OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Far From Over, the winner of the Grade 3 Withers Stakes and among the favorites for Saturday’s Grade 1, $1 million Wood Memorial at Aqueduct, is injured and off the Kentucky Derby trail, his connections said Tuesday.
Far From Over was found with a hairline condylar fracture in his left hind leg that will require surgery to stabilize. He could return for a fall campaign, his connections said.
Ike Walker, who has seen graded stakes rivals, and Caribbean Cowboy, who is undefeated in three starts, lead an optional $50,000 claiming allowance at Oaklawn on Wednesday. The six-furlong race for 3-year-olds carries first-level allowance conditions.
Ike Walker invades from Fair Grounds, where he won the South Mississippi Owners and Breeders Stakes on March 6. Earlier in his career, he ran fifth in the Grade 3 Arlington-Washington Futurity and 12th in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity won by Carpe Diem, who is now a leading contender for the Kentucky Derby.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – The champion roared Monday at Oaklawn Park.
In a powerful move, Untapable worked six furlongs in company in 1:10.80 as she continues preparations for her second start of the year. Untapable remains under consideration for the Grade 1, $600,000 Apple Blossom Handicap at Oaklawn and the Grade 1, $300,000 La Troienne at Churchill Downs, with her next start to be determined after conversations with the Winchell Thoroughbreds team, said trainer Steve Asmussen.
“Those would be the two choices,” Asmussen said Monday.
If you liked the major Kentucky Derby preps at Fair Grounds and Gulfstream in February, you got an encore performance last Saturday. International Star won again at Fair Grounds, this time in the Louisiana Derby, while at Gulfstream, a Todd Pletcher trainee defeated Upstart in a controversial running of the Florida Derby, similar to the Fountain of Youth.
El Kabeir, the winner of the Jerome and Gotham stakes this winter in New York, is expected to face only five horses in Saturday’s Grade 1, $1 million Wood Memorial at Aqueduct. Entries for the 1 1/8-mile Wood will be taken and post positions assigned on Wednesday.
Ocean Knight was withdrawn from consideration for the Wood after a so-so workout Monday at Palm Meadows in Florida. Thus, trainer Kiaran McLaughlin plans to run just Frosted, whose only victory came over Aqueduct’s main track, a surface on which he also finished second in the Grade 2 Remsen last fall.
BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. – Social Inclusion, sidelined since last summer due to a tendon injury, is getting closer to a return to the races.
On Monday, Social Inclusion worked five furlongs in 1:00.88 at Palm Meadows, his fifth breeze of the winter and his first at five furlongs. He got his last quarter in 24.34 seconds and galloped out six furlongs in 1:14.48.
BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. – Stephanie’s Kitten, the three-time Grade 1-winning mare, will take on males in her next start, the Grade 1, $500,000 Woodford Reserve Turf Classic at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Derby Day, trainer Chad Brown said Monday.
Brown noted that Stephanie’s Kitten is 3 for 3 over the Churchill turf and winless in two starts over the grass course at Keeneland, which hosts the Grade 1, $300,000 Jenny Wiley for fillies and mares April 11.
“I like the timing of it, and her affinity for Churchill is a big factor,” Brown said at Palm Meadows on Monday.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Rajiv Maragh arrived back in south Florida following the long flight home from Dubai just in time to guide Celestine to victory for trainer Bill Kaplan in Sunday’s $75,000 Sanibel Island Stakes. He’ll stick around town another few days to ride Force the Pass for trainer Alan Goldberg in Wednesday’s $75,000 Cutler Bay Stakes before heading on to Kentucky for the opening of the Keeneland meet on Friday.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Tonalist continues to progress toward his much-anticipated 2015 debut. Tonalist worked four furlongs in 49.80 seconds and galloped out five-eighths in 1:03 on Monday at Payson Park, according to trainer Christophe Clement.
“The plan is to work him one more time in Florida, then send him up to New York,” said Clement. “He should be ready to run sometime in early May.”
Tonalist, the winner of the Belmont Stakes and Jockey Club Gold Cup last year at 3, has not started since finishing fifth in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Twenty-four hours after watching Birdatthewire overcome adversity Saturday to win the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks, trainer Dale Romans was still shaking his head when asked what was going through his mind as jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. stood straight up in the irons and appeared to be pulling up Birdatthewire as the field entered the backstretch.
