Prospect Park, fourth in the $1 million Santa Anita Derby on April 4, is back in training after being diagnosed with an illness this month.
Prospect Park is based at the San Luis Rey Downs training center in northern San Diego County with trainer Clifford Sise.
“He’s back tack-walking,” Sise said. “He seems back to his old self again. He had something viral that was bugging him.”
Frammento, still hoping to make the Kentucky Derby field after finishing fourth in the Blue Grass Stakes, returned to the work tab Thursday at Keeneland, going an easy four furlongs in 51.20 seconds under Sophie Doyle.
“You’ve just got to keep him together, that’s all,” trainer Nick Zito said of the maintenance move.
Bayern, unraced since winning the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita last November, worked seven furlongs from the gate in 1:24.40 on Wednesday at Santa Anita.
The exercise was one of Bayern’s final major workouts before a scheduled start in the $500,000 Churchill Downs Stakes at seven furlongs May 2, a race on the Kentucky Derby undercard.
“He needed it,” trainer Bob Baffert said of the workout.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Salutos Amigos will be given a freshening and point to a summer campaign, with the Grade 1 Forego at Saratoga the midrange objective, trainer David Jacobson said Thursday.
Salutos Amigos is back at Aqueduct following a trip to Dubai, where he finished eighth, beaten 5 1/2 lengths by Secret Circle, in the $2 million Dubai Golden Shaheen on March 28. Jacobson said Salutos Amigos developed “a few complications” before the race that likely prevented him from running his best.
OZONE PARK, N.Y – Condo Commando returned to the work tab Thursday at Aqueduct with a half-mile move in 48.67 seconds in preparation for the $1 million Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs on May 1.
It was the fastest of nine breezes at the distance Thursday morning and the first breeze for Condo Commando since her 2 1/2-length victory in the Grade 2 Gazelle Stakes at Aqueduct on April 4.
ARCADIA, Calif.- Papacoolpapacool will be a heavy favorite in Saturday’s $75,000 La Puente Stakes for 3-year-olds on turf at Santa Anita. The race could be his ticket out of town.
Trainer Phil D’Amato said on Thursday that Papacoolpapacool could be sent to Penn National for the $500,000 Penn Mile for 3-year-olds on turf May 30 if he wins Saturday.
“If he runs well, we’ll take a look at that race,” he said. “It’s one step at a time.”
The presence of My Miss Sophia in the Doubledogdare Stakes on Friday at Keeneland might have triggered fans to think of an older mare with a similar name: Don’t Tell Sophia.
Second to Untapable in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff last fall at Santa Anita, Don’t Tell Sophia is nearing her first breeze of the year, according to Keeneland-based trainer Phil Sims.
“I’m ready to start tightening the screws on her,” said Sims. “The main goal is to get her back to the Breeders’ Cup here in October, so we’re working backward from there and just taking our time with her.”
Trainer Ingrid Mason has lined up Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens to ride Sarah Sis in the Kentucky Oaks, agent Craig O’Bryan confirmed this week. Sarah Sis most recently finished fifth in the April 4 Fantasy at Oaklawn Park.
An oversubscribed field of 3-year-old fillies is holding together so far for the Oaks, led by Condo Commando, I’m a Chatterbox, Stellar Wind, Birdatthewire, and Lovely Maria. The points-eligibility system used to limit the field to 14 starters has not been needed for the Oaks since its 2013 inception.
Eh Cumpari will run in New York
Field size averages barely more than six horses per race during the first half of a 10-race Friday program at Keeneland, but things pick up after that. Besides the Grade 3 Doubledogdare Stakes, the latter portion of the card also includes a remarkably deep first-level allowance for 3-year-olds (race 7).
The $60,000, six-furlong race matches a field of 11 that drew a handful of flashy maiden winners in their last starts, including Data Driven for Chad Brown, First Spark (Pletcher), Harvey (Bret Calhoun), and Chief Istan (Larry Jones).
