LAUREL, Md. – El Areeb, a runaway winner of four straight races, including a pair of Grade 3 stakes at Aqueduct, the Jerome and Withers, breezed a quicker-than-it-looked half-mile at his home base of Laurel Park on Saturday in 47.80 seconds.
The work was the second-fastest of 35 at the distance, according to head clocker Kevin Geraghty, who timed El Areeb through an opening quarter in 24 seconds and in a gallop-out time of 1:00.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Jockey Channing Hill is the regular rider on two of the more exciting 3-year-olds currently racing, and both will run in graded stakes over the next week. Uncontested goes for his second consecutive stakes win of the Oaklawn Park meet Monday in the Grade 3, $500,000 Southwest, while Farrell seeks her third straight stakes victory Saturday in the Grade 2, $200,000 Rachel Alexandra at Fair Grounds.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Matrooh, the winner of the Grade 3 Bold Ruler in the fall of 2015, returns from a 13-month layoff Sunday in a $78,000 allowance/optional claimer going a mile at Aqueduct.
Matrooh, a 7-year-old gelding by Distorted Humor, has raced only 13 times. He began his career in Britain in 2013 before coming to the U.S. He came back from a 17-month layoff to win a first-level allowance race going a mile at Gulfstream in March 2015.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The last time Even Thunder raced in New York, he won the King’s Swan Stakes going six furlongs over Aqueduct’s main track on Dec. 2.
After an ill-fated attempt to stretch out in distance in the Mucho Macho Man Stakes at Gulfstream Park, Even Thunder is back sprinting and back in New York for Monday’s $100,000 Jimmy Winkfield Stakes at Aqueduct.
Even Thunder, a gelding by Even the Score, was one of six 3-year-olds entered Friday for the Jimmy Winkfield, which tops the Presidents Day card.
Conquest Fahrenheit, who was second in the Grade 2 Summer Stakes at Woodbine last September, is scheduled to have his California stakes debut in Monday’s $75,000 Baffle Stakes. Trained by Peter Miller, Conquest Fahrenheit was third in his first start in California in an optional claimer on dirt Feb. 2. Miller said Friday that Conquest Fahrenheit needed that start.
The Baffle Stakes is run on the hillside turf course for 3-year-olds at about 6 1/2 furlongs. Other contenders are Anyportinastorm, Bay Muzik, Elwood J, Rockin Rudy, Souter, and Tipo Duro.
A grim forecast could not keep Imperative from a half-mile workout at Santa Anita on Friday.
Imperative worked in 49 seconds on the infield training track, an exercise trainer Bob Hess Jr. said keeps the 7-year-old gelding on schedule for the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap on March 11.
Santa Anita will add Thursday programs on April 20 and June 1 to its schedule to compensate for three days of cancellations because of wet weather during January and on Friday, track senior vice president Joe Morris said Friday.
The track did not race Friday because a storm was expected to deliver several inches of rain. Racing was also canceled Jan. 12 and Jan. 22 because of extensive rain.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Mark Casse has his eye on the April 15 Jenny Wiley at Keeneland as a potential comeback spot for Tepin, although the first workout for the two-time champion turf mare since going to the sidelines earlier this month has yet to be determined.
“We’re taking it easy with her for the time being,” assistant Norman Casse said Friday.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Lady Eli will have her first workout of the year “any day now,” said trainer Chad Brown, who is contemplating a race schedule for the superstar turf mare.
A winner in 7 of 9 career starts, Lady Eli has been stabled at the Palm Meadows training center since shortly after her nose defeat to Queen’s Trust in the Nov. 5 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Santa Anita.
