ARCADIA, Calif. – Princess Roi had trainer Richard Baltas confused by the end of the Del Mar summer meeting last year. She was favored in two maiden races for 2-year-old California-bred fillies, but was a well-beaten second in both starts.
“I thought I was going to win first time out,” Baltas recalled Wednesday. “I didn’t know what she wanted to do. When she didn’t do it on the dirt, I thought she’s probably not a dirt horse.”
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Arrogate took off from California on Tuesday as the Eclipse Award-winning 3-year-old of 2016, and runner-up to California Chrome for Horse of the Year, but by the time he had arrived here at Gulfstream Park for the $12 million Pegasus World Cup on Saturday he had been declared the best horse in the world in ratings published by Longines and the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities.
“They can have Horse of the Year, we’ve got the best horse in the world,” Jim Barnes, the assistant trainer for Arrogate, said while laughing Wednesday morning.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Songbird, the two-time champion filly, returned to trainer Jerry Hollendorfer’s stable Monday from a winter break in Kentucky. The 4-year-old Songbird arrived a day earlier than expected, which was fine with the Hall of Fame trainer and his staff.
“She looks happy to be back, and we’re happy to have her back,” he said.
Songbird jogged at Santa Anita on Tuesday and Wednesday and will slowly return to full training in coming weeks for a 2017 campaign geared toward the Breeders’ Cup Distaff on Nov. 3 at Del Mar.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Gulfstream is offering the following pool guarantees Saturday, all of them ending with the Pegasus (race 12):
◗ $1 million for the late pick four (races 9-12)
◗ $500,000 for the late pick five (races 8-12)
◗ $300,000 for a solo winner in the Rainbow 6 (races 7-12).
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – A blockbuster race invariably is surrounded by a sensational undercard these days, and that’s certainly the case Saturday. No fewer than six undercard stakes are on tap, led by the first running of the $400,000 Poseidon, a 1 1/8-mile handicap that drew nine older horses.
Stanford (120 pounds) and Imperative (118) are the highweights and likely favorites in the Poseidon, which goes as race 5 (post, 1:30 p.m. Eastern).
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – The vast majority of racing fans and experts are conceding the top two spots in the $12 million Pegasus World Cup to the two favorites, California Chrome and Arrogate. Third place looks like the best that any of the other 10 starters can manage, or so it seems.
If given to him right now, would Todd Pletcher accept a third from either of his Pegasus pair, Keen Ice or Neolithic?
“Naahh,” said Pletcher. “You always want to win.”
Luis Ocasio, who was named the leading apprentice rider in North America at the Eclipse Awards dinner at Gulfstream Park last Saturday, is the third Mid-Atlantic rider in the last five years to win the award. He follows in the footsteps of Victor Carrasco, a top rider in Maryland who won in 2013, and Jose Montano, the leading rider at Charles Town each of the past five years who won in 2012.
Page McKenney came out of his comeback victory at Laurel Park last Saturday in good shape and is scheduled to make his next start in one of two Maryland races on Feb. 18, the Grade 3, $250,000 General George or the $75,000 John B. Campbell.
Page McKenney won the seven-furlong General George last year, despite the distance being a little short for him. He won the Campbell at 1 1/8 miles in 2015. Both races will be run on the Grade 2 Barbara Fritchie undercard at Laurel.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Time and Motion, last seen finishing sixth in the Matriarch Stakes on Dec. 4 at Del Mar, has returned to trainer Jimmy Toner at Palm Meadows after a brief freshening.
“She’s been tack-walking for about a week,” Toner said Wednesday.
Toner said he decided to give Time and Motion a break following the Matriarch rather than remain in California for the American Oaks on Dec. 31 at Santa Anita, because Time and Motion “didn’t ship well” to California and backed off her feed.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – McCraken, winner of the Kentucky Jockey Club and unbeaten in three starts at age 2, moved closer to his 3-year-old debut with a five-furlong work in 1:00.45 on Wednesday morning at Palm Meadows.
The time was the best of the morning among 10 at the distance.
Ian Wilkes, the trainer of McCraken, said he wants to have three races for McCraken this spring prior to the Kentucky Derby on May 6. The first of those three is scheduled to be the $250,000 Sam Davis Stakes on Feb. 11 at Tampa Bay Downs.
