Wed, 07/01/2015 - 15:52

Lewis Vale tries for two in a row in turf route

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – Lewis Vale seemed to find a home on turf last out, winning a first-level allowance race at Arlington Park with a solid closing kick, and should have a chance to make it two straight on Friday in the featured second race, an optional claimer at 1 1/16 miles on turf.

Wed, 07/01/2015 - 15:41

Stidham eyes stakes at Woodbine, Del Mar

Keeneland/Coady Photography
Katie's Eyes wins the Giant's Causeway in April at Keeneland.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – Trainer Mike Stidham, in the midst of an excellent Arlington meet, will be in stakes action from Woodbine to Del Mar in coming weeks.

Wed, 07/01/2015 - 15:36

Private Zone draws post 3 in Sprint Championship

Barbara D. Livingston
Private Zone wins the Churchill Downs Stakes on May 2.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Private Zone, who has won three Grade 1 races in New York, drew post 3 and heads an eight-horse field in Saturday’s Grade 3, $400,000 Belmont Sprint Championship at seven furlongs.

Private Zone is coming off a third-place finish behind Honor Code and Tonalist in the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap. Two starts back, he won the Grade 2 Churchill Downs Stakes at seven furlongs.

In three previous trips to New York, Private Zone has won back-to-back runnings of the Grade 1 Vosburgh at six furlongs and the Grade 1 Cigar Mile last fall at Aqueduct.

Wed, 07/01/2015 - 15:31

Tonalist drops blinkers for Suburban

Adam Coglianese/NYRA
Tonalist wins the Westchester Stakes on Saturday at Belmont.

ELMONT, N.Y. – After watching Tonalist lose the Jim Dandy and Travers stakes last summer at Saratoga, trainer Christophe Clement removed the blinkers from the colt’s equipment, and Tonalist responded with a 1 3/4-length victory in the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup, a 1 1/4-mile race at Belmont Park.

Clement will hope for a similar result in Saturday’s Grade 2, $500,000 Suburban Handicap, in which he again removes the blinkers from Tonalist’s equipment in a 1 1/4-mile race at Belmont.

Wed, 07/01/2015 - 15:31

Calhoun may send pair to Saratoga for Sanford

Churchill Downs/Reed Palmer Photography
He's Comin in Hot, winner of the Bashford Manor, could run next in the Sanford at Saratoga or the Prairie Gold Juvenile in Iowa.

Trainer Bret Calhoun could have a couple of 2-year-olds targeting the Grade 3, $150,000 Sanford at Saratoga. He said discussions are ongoing with the owners of He’s Comin in Hot and Bravura about the next move for the quality runners by Early Flyer, who leads all North American sires in wins by 2-year-olds this year.

He’s Comin in Hot, who races for Doug Scharbauer, won the Grade 3 Bashford Manor at Churchill Downs last Saturday. Bravura, owned by Victoria Ashford, was an impressive debut winner at Lone Star Park on June 18.

Wed, 07/01/2015 - 15:26

Texas Red set to revive campaign in Dwyer

Shigeki Kikkawa
Texas Red, winner of last fall's Breeders' Cup Juvenile, works a mile in 1:38.97 Sunday at Santa Anita.

ELMONT, N.Y. – When Texas Red boarded a Tex Sutton flight Wednesday morning, bound for New York from Southern California, he had just a one-way ticket.

Wed, 07/01/2015 - 15:06

Work All Week, Espinoza spice up Summit of Speed

Churchill Downs/Reed Palmer Photography
Alsvid wins the Aristides at Churchill Downs over sprint champ Work All Week. They will be rematched in the Smile Sprint on Sunday.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Reigning sprint champion Work All Week and winning Triple Crown rider Victor Espinoza will be the marquee names on Sunday’s Summit of Speed program at Gulfstream Park.

Work All Week will top a field of nine older horses in the Grade 2 Smile Sprint, which shares top billing on Sunday’s card with the Grade 2 Princess Rooney for fillies and mares. The stakes, both at six furlongs, are designated as Win and You’re In races for the Breeders’ Cup.

Wed, 07/01/2015 - 14:36

American Pharoah jogs

Shigeki Kikkawa
Fans fawn over American Pharoah after his arrival at Santa Anita Park on June 18. He will parade on the track between the seventh and eighth races Saturday.

American Pharoah was jogged at Santa Anita on Wednesday, two days after he worked three furlongs in 36.40 seconds. The workout was the first for American Pharoah since his win in the Belmont Stakes.

Trainer Bob Baffert said the colt has been energetic in recent training, unlike after the Belmont, when he was paraded at Churchill Downs and Santa Anita.

“I could tell that was getting to him a little bit,” Baffert said.

Wed, 07/01/2015 - 14:21

Gimme Da Lute carrying Baffert’s hopes in Los Alamitos Derby

Shigeki Kikkawa
Gimme da Lute wins the Affirmed Stakes on June 7.

CYPRESS, Calif. – Poor Bob Baffert. Since American Pharoah won the Triple Crown in the Belmont Stakes on June 6, his stable has won only two races in Southern California, including the Grade 3 Affirmed Stakes at Santa Anita on June 7 with Gimme Da Lute.

“Times are tough right now,” Baffert said on Wednesday. “I got beat a nose in the Gold Cup.”

Wed, 07/01/2015 - 14:21

Moreno targets Whitney

Barbara D. Livingston
Moreno will point toward the Whitney at Saratoga to defend his 2014 win.

CYPRESS, Calif. – Moreno, who finished eighth in the $501,500 Gold Cup at Santa Anita last Saturday as the 4-1 third choice, will be pointed for the $1,250,000 Whitney Stakes at Saratoga on Aug. 8, a race he won in 2014.

Trainer Eric Guillot said on Wednesday that he would like to start the 5-year-old multiple stakes winner in a race in which he might be the lone speed.

“He loves that track,” Guillot said. “It sounds like a good plan of attack.”