Fri, 12/19/2014 - 14:41

Travis Stone named new Churchill Downs race-caller

Bill Denver/Equi-Photo
Travis Stone has been the full-time race caller at Louisiana Downs since 2006.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Churchill Downs Inc. announced Friday that Travis Stone has been hired as the new race-caller at its flagship track, replacing Larry Collmus, who resigned after just one year to work primarily at the New York Racing Association.

Stone, 30, becomes the eighth caller in track history. A native of Schroon Lake, N.Y., Stone began calling races full time at Louisiana Downs in 2006, and moved this summer to call at Monmouth Park before most recently moving into a part-time position with NYRA.

Fri, 12/19/2014 - 13:31

Honor Code's 2015 debut pushed back to March

Barbara D. Livingston
Instead of running in the Hal's Hope on Jan. 10, Honor Code will be pointed to the Gulfstream Park Handicap on March 7.

Trainer Shug McGaughey has decided to tweak the original itinerary he set out for Honor Code when the horse first arrived in south Florida. Instead of launching his 2015 campaign in the one-mile Hal’s Hope on Jan. 10 as a prep for the Grade 1 Donn Handicap, Honor Code will now start just once at the meet, in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Handicap on March 7.

Fri, 12/19/2014 - 12:53

Top prospect Mr. Jordan out indefinitely with ligament injury

Leslie Martin/Coglianese Photos
Mr. Jordan, unbeaten in three starts at 2, sustained an injury during a workout Tuesday.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – The Kentucky Derby dreams of Mr. Jordan and his connections were dashed earlier this week after the undefeated 2-year-old injured a check ligament during a workout at Gulfstream Park West.

Trainer Eddie Plesa Jr. said Mr. Jordan likely sustained the injury while pulling up after breezing an easy half-mile in 48 seconds on Tuesday. The work was the first for Mr. Jordan since his impressive 4 1/2-length victory going a mile in the Smooth Air Stakes on Nov. 29.

Fri, 12/19/2014 - 12:08

West Coast Belle another filly success for Catalano

Churchill Downs/Reed Palmer Photography
West Coast Belle kept her undefeated record intact when she won the Golden Rod Stakes in November.

NEW ORLEANS – Trainer Wayne Catalano was all smiles after watching the undefeated 2-year-old filly West Coast Belle work a half-mile Wednesday morning at Fair Grounds.

“She went 48 and 2 like nothing,” Catalano said.

A petite gray daughter of Tapit, West Coast Belle was working for the first time since coming to New Orleans from Churchill Downs, where she won the Grade 2 Golden Rod Stakes on Nov. 27 in her third start.

A specific racing schedule hasn’t been made, Catalano said. Getting her to the Kentucky Oaks in as good a shape as possible is his general plan.

Thu, 12/18/2014 - 15:40

Strathnaver retired

Tom Keyser
Strathnaver ends her career with two stakes wins and nearly $500,000 in earnings.

Strathnaver, the winner of two stakes including the Grade 3 Bewitch Stakes at Keeneland in 2013, has been retired and will be bred in 2015, trainer Graham Motion said.

Earlier this week, the 5-year-old Strathnaver was sent from Motion’s California stable to Kentucky. The mare ended her career with a fifth-place finish in the Grade 1 Matriarch Stakes at Del Mar on Nov. 30. She was second in the Grade 2 Goldikova Stakes at Santa Anita on Nov. 2.

Owned by Andrew Stone, Strathnaver won 5 of 23 starts and earned $463,070.

Thu, 12/18/2014 - 15:34

El Nino Terrible heads up Saturday optional claimer

Trainer Peter Miller has the likely favorite in Saturday’s fifth race at Los Alamitos in El Nino Terrible, a 3-year-old colt who won an optional claimer over 1 1/16 miles Nov. 23 at Del Mar. The race Saturday is for 3-year-olds and up going 1 1/16 miles.

The field of six includes the sparingly raced Setsuko, who was second in the Santa Anita Handicap in 2011 and 2012 but has made just three starts in the last two years, and Big Kick, the winner of the San Juan Capistrano Handicap over about 1 3/4 miles on turf at Santa Anita in June.

Thu, 12/18/2014 - 15:32

Red Outlaw eyes rebound in Mathis Brothers Mile

Shigeki Kikkawa
Red Outlaw captured his sixth consecutive win with the Uniformity Stakes in October.

Shared Belief, who was beaten for the first time in his eight-race career when he finished a troubled fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Classic Nov. 1, will be favored in the $300,000 Malibu Stakes at Santa Anita Dec. 26. He is not the only 3-year-old on that card who will try to get back to the winner’s circle after having a long win streak that ended recently.

Red Outlaw, who lost for the first time in his seventh start when fourth in the Cary Grant Stakes at Del Mar on Nov. 23, is likely to start that day in the $200,000 Mathis Brothers Mile for 3-year-olds on turf.

Wed, 12/17/2014 - 15:54

Eagle pointing to Lecomte Stakes

Churchill Downs/Reed Palmer Photography
Eagle (left), finishing third in the Kentucky Jockey Club, will make his next start in the Jan. 17 Lecomte.

Eagle, who finished a close, closing third in the Nov. 29 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at Churchill, had his first work since shipping to New Orleans when he went an easy half-mile last Friday. Trainer Neil Howard said he is pointing Eagle to the Grade 3, $200,000 Lecomte Stakes here at Fair Grounds on Jan. 17.

“He’s been on a little bit of a busman’s holiday, because once we get rolling in January there won’t be much time for rest,” Howard said. “Right now we’re pointing for the Lecomte. That should give us some direction about how to proceed.”

Wed, 12/17/2014 - 15:45

Delaunay may switch to turf for Bonapaw

Lynn Roberts/Hodges Photography
Delaunay, coming off a career-best 111 Beyer in the Thanksgiving Handicap, may make a rare try on turf in the Bonapaw Stakes.

Delaunay, who brilliantly won the Thanksgiving Handicap in his most recent start, could switch from dirt to turf for his next start, trainer Tom Amoss said this week.

Wed, 12/17/2014 - 15:37

American Pharoah set to resume training in January

Shigeki Kikkawa
American Pharoah led throughout Saturday to win the 1 1/16-mile FrontRunner Stakes at Santa Anita Park.

American Pharoah, the favorite for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile before being sidelined with an injury, is tack walking and will not return to the track to begin training until Jan. 1, his trainer, Bob Baffert, said Wednesday morning.

Baffert said American Pharoah would begin jogging Jan. 1. He said under the current schedule, American Pharoah “won’t run until March.”