David Braddy is a man of few words, having let his training do his talking since he first took out his license at Calder in 1981. But Braddy was forced to say a little something at Gulfstream Park Thursday after his impressive maiden winner Flemish Cap gave him the 1,000th victory of his training career.
ARCADIA, Calif. – At a busy time for workouts at Santa Anita on Friday morning, one horse became a target for the three-time champion Beholder.
“When she started her work, there was a horse about 10 lengths or so in front of her,” trainer Richard Mandella said. “She just had to beat it.”
Ridden by jockey Gary Stevens, Beholder caught the unsuspecting rival toward the end of a six-furlong breeze in 1:12.80. The workout left Mandella enthused about Beholder’s chances in the $300,000 Zenyatta Stakes at Santa Anita next Saturday.
“It was fabulous,” Mandella said.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Despite purses raised to $500,000 apiece for the In Reality and My Dear Girl stakes next week, the dominance of undefeated division leaders Three Rules and Cajun Delta Dawn figures to severely limit the lineups for the final legs of the Florida Sire Series for 2-year-olds at Gulfstream Park.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Runhappy, the Eclipse Award-winning sprinter of 2015, is scheduled to have his final serious workout Sunday at Keeneland before his eagerly awaited comeback.
Trainer Laura Wohlers said Runhappy continues to progress at his home base at the Thoroughbred Center training facility in Lexington, Ky., just across town from Keeneland, and that the colt will be all set to return to the races next Saturday in the Grade 3, $100,000 Ack Ack at Churchill Downs.
Texas Chrome will break from the rail in the 11-horse Oklahoma Derby on Sunday at Remington Park. He will be seeking his second straight Grade 3 win, following the Super Derby at Louisiana Downs.
Entries for the $400,000 Oklahoma Derby were taken Thursday. The 1 1/8-mile race is the richest of the meet and will be showcased on a card of 10 stakes. There will be a special first post of 3 p.m. Central.
Officials at Gulfstream Park have told trainer Ralph Ziadie that he must provide “clear evidence” that his son Kirk, who has been banned from the track, does not have any financial ties to the horses Ralph currently trains, the chief operating officer of the track’s parent company said Thursday.
Texas Chrome is not the only member of his stable coming into the Grade 3, $400,000 Oklahoma Derby on Sunday in peak form. So is his trainer, J.R. Caldwell.
Caldwell, 41, leads all trainers in wins at the current Remington Park meet, and he has already set personal records for stable earnings and stakes wins in a year. His starters through Tuesday had won 47 races in 2016, for stable earnings of $1,365,856. Of his wins, seven have come in stakes.
Tepin, Tepin, Tepin. And still more Tepin. You cannot talk about North American turf racing at the moment without the remarkable mare’s name coming up.
Tepin won the 2015 Breeders’ Cup Mile, and with nothing but wins on her form again this year, including an historic excursion to England, where she won the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes in June, Tepin remains the leader of the BC Mile division as summer turns to autumn.
BENSALEM, Pa. – Kentucky Derby one-two finishers Nyquist and Exaggerator were scheduled to arrive at Parx Racing on Wednesday afternoon for Saturday’s Grade 2, $1.25 million Pennsylvania Derby. Kentucky Derby third-place finisher Gun Runner beat them here by a day, vanning down from Saratoga on Tuesday.
Wednesday morning, Gun Runner galloped a mile over the Parx surface.
“His energy level is great, he’s bright, we’re really happy with the conditioning he’s maintained throughout the year,” said Scott Blasi, assistant to trainer Steve Asmussen.
BENSALEM, Pa. – Songbird arrived at Parx Racing from Southern California on Monday, and after jogging Tuesday she galloped 1 1/2 miles over the track shortly after 6:30 a.m. Wednesday morning. Track management has reserved a 30-minute window for horses entered in Saturday’s four stakes to train, and Cotillion entrants Songbird and Cathryn Sophia were out at that time.
