In the last two weeks, Lucy’s Bob Boy has been scheduled to start twice. One race was canceled due to inclement weather, and he missed the other because of his strong dislike of traveling by van.
The Jan. 7 Blue Ridge Handicap at Charles Town looked to be a perfect spot for Lucy’s Bob Boy, a winner of 21 of 28 starts at the West Virginia track, and he was made the 2-5 morning-line choice. Unfortunately, the card was scrapped due to wind-chill concerns.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – A huge Saturday for 3-year-olds is on tap at Gulfstream, with fields for five stakes for sophomores having been drawn Monday.
The main event is the Grade 2, $400,000 Holy Bull Stakes, a 1 1/16-mile race that leads to the Feb. 21 Fountain of Youth and March 28 Florida Derby. Likely favorites in a field of 10 are Upstart, third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, and Frosted, second in the Remsen Stakes.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Pleuven figures to be returning to graded stakes competition after rallying to a one-length optional-claiming win over Gulfstream Park turf on Saturday. The outing was the first for Pleuven since his fourth-place finish here nearly 11 months earlier in the Grade 3 Palm Beach.
Pleuven, 4, began his career in his native France before joining trainer Chad Brown’s stable near the end of his 2-year-old campaign. He finished third in the Grade 3 Dania Beach in December 2013 in his U.S. debut.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Peter Walder said he has no immediate plans for Sr. Quisqueyano, the 20-1 winner of the Sunshine Millions Classic on Saturday at Gulfstream Park, although he said the Donn Handicap is out of the question.
“We’re just enjoying this one,” Walder said Monday. “We’re in Miami for the winter, right? It’s a good time and place to enjoy a victory like this.”
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Upstart and Frosted are the top names among a field of 10 entered in Gulfstream Park’s first Kentucky Derby points race of the year, the Grade 2, $400,000 Holy Bull Stakes on Saturday.
Upstart, third behind Texas Red and Carpe Diem in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile in his last start, was confirmed as a starter Sunday by trainer Rick Violette after a six-furlong workout in 1:12.20 at the Palm Meadows training center.
CYPRESS, Calif. – In his first workout since being named 2014 Horse of the Year and winning the Eclipse Award for outstanding 3-year-old male on Saturday, California Chrome worked seven furlongs in 1:27.20 at Los Alamitos on Monday. He went well in hand under jockey Victor Espinoza, continuing to impress trainer Art Sherman in advance of a scheduled comeback in the $500,000 San Antonio Stakes at Santa Anita on Feb. 7.
OLDSMAR, Fla. – When Roma’s Sister rallied inside through the late stages of Sunday’s opener to upset the heavily favored Fiesta Rose, the win was emblematic of trainer Gerald Bennett’s approach to life and training horses.
“I hate to lose, and I love to upset the status quo,” Bennett quipped not long ago.
Janelle Campbell seems to know how to light up the board. The young apprentice brought home Lady Lucilla to take the nightcap Saturday for an $85.40 payoff.
It was the fifth win of the meeting for Campbell, and if you had bet $2 on those five winners, you would have pocketed more than $306. Her other winning payoffs were $33.60, $4.80, $77.00, and a whopping $106.00.
Hocaba, the filly with the weird blinker and tons of speed, remained undefeated with an impressive 4 1/2-length victory over a field of 3-year-old fillies in Friday’s five-furlong feature that was moved from the turf to the main track.
Trained by Efren Loza Jr., the Sky Mesa filly races with a large and oddly shaped blinker on the right side, but it doesn’t seem to affect her way of travelling.
Lexie Lou, second to Thegirlinthatsong in Saturday’s Grade 2 La Canada Stakes on dirt, is likely to return to racing on turf in February.
Lexie Lou made the first 16 starts of her career on turf and synthetic tracks before the La Canada in which she was beaten 4 1/4 lengths as the even-money favorite by 6-1 Thegirlinthatsong.
On Sunday, trainer Mark Casse said he would consult with owner Gary Barber about Lexie Lou’s next start and mentioned the $200,000 Buena Vista Stakes over a mile on turf Feb. 16 as a possibility.
