OZONE PARK, N.Y. – David Jacobson’s three-win afternoon Sunday at Aqueduct was reminiscent of a time not too long ago when that was not an uncommon occurrence.
Jacobson was the leading trainer on the New York Racing Association circuit from 2012-14 in large part due to his association with Drawing Away Stable, a partnership that dealt with a large volume of horses with a high turnover of stock. The Jacobson-Drawing Away business relationship ended in the spring of 2015.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – The Rainbow 6 jackpot went down Sunday to the tune of a $210,518 payout. The winning ticket was one of 64 20-cent tickets purchased by an unidentified bettor in Maryland.
Conquest Hardcandy, the only horse alive for the entire jackpot, won the finale and paid $71.80.
While the Rainbow 6 was solved Sunday, there will be a carryover of $112,178 in the Super Hi-5 pool in the first race when racing resumes here Wednesday.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Todd Pletcher unleashed another top 3-year-old prospect here Sunday, Malagacy, who followed his 15-length maiden win with an equally eye-catching seven-length optional-claiming victory. He won the 6 1/2-furlong race as a 1-5 favorite under Javier Castellano, earning a 96 Beyer Speed Figure.
“I thought it was a very professional effort,” said Pletcher. “He rated kindly, finished up well with his ears pricked at the wire like he had something left at the end.”
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Jorge Navarro’s first trip to Dubai last spring ended in disappointment when X Y Jet ran his heart out only to suffer a heartbreaking neck defeat in the Golden Shaheen. X Y Jet also incurred an injury during the race that forced him to the sidelines for the next six months.
Undeterred, Navarro is preparing to return to Dubai next month with perhaps an even more potent weapon, Sharp Azteca, who earned a trip to the March 25 Godolphin Mile with his 4 1/2-length triumph in Saturday’s Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Handicap.
Trainer Tony Dutrow on Monday said that Mo Town, the winner of the Remsen Stakes in his final start at age 2, will make his first start at age 3 in the Grade 2, $400,000 Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds on Feb. 25.
Mo Town also had been under consideration for the Grade 3, $300,000 Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct on March 4. But Dutrow said the long-range weather forecast for New Orleans on Feb. 25, combined with the way Mo Town has progressed this winter at the Payson Park training facility in Florida, has made him eager to get going sooner rather than later.
Practical Joke, third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile in his last start, moved closer to his 3-year-old debut with a five-furlong work Monday at the Palm Meadows training center. Trainer Chad Brown said he timed the work in 1:00.60.
Brown said Practical Joke will make his first start of the year March 4 in either the Grade 2, $400,000 Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park or the Grade 3, $300,000 Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct. Both are at 1 1/16 miles.
“I’m 50-50 between both races,” Brown said.
The Laurel Park Winter Festival has been consolidated from two days to one this year and will be held Saturday. The six stakes have traditionally been split between the Saturday and Monday of Presidents Day weekend.
The card will be anchored by the Grade 2 Barbara Fritchie and the Grade 3 General George. The festival also includes four $75,000 stakes, two for 3-year-olds and two for older runners.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Classic Empire returned to training Monday for the first time since a slight injury was discovered following his disappointing performance in the Feb. 4 Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park. Trainer Mark Casse expressed optimism that the problem has been addressed and “hopefully is behind us.”
Ann Arbor Eddie has outgrown California-breds over the last 60 days with wins in stakes at Los Alamitos and Santa Anita. His performance in the Grade 3 El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate Fields on Saturday will determine whether he has progressed enough for an international trip.
If Ann Arbor Eddie runs well in the $200,000 El Camino Real Derby, for 3-year-olds at 1 1/8 miles on Tapeta, he could run next in the $2 million United Arab Emirates Derby at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai on March 25.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Vale Dori’s four-race winning streak this winter has come at a time when the mare has been in peak form – and when two leading rivals are being prepared for comebacks.
The champions Songbird and Stellar Wind are not likely to be ready to race until April, leaving Vale Dori the dominant older female on dirt in Southern California this winter. She won her third consecutive Grade 2 race Saturday at Santa Anita in the $200,345 Santa Maria Stakes, a prep for the Grade 1 Santa Margarita Stakes at 1 1/8 miles March 18.
