With Arrogate resting, other handicap horses in Baffert’s stable will have a chance for important stakes wins.
ARCADIA, Calif. - West Coast had everything his way when he won a maiden race at 1 1/16 miles for 3-year-olds at Santa Anita on March 12.
He will not have such an easy time in Saturday’s Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby. West Coast is one of three runners for trainer Bob Baffert in the $1 million race at 1 1/8 miles, a key prep for the Triple Crown.
NEW ORLEANS – It’s not that trainer Wayne Catalano was looking past the Fair Grounds Oaks with the 3-year-old filly Farrell, but Catalano definitely was looking forward. Before the race, Catalano instructed Farrell’s jockey – and his son-in-law – Channing Hill to have Farrell go strongly at least a sixteenth of a mile past the finish line. The Fair Grounds Oaks, which Farrell won by 3 1/4 lengths as an odds-on favorite, was contested at 1 1/16 miles, but the Kentucky Oaks, Farrell’s next start, will be run over 1 1/8 miles.
After being considered for races in California, Florida and Arkansas, Battalion Runner will instead make his next start in New York with hopes of making it to the Kentucky Derby on May 6.
On Sunday, trainer Todd Pletcher confirmed that Battalion Runner will make his stakes debut in Saturday’s Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct. With the decision to run Battalion Runner in the Wood, One Liner will go to the Grade 1, $1 million Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park on April 15.
Trainer Leon Blusiewicz has seen a lot in his years around the racetrack, and at age 86 still has a passion for the game. On the Wood Memorial card Saturday, he plans to run Tom Fool winner Spartiatis in the Grade 1 Carter and Admiral Blue, whom he owns, in the Grade 3 Excelsior.
Spartiatis, winner of five of 31 starts, is in the best form of his career at age 7. He rallied from off the pace to score his first stakes win in the Grade 3 Tom Fool on March 11.
