Mor Spirit, the two-time stakes winner who was second in the Santa Anita Derby on April 9, was flown to Churchill Downs on Friday for the Kentucky Derby on May 7, a day after a five-furlong breeze at Santa Anita.
Mor Spirit was timed in 1:01.60 in his first workout since finishing behind Exaggerator in the Santa Anita Derby. Trainer Bob Baffert considered waiting until Mor Spirit was based at Churchill Downs before resuming workouts but said he changed his mind.
CYPRESS, Calif. – Martin Pedroza reached a career milestone with a victory aboard Justin Squared in Thursday’s seventh race at Los Alamitos, becoming the all-time winningest rider at Los Alamitos meetings that are primarily for Thoroughbreds.
In his career, which began in 1982, the 50-year-old Pedroza has won 87 races at Los Alamitos at the former Orange County fair meetings, held from 1977 to 1991, and at daytime Thoroughbred meetings held since 2014 following the closure of Hollywood Park in late 2013.
Curtis Burns is one of the most sought-after farriers in both the Thoroughbred and show-horse worlds, so it was no surprise that owner Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale had Burns flown in recently to tend to Runhappy, his star colt whose 4-year-old campaign has been delayed by a foot bruise.
Burns said while visiting Keeneland last weekend that he is satisfied with the progress being made by Runhappy, whose current training regimen under Laura Wohlers consists merely of daily jogs at the Thoroughbred Center on the north side of Lexington.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Track records have been falling like pennies from heaven this spring at Keeneland, but knowing fans and horsemen are taking them in context.
It got pretty ridiculous early this week, as the Wednesday card opened with back-to-back records: Hey Mike went 4 1/2 furlongs in 51.36 seconds, and Tale of Life went 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.34. Then, on Thursday, Lady Aurelia further lowered the 4 1/2-furlong record by winning in 50.85 seconds, and Free Rose set a turf-course record for 1 1/8 miles in 1:51.42.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Barkley and Crazy Prophet were impressive winners in their 3-year-old debuts last Sunday, and they could face each other in the $75,000 Emerald Downs Derby on July 31 or the Grade 3, $150,000 British Columbia Derby on Sept. 10. If either horse wins both races, he will receive a $25,000 bonus.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Jockey Emma-Jayne Wilson once again will head to Ascot Racecourse in August to defend her Shergar Cup jockey-challenge title as the captain of the Girls team.
Wilson, Sammy Jo Bell, and Hayley Turner combined to win last year’s Shergar Cup, marking the first title for the Girls team in the 15-year history of the event. This year, Wilson will captain the Girls team for the second consecutive year and will be joined on the team by Cathy Bannon and Melbourne Cup winner Michelle Payne.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Pat McKenna, a native of upstate New York, is the new director of communications and media relations for the New York Racing Association. McKenna, who began his role Tuesday, took over for John Durso Jr., who left the position in March to work for NBC in New York.
McKenna, 34, grew up in Loudonville, N.Y., about 30 miles south of Saratoga Springs. McKenna said he was a frequent visitor to Saratoga Race Course and was on hand to watch Triple Crown winner American Pharoah run in the Travers.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – While his connections wait to see if there will be the necessary defections to make it into the Kentucky Derby field, Adventist worked a half-mile in 48.81 seconds Thursday over the Belmont Park training track.
Adventist, equipped with blinkers and working by himself, went his first quarter in 25.17 seconds and his second in 23.64. Trainer Leah Gyarmati, via two-way radio, instructed exercise rider Eduardo Azocar to let Adventist finish, and Azocar got after the colt a little bit.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – With the New York Racing Association preparing to shut down the Aqueduct backstretch in early May, trainer Rudy Rodriguez was looking to send a string of horses to Parx for the summer.
But that track has been dealing with an equine herpesvirus quarantine that is prohibiting horses from shipping in or out until at least the middle of May.
As a result, Rodriguez might send a string to Maryland. The horses could be based at Pimlico – at least for May – where he plans to run several horses in stakes during Preakness week.
