NEW ORLEANS – The way International Star won the Lecomte and Risen Star stakes, with determination and professionalism, has veteran jockey Miguel Mena hopeful that he might be sitting on his first legitimate Kentucky Derby contender.
“The Louisiana Derby will be his big test,” said Mena, whose third ride on International Star, trained by Mike Maker, will come Saturday in that $750,000, Grade 2 Kentucky Derby prep at Fair Grounds.
Claim a maiden for $20,000, and the last thing a person can realistically expect is to have a future stakes winner.
Or a future Grade 1 stakes winner. Or a horse good enough to send to Dubai for Saturday’s $2 million Golden Shaheen at Meydan Racecourse.
All of that so-called logic has vanished in the last 20 months for owners Tom Mansor and Brendan Bakir and trainer Richard Baltas. Big Macher, their former maiden claimer, is a Grade 1 winner starting in the Golden Shaheen.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – The champion Untapable led a trio of important workers Monday for Steve Asmussen, who enters Wednesday’s card at Oaklawn Park just five victories shy of 7,000 career Thoroughbred training wins in North America.
Untapable and stablemates Tapiture and Bold Conquest prepped for stakes engagements with five-furlong breezes at Oaklawn. The horses each worked by themselves on a sunny morning in the 40s. The track was rated “muddy” by Oaklawn head clocker Jim Hamilton.
Three jockeys were taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital on Saturday after being involved in a spill during the fifth race at Tampa Bay Downs.
The incident began when Wild Kiss, who was leading midway on the turn with Keiber Coa aboard, broke down and fell. Iron Maiden and Sylvia Zapico were unable to avoid the stricken horse and fell over that one, as did Track Telling and Ricardo Mejias.
Zapico was diagnosed with a fractured leg, while Coa sustained a broken collarbone and Mejias sustained a wrist injury.
Wild Kiss and Iron Maiden were euthanized on the track.
OLDSMAR, Fla. -- Fortunately for the track photographer, just a portion of the 32-woman syndicate that is Fast Women LLC was on hand when its Minimambo won Saturday’s fifth race, otherwise the picture in the winner’s circle would have needed a Panavision lens.
OLDSMAR, Fla. – After braving Chicago winters for most of her 20 years as a trainer, Michele Boyce decided to head south to Tampa Bay Downs this year. Her decision was a big plus for horseplayers as the Boyce stable has been one of the bright new additions to the racing scene here.
The Big Beast, the winner of the Grade 1 King’s Bishop last summer at Saratoga, arrived at Aqueduct on Sunday from Oaklawn Park to train up to the Grade 1, $400,000 Carter Handicap on April 4.
Trainer Tony Dutrow said the Grade 1 status of the Carter and the seven-furlong distance made that race more attractive to him and owner Alex Lieblong than the Grade 3 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap, a six-furlong race at Oaklawn on April 9.
“We like the Beast more at seven than six,” said Dutrow, who was at Aqueduct on Monday to watch The Big Beast train.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Mr. Jordan and Competitive Edge were two of the fastest 2-year-olds in the country last season, both undefeated and relatively untested before being sidelined with injuries. But something will have to give when they launch their 3-year-old campaigns in Friday’s $60,000 Tamarac, an overnight stakes carded at seven furlongs.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Josie Carroll did not confirm Ami’s Flatter as a definite starter in Saturday’s $1 million Florida Derby, but she certainly was leaning in that direction after the Tampa Bay Derby runner-up breezed a half-mile in 49 seconds at Palm Meadows on Monday.
“I was pretty happy with the work, and if he looks good [Tuesday], we’ll probably go there,” Carroll said, referring to the Grade 1 Florida Derby, which was to be drawn late Tuesday afternoon in the walking ring at Gulfstream Park.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Cozmic One, the first foal out of the 2010 Horse of the Year Zenyatta, could make his career debut in April, trainer John Shirreffs said Sunday.
The 3-year-old Cozmic One, by Bernardini, has worked steadily since December. In his most recent workout, Cozmic One worked five furlongs in 1:01.20 last Friday.
“I thought his last work was really good,” Shirreffs said. “He wanted to finish in that work.”
The ever-patient Shirreffs said Cozmic One’s mental approach has nearly caught up to his physical efforts.
