Fri, 05/13/2016 - 15:40

Haveyougoneaway eyes Critical Eye Stakes

Haveyougoneaway has left the Mid-South region. The New York-bred mare, who accounted for two-thirds of the female sprint stakes series this winter at Oaklawn, is now based at Belmont Park with trainer Tom Morley. She was sold privately in April.

“We sold her after the last race,” said Rick Cundiff of Champion Racing Stable. “She was sold to Becky Thomas. It was a good deal for everybody involved. We had a lot of fun with the mare, a lot of excitement, and wish them all the best as well.”

Fri, 05/13/2016 - 15:26

Shagaf injured, will miss rest of 2016

Barbara D. Livingston
Shagaf, by Bernardini, shouldn't have any difficulty with the Derby's 1 1/4-mile distance.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Shagaf, who was eased in the Kentucky Derby, underwent surgery Thursday to remove chips from his left knee and left front ankle and likely will miss the rest of the year, according to Rick Nichols, the vice president/general manager for Shadwell Stable.

Nichols said the surgery was performed by Dr. Alan Ruggles, who told Nichols that the prognosis for a return to racing was very good.

Fri, 05/13/2016 - 13:50

Preakness Stakes: Stradivari, Collected, Uncle Lino put in final drills

Jim McCue/Maryland Jockey Club
Nyquist jogged a mile and galloped 1 1/4 miles on Friday at Pimlico.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Three horses with designs on stopping Nyquist’s bid for the Triple Crown in next Saturday’s Preakness Stakes at Pimlico put in their final serious workouts for the race Friday morning at three different locations.

At Belmont Park, the lightly raced Stradivari drilled five furlongs in 59.51 seconds as his connections tighten the screws on an extremely talented colt.

Fri, 05/13/2016 - 13:00

Texas Red will have to wait until next year

Barbara D. Livingston
An ankle injury will prevent Texas Red from running this year.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Texas Red, the winner of the 2014 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, is unlikely to start this year after being diagnosed with an ankle injury this spring.

Trainer Keith Desormeaux said on Friday that Texas Red will need a four-month recovery period for the injury, which he said does not require surgery.

“It’s nothing major, but I have to back off,” Desormeaux said. “He’ll be off for four months, so it will be eight months before you see him again. There’s always next year.”

Fri, 05/13/2016 - 12:46

Suspensory injury sends Catch a Flight into retirement

Benoit & Associates
Catch a Flight won 10 of 18 starts and earned $773,239 during his career.

Catch a Flight, who developed into one of the top handicap horses in California last year, has been retired, trainer Richard Mandella said Friday.

The 6-year-old Argentina-bred Catch a Flight won three graded stakes in 2015: the Grade 2 San Diego at Del Mar and the Grade 2 California and Grade 3 Precisionist at Santa Anita. Catch a Flight finished second to stablemate Beholder in the Grade 1 Pacific Classic in his most recent start in August. He also placed in the Grade 1 Gold Cup and Santa Anita Handicap.

Fri, 05/13/2016 - 12:46

What a View's tender feet get vacation

Benoit & Associates
What a View will take the summer off to await softer turf for his tender feet.

ARCADIA, Calif. – The top turf horse in California will miss most of the summer due to tender feet. What a View, whose four-win streak during the Santa Anita winter meet included the Grade 1 Frank E. Kilroe Mile and Grade 3 Thunder Road, is out until at least August, trainer Kenny Black said.

“We’re just giving his feet a little time to get healthy,” Black said. “He’s got bad feet, and that’s why he likes the soft grass.”

What a View’s last three starts were on a Santa Anita course labeled “yielding” or “good.”

Fri, 05/13/2016 - 12:28

White-hot Wright expects big effort from Access This in Auburn Handicap

Erin Palmer/Emerald Downs
Invested Prospect, winner of the Seattle Stakes, has helped Blaine Wright get off to an 11-for-19 start at Emerald Downs.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Trainer Blaine Wright is on fire at the Emerald Downs meet, but he is taking his hot start in stride.

“It’s been fun, but I know it isn’t going to last,” said Wright. “Most of my horses are fit from running, and because the meet was moved up this year, they have a big edge over the local horses.”

Thu, 05/12/2016 - 13:40

Monmouth: Fewer stakes, smaller purses for 2016 season

John Wirth/Equi-Photo
To offset nearly $5 million in capital improvements made since last season, Monmouth Park had to cut some stakes and reduce purses in some lower level races.

A year after Monmouth Park pulled out all the stops to lure American Pharoah to the Haskell Invitational, boosting the purse to $1.75 million, the Jersey Shore track will be tightening its belt for its 71st season, which begins Saturday.

Thu, 05/12/2016 - 12:50

Singletary a proving ground for Tristan's Trilogy

ARCADIA, Calif. – When the Desert Code Stakes was moved from turf to the main track because of wet conditions last Saturday, Tristan’s Trilogy stayed in the barn.

“He’s definitely a turf horse,” trainer Peter Miller said.

Tristan’s Trilogy beat maidens on the 6 1/2-furlong hillside turf course at Santa Anita on April 2 and will have his stakes debut on grass in the $75,000 Singletary Stakes for 3-year-olds at a mile on Saturday.

Miller said that Tristan’s Trilogy must show in the Singletary that he is more than a sprinter.

Thu, 05/12/2016 - 12:50

$12 million race tempting owners of California Chrome, Beholder

Shigeki Kikkawa
Beholder won her seventh consecutive race in Sunday's Adoration Stakes at Santa Anita.

ARCADIA, Calif. – California Chrome and Beholder may be part of the newly created $12 million Pegasus Cup at Gulfstream Park next January.

On Thursday, their respective trainers, Art Sherman and Richard Mandella, said the 1 1/8-mile Pegasus Cup could be the focal point of winter campaigns for their runners.