Fri, 04/17/2015 - 13:41

Kentucky Derby: Upstart looks good breezing

Barbara D. Livingston
Upstart, runner-up in the Florida Derby, appears fully recovered from a sinus infection.

BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. – Any reservations trainer Rick Violette had regarding how his Kentucky Derby hopeful Upstart would be affected by the sinus infection he contracted over the weekend were erased in 59.47 seconds, the time it took the Florida Derby runner-up to work a half-mile and gallop out five furlongs Friday at Palm Meadows.

Fri, 04/17/2015 - 13:31

Los Alamitos trims stakes schedule for July meet

Los Alamitos has reduced the purse for the Los Alamitos Derby and the number of stakes for its two-week Thoroughbred meeting in July.

The eight-day meeting July 2-12 will have four stakes worth $750,000 in total, compared to seven races worth $1,150,000 in 2014, the first year the meeting was conducted. Los Alamitos significantly overpaid purses during the 2014 meeting.

The highlight of the July meeting will be the $350,000 Los Alamitos Derby at 1 1/8 miles on July 4, a race worth $500,000 last year. Shared Belief won the Grade 2 Los Alamitos Derby in 2014.

Fri, 04/17/2015 - 13:01

Maker, former assistant Sharp go head to head Sunday

LEXINGTON, Ky. – In each of the first four races Sunday at Keeneland, Mike Maker and his former assistant, Joe Sharp, both have scheduled starters. Maker has the morning-line favorite in every one of those races, while Sharp has the second choice in three of the four.

Sharp has enjoyed an extraordinarily hot start to his training career since going solo last September, having won with 48 of his first 183 starters (26 percent) while steadily expanding his roster of clients.

Fri, 04/17/2015 - 12:56

Forever Unbridled breezes with eye on Oaks

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Forever Unbridled is on the alternates list for the Kentucky Oaks, but what? Is Dallas Stewart supposed to be worried?

The last two years, Stewart sent out longshots to run second in the Kentucky Derby only after they made the field because of defections of horses with higher preference. Those Stewart-trained colts were Golden Soul, second at 34-1 to Orb in 2013, and Commanding Curve, second at 37-1 to California Chrome in 2014.

Fri, 04/17/2015 - 12:30

Nosowenko off to good start at meet

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Trainer Nick Nosowenko set a career high for wins at a Woodbine meet in 2014 with 13, and he is well positioned to exceed that total this year after winning with three of his five starters during the meet’s opening weekend.

“My throat is still hoarse,” Nosowenko said. “It was a good start.”

Nosowenko found the winner’s circle with Simply Belonging and Splashy Gizmo on Saturday and added to that total Sunday when No Soup for You won the fifth race on the card.

Fri, 04/17/2015 - 12:25

Something Extra invited to Royal Ascot

Keeneland/Coady Photography
Something Extra wins the Shakertown on April 4 at Keeneland.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Something Extra was so impressive in winning the Grade 3 Shakertown Stakes at Keeneland on April 4 that he caught the attention of representatives from the Royal Ascot meet.

Trainer Gail Cox said Something Extra has been invited to run in either the Group 1 King’s Stand Stakes on June 16 or the Group 1 Diamond Jubilee Stakes on June 20 at Ascot, but the 7-year-old gelding likely will remain in North America for a summer campaign. His next start likely will be the Grade 3 Twin Spires Turf Sprint at Churchill Downs on May 1.

Fri, 04/17/2015 - 12:06

BC Dirt Mile will go two turns despite track configuration

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Keeneland in late October will be just that – a dirt mile.

Breeders’ Cup officials met with a number of jockeys and trainers on the main track here Thursday morning before announcing that the BC Dirt Mile, which has undergone numerous variations since its inaugural running in 2007 – will indeed be run as a two-turn mile despite Keeneland never having run such a race because of the relatively short run into the first turn on its 1 1/16-mile main track.

Fri, 04/17/2015 - 12:01

Calgary Cat likely to begin 2015 campaign in Jacques Cartier

Michael Burns
Calgary Cat wins the 2014 Kennedy Road Stakes at Woodbine.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Calgary Cat comes into the 2015 season with the goal of defending his title as Canada’s male sprint champion and likely will kick off his campaign in the $125,000 Jacques Cartier Stakes on April 26, trainer Kevin Attard said.

Fri, 04/17/2015 - 09:38

Gulfstream to pay out Rainbow 6 on April 25

Gulfstream Park has scheduled a mandatory payout of the 20-cent Rainbow 6 jackpot pool for Saturday, April 25.

The carryover stood at $937,087.86 on Friday after no one hit the jackpot for the 21st consecutive program, since March 18. The Rainbow 6 jackpot is paid out only when there is a single ticket sold with all six winners. On days when there is no single winning ticket, 70 percent of that day’s pool goes back to those bettors holding tickets with the most winners while 30 percent is carried over to the jackpot pool.

Thu, 04/16/2015 - 14:50

Danger’s Hour marks return of Lubash

Natalie Fawkes/Coglianese Photos
Lubash, a New York-bred, won the Grade 3 Tropical Turf Handicap last November.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – With the help of two supplemental nominations, the $100,000 Danger’s Hour finally attracted enough entries to be carded as the featured race on Sunday’s nine-race card at Aqueduct.

On the flip side, the $100,000 Memories of Silver, scheduled for Sunday, was not carded, though it is likely to be brought back for Wednesday.