ARCADIA, Calif. – Stellar Wind, the multiple-graded-stakes-winning 3-year-old filly, was eager for action at Santa Anita on Friday morning.
A week before a scheduled start in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Keeneland on Oct. 30, Stellar Wind worked five furlongs in 1:01.20 in company with stablemate Scooter Bird. Stellar Wind did not work particularly fast on a track that seemed slower than normal, but was ready to engage Scooter Bird when urged by jockey Victor Espinoza.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Looking back at the 2015 Hastings meet, which ends Sunday, there were two events that stood out – the formation of the Hastings Racing Club was a huge success, and Academic becoming the first filly to win the Grade 3 British Columbia Derby since 1959.
The Hastings Racing Club, which was formed to encourage horse ownership, cost $250 to join. Managed by Richard Yates, the 200-member club bought two horses, Urban Achiever and Square Dancer. Both were trained by Steve Henson.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Big Business, away from the races since February, returns Sunday in a $90,000 allowance race at 6 1/2 furlongs. The race looked like it was written for El Kabeir, but the multiple-graded-stakes-winning 3-year-old was not entered.
Big Business, who won the Alex M. Robb Stakes on Dec. 31, finished fifth Feb. 16 in the Grade 3 General George Handicap at Laurel. It was his second straight fifth-place finish, and Big Business was given a break.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Tencendur, runner-up in the Grade 1 Wood Memorial and the Ohio Derby, recently rejoined trainer George Weaver’s barn at Saratoga after being sidelined for the summer due to a chipped sesamoid bone.
“His ankle looks great,” said Weaver. “There was no suspensory damage. We got clearance to go back into training. He showed signs of being a horse, and we’re looking forward to him coming back as a 4-year-old.”
Weaver said Tencendur probably would move to south Florida before year’s end, but he still is eligible for all of his New York-bred allowance conditions.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Silvestre de Sousa has gone from hunted to hunter.
De Sousa, champion jockey in the United Kingdom for 2015 with 132 victories, made his first visit Friday morning to Belmont Park, where he intends to start riding next week. Along with his agent, Seth Benzel, de Sousa was making the rounds Friday and trying to drum up business for his attempt at succeeding in North America.
Holy Lute, who was listed in pre-entries for the Breeders’ Cup Sprint but was meant for the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, has been moved to the list of pre-entries for the Turf Sprint, according to both the horse’s connections and an official with Breeders’ Cup. The Grade 1, $1 million Turf Sprint will be run Oct. 31 at Keeneland. Final entries for the race will be drawn Monday.
ELMONT, N.Y. – It appears as though trainer Linda Rice is going to sit out the Breeders’ Cup.
Rice had pre-entered both La Verdad and Palace to Breeders’ Cup races next weekend, but said Friday that she intended to run both in stakes races at Belmont Park this Saturday instead.
Frosted and Hard Aces, who will try to pull off an upset in the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Oct. 31 at Keeneland, both turned in their final Breeders’ Cup works on Friday, a day when Beholder had a good day both on the track and off at Keeneland.
Frosted has been training in Saratoga at the private Greentree facility owned by Sheikh Mohammed. On Friday, he went a half-mile in 47 seconds, with a final quarter in 23.80, and galloped out five furlongs in 59.20, according to Daily Racing Form clocker Dave Norton.
With some horsemen wanting more time to ponder their options with cross-entered horses for Breeders’ Cup races, officials have decided to give them until entry time at 10 a.m. Eastern on Monday to finalize which race they are going to choose, said Josh Christian, director of racing for the Breeders’ Cup.
Breeders’ Cup officials had intended to have the connections of these horses decide by midday Friday, a change in procedure from past years.
Ageless will not run in the Grade 1, $1 million Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint on Oct. 31 at Keeneland, trainer Arnaud Delacour said on Friday.
She is the second known defection from the oversubscribed race. Obviously is passing the Turf Sprint in favor of the Breeders’ Cup Mile, according to his trainer, Phil D’Amato. Both horses were listed in the body of the field when pre-entries were announced Wednesday, and their defections open up spots for the next two horses on the selection committee preference list, Marchman and Stacked Deck.
