ARCADIA, Calif. – The showdown between the upstart and the veteran looms in the $300,000 Vanity Stakes at Santa Anita on May 9.
Warren’s Veneda, unbeaten in three stakes this year, will face the two-time champion Beholder in the Grade 1 Vanity Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on dirt. They are unlikely to have many rivals.
On Thursday, Warren’s Veneda had her final workout for the Vanity, going five furlongs in 59.20 seconds, the third fastest of 22 recorded works at the distance.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Jockey Marklee Buchanan made a strong impression in his first weekend of riding at Hastings. He won with four of his nine mounts, and none of his wins came aboard a favorite. The shortest-priced horse he won with was Lornefivehundred, who paid $7.50 for his win over Bearrock N Roll in a $16,000 claiming race last Saturday.
Buchanan is originally from Jamaica and has been riding in Ontario since 2011.
Eighty Nine Red got his season off to a winning start for the second year in a row April 18 at Woodbine in the prep for the $125,000 New Providence Stakes, defeating 2013 Canadian champion male sprinter Phil’s Dream in the process, and he will make his next start in the New Providence on May 10, trainer Mike De Paulo said.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Fan favorite and 2011 Canadian champion 3-year-old male Pender Harbour is getting close to making his 2015 debut, trainer Michael De Paulo said.
After a second-place finish in the Grade 3 Valedictory Stakes on closing day of the 2014 season at Woodbine on Dec. 7, the 7-year-old Pender Harbour spent the winter in Florida and started breezing under De Paulo’s watch at Gulfstream Park in March.
Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas has gotten a good look at Bob Baffert’s one-two punch for the Kentucky Derby. Lukas longshot Mr. Z tangled with both halves of the juggernaut, finishing third, less than a neck behind Dortmund, in the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Futurity last December, and third, 8 3/4 lengths behind American Pharoah, in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby three weeks ago.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Upstart has a few white spots on his dark bay coat, but trainer Rick Violette maintains it’s not skin disease.
Violette says it’s a skin pigmentation that first showed up during the winter at Gulfstream Park. It was clearly evident in the days leading up to the Florida Derby, a race in which he finished second to Materiality.
“He had two or three times as many [spots] earlier this winter,” Violette said.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – A couple Grade 1-winning horses that at one time had been considered for major Kentucky Oaks/Kentucky Derby undercard races at Churchill Downs have been redirected elsewhere.
Stopchargingmaria, who had been considered a probable starter by the Churchill Downs racing office for the Friday’s Grade 1 La Troienne, now is being pointed toward the Grade 3 Allaire DuPont Distaff on May 15 at Pimlico, trainer Todd Pletcher said. She won the Black Eyed Susan over that racetrack last year.
Travis Stone has been acclimating himself to the announcer’s booth at Churchill, where he became the regular caller when the spring meet opened Saturday night.
“It’s a terrific booth with great sight lines,” said Stone. “I’m going to be as prepared as I can possibly be.”
