NEW ORLEANS – Top Decile, the runner-up in the Alcibiades and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, will open her 2015 campaign in the Silverbulletday on Jan. 17 at Fair Grounds, trainer Al Stall Jr. said Wednesday.
On Tuesday, Top Decile worked a half-mile in 48.20 seconds, her third workout at Fair Grounds. She’ll work twice more before the Silverbulletday, Stall said.
Mike Smith will replace the retired Rosie Napravnik as Top Decile’s jockey, Stall said.
Buena Vista possible for La Tia
NEW ORLEANS – The Louisiana-bred gelding Sunbean, who is on a three-race winning streak and surpassed $1 million in career earnings with a victory Dec. 13 in the Louisiana Champions Day Classic at Fair Grounds, is in “light training right now,” trainer Ron Faucheux said Wednesday. “We’ll probably gear up for Premier Night at Delta.”
He was referring to the Louisiana Premier Night Championship, a $200,000, 1 1/16-mile race for Louisiana-bred older horses Feb. 7 at Delta Downs.
NEW ORLEANS – With a decisive victory against first-level optional-claiming company last Sunday at Fair Grounds, War Story made a quick return on a private purchase by Ron Paolucci’s Loooch Racing Stable and Chris Dunn.
A Northern Afleet gelding racing for the first time for the new owners and trainer Tom Amoss, War Story was trying two turns for the first time. His trip wasn’t ideal; War Story was bumped at the start and slightly squeezed entering the backstretch. But with a strong late run, he pulled away to win by 2 3/4 lengths, completing the mile in 1:39.75.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Irad Ortiz Jr. was the leading rider on the New York Racing Association circuit in 2014 with 276 victories. His brother Jose finished second with 230 wins, including four on Wednesday’s year-end program.
Cornelio Velasquez (177), Javier Castellano (168), and Manuel Franco (154) rounded out the top five.
David Jacobson won his third straight NYRA trainers’ title, winning 133 races in 2014. He capped off his season with Big Business winning the Alex M. Robb Stakes on Wednesday.
Saturday marks the 11-year anniversary of Smarty Jones kicking off his 3-year-old season with a victory in the Count Fleet Stakes at Aqueduct.
Nasa, a son of Smarty Jones with the same connections of the dual classic winner, kicks off his 3-year-old campaign Saturday in what is now the Jerome Stakes.
“Humongous footsteps to fill there,” said John Servis, trainer of Nasa and Smarty Jones. Nasa, like Smarty Jones, is owned by Someday Farm.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The final morning of 2014 was chaotic on the Belmont Park backstretch, where one horse fatally broke down and five backstretch workers were taken to local hospitals as a result of a bevy of mishaps.
Soldier Inthe Rain, a 3-year-old son of War Pass, broke his cannon bone while working out Wednesday morning over the Belmont Park training track. He had to be euthanized. His exercise rider, Bobby Perillo, was taken to North Shore University Hospital complaining of back pain, according to Bruce Brown, the trainer of Soldier Inthe Rain.
Trainer Dale Romans has brought a stable full of top 3-year-old prospects down to south Florida for the winter. But despite nominating a half-dozen horses to the trio of 3-year-old stakes being offered this weekend at Gulfstream Park, Romans entered only two, Temper Mint Patty for the Grade 3 Old Hat and Toasting Master to the $100,000 Spectacular Bid, opting to give the others a little more opportunity to acclimate to the local surroundings.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Atreides, who figured to be a major player in the handicap division at Gulfstream Park this winter, will be sidelined at least through the opening half of 2015 due to chronic ankle issues, trainer Marty Wolfson said Wednesday.
Atreides, a winner of 4 of 5 career starts including the one-mile Aventura Handicap in his 3-year-old finale, was being pointed for the Grade 3 Hal’s Hope next week. Atreides, a son of Medaglia d’Oro who is a newly turned 4-year-old, is owned by Stonestreet Stables.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Hall of Fame jockey Edgar Prado was back in action on Wednesday at Gulfstream Park for the first time since suffering an injured hand and severe facial lacerations after being involved in a frightening spill here Dec. 23.
“I think I was blessed that nothing happened worse than it did,” Prado said. “Thank God I had an angel protecting me during the fall. I am happy to come back to work.”
