Conquest Two Step, the winner of the Grade 2 Palos Verdes Stakes at Santa Anita on Jan. 31, was euthanized Monday after suffering complications following surgery for an injured left hind leg, trainer Mark Casse said Wednesday.
Conquest Two Step was diagnosed with a condylar fracture after a workout at Santa Anita last Saturday. He underwent surgery Monday but reinjured the leg while recovering from anesthesia, Casse said.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Eddie Plesa Jr. said on Wednesday that Mr. Jordan came out of his second-place finish in the Tamarac Stakes here March 27 in good order and that he’s considering several options for his next start. Competitive Edge remained unbeaten with an 8 1/4-length victory in the Tamarac.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Private Zone worked a half-mile in 47.21 seconds and galloped out five-eighths in 59.73 on Wednesday at Gulfstream Park West with jockey Carlos H. Marquez Jr. aboard.
Private Zone galloped to the pole in company but worked solo and without blinkers, which he wears when racing. Private Zone posted splits of 11.52 and 23.12 to the quarter pole and was in hand finishing into a mild headwind before galloping out strongly into the turn over a loose and cuppy racetrack.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – In an unforgettable day at the races, fillies owned by former Kentucky Gov. Brereton C. Jones won two major Kentucky Oaks preps last Saturday. Lovely Maria delivered as the favorite in the Grade 1 Ashland at Keeneland, and Include Betty came through at 18-1 in the Grade 3, $400,000 Fantasy at Oaklawn Park. Jones is the sole owner of Lovely Maria, while he races Include Betty in partnership with Tim Thornton.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Far Right has a diverse cast of people working behind the scenes to bring out the best in the multiple stakes winner, who could start as the second choice to Southern California shipper American Pharoah in the Grade 1, $1 million Arkansas Derby on Saturday.
Far Right has wintered at Oaklawn, where twice he’s rolled up the rail to win stakes, taking the $150,000 Smarty Jones in his 3-year-old debut in January and the Grade 3, $300,000 Southwest Stakes in his most recent out Feb. 22.
Enchanting Lady is likely to start in the $200,000 Eight Belles Stakes at Churchill Downs on May 1 after winning the second stakes of her career in Sunday’s $77,050 Santa Paula Stakes.
Enchanting Lady will give owner Kaleem Shah a formidable team for some of the leading stakes at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Derby weekend. He owns the unbeaten Dortmund, who won the Santa Anita Derby last Saturday and is a top-rated candidate for the Kentucky Derby on May 2.
Jockey Joe Talamo will miss a week of riding after bruising a shoulder in a spill after the Santa Paula Stakes.
Talamo was unseated from Sensitively when the filly fell a few strides after finishing last. Talamo was taken to a hospital, where X-rays showed no fractures. The rider saw a doctor Monday who advised a week of rest.
Talamo, 25, is expected to resume riding at Santa Anita on April 16.
Shared Belief, the top handicap horse in the United States this year, is nearing a start in the $1.5 million Charles Town Classic in West Virginia on April 18 in peak form.
That was the assessment of trainer Jerry Hollendorfer after the 4-year-old gelding worked six furlongs in 1:14.60 at Golden Gate Fields on Tuesday.
“We’re looking at a horse that is very fit,” Hollendorfer said. “We’re not bearing down on him to get him fit. I think he’s doing just fine. I’m happy with him.”
The first Maryland turf races of the season will be held at Pimlico on Thursday, weather permitting. Turf racing had been scheduled to start last Thursday but was pushed back a week due to the late arrival of spring.
Races 4, 5, 7, and 8 are scheduled to be run on the grass. Race 4 has 10 entrants, race 5 has 11, race 7 has 13, and race 8 has 10. This is a welcome relief as field size has dwindled in recent weeks as the pool of local dirt runners has been depleted.
The field for the April 18 Charles Town Classic is coming together, with Shared Belief a heavy favorite in a short field. On Tuesday, Bob Baffert confirmed that he will not be sending Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Bayern.
“The race was never on my radar,” Baffert said.
Bayern was slowed by a quarter crack early this year but has had six works since March 14, including a bullet seven-furlong drill in 1:23.60 at Santa Anita on Tuesday.
