The three-time champion Beholder worked a mile at Santa Anita in 1:40 on Friday, her last major exercise before her 2016 debut in the $100,000 Adoration Stakes on May 8.
Beholder worked in company, according to trainer Richard Mandella.
“We weren’t looking for anything fancy,” he said. “There was a little bit of traffic on the first turn.”
CYPRESS, Calif. – Los Alamitos plans to run Southern California’s two traditional Grade 1 races for 2-year-olds in December – the Starlet and the Los Alamitos Futurity – allaying concerns expressed late last year that the races could not be funded this year.
General manager Brad McKinzie said on Thursday he has been instructed by track owner Ed Allred to schedule the two stakes, which are run at 1 1/16 miles.
“Dr. Allred is very committed to running the two races,” McKinzie said. “They’re important races, and we want to run them.”
VANCOUVER, British Columbia – It doesn’t take much to get trainer Steve Henson excited, and the personable trainer gets more animated than usual when he talks about Square Dancer. According to Henson, Square Dancer, the British Columbia open-company horse of the year in 2015, is set to make his 2016 debut in the $50,000 George Royal next Saturday.
“I can hardly wait to run him,” said Henson. “It is a real joy to have the honor of training him.”
Ken Wilson has been named the new track superintendent at Delaware Park. Wilson, the 28-year-old son of former Mid-Atlantic riding star Rick Wilson, will replace Ken Brown, who is retiring after 11 years on the job.
Wilson has worked at the Maryland Jockey Club tracks since 2007 and has served as the track superintendent at Pimlico.
“He has been around the sport all of his life, and he has a solid reputation,” said John Mooney, the executive director of racing at Delaware Park.
Trainer Rudy Rodriguez shipped a dozen runners to Laurel Park this week. Rodriguez has informed the track that he will send in another dozen horses next week and eventually will have 35 to 40 horses in Maryland.
Rodriguez stables year-round at Aqueduct, but the New York Racing Association will be closing the backstretch there in early May. Trainers stabled at Aqueduct will either have to send their horses to Belmont Park or Saratoga.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – After wintering at Payson Park in Indiantown, Fla., for the past 10 years, this past winter was much different for trainer John Ross. With the value of the Canadian dollar declining toward the end of the 2015 Woodbine season and Payson Park switching barn assignments due to high numbers, Ross opted to stay home during the offseason.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Led by Todd Pletcher’s two Kentucky Derby candidates, a total of 10 horses with designs on the May 7 Derby turned in workouts Friday morning at Churchill Downs, with several of those works moved ahead from Saturday to avoid the wet weather predicted for the weekend.
Outwork, the Wood Memorial winner, was timed by Daily Racing Form working five furlongs in 1:01.16 in company with Azar for Pletcher. Destin, his Tampa Bay Derby winner, also worked five furlongs in company in 1:01.27.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Raining or not, few spirits will be dampened when Churchill Downs opens its 38-day spring meet Saturday with the 142nd Kentucky Derby lurking right around the corner.
Rain chances have been forecast at nearly 100 percent for an 11-race Downs After Dark opener that starts at 6 p.m. Eastern, but it’s a good thing the wet stuff is only passing through: The outlook beyond this weekend is very encouraging, with weathermen so far saying the chances of rain are minimal when the Kentucky Oaks and Derby are run May 6-7.
ELMONT, N.Y. – The 3-year-old Manhattan Dan worked a sharp five furlongs in 1:00.63 over the Belmont training track on Thursday.
Manhattan Dan, trained by Gary Contessa, is being pointed to a turf sprint at the Royal Ascot meet in England in June. He is likely to run in the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup going six furlongs against 3-year-olds on June 17 but is also nominated to the King’s Stand Stakes going five furlongs against older horses on June 14.
