Tue, 09/23/2014 - 13:48

Shared Belief completes preparation for Awesome Again

Shigeki Kikkawa
Shared Belief will be vanned to Santa Anita on Wednesday for Saturday's Awesome Again.

Shared Belief, in his final work for the Grade 1, $300,000 Awesome Again Stakes on Saturday at Santa Anita, worked a half-mile on Tuesday morning at Golden Gate Fields in 47.60 seconds, and was set to board a van early Wednesday morning for his trip to Southern California.

Shared Belief went alone with exercise rider Ricardo Gonzalez, trainer and co-owner Jerry Hollendorfer said. Hollendorfer said Shared Belief would walk very early Wednesday morning at Golden Gate before getting on a van with several other horses that Hollendorfer is sending to Santa Anita for the weekend.

Mon, 09/22/2014 - 15:34

Clearly Now done for the year

Barbara D. Livingston
Clearly Now wins the Belmont Sprint Championship on July 5.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Clearly Now, who finished eighth as the 4-5 favorite in the Grade 1 Forego at Saratoga on Aug. 30, will be given 60 days off and aimed to a 5-year-old campaign next year, trainer Brian Lynch said Monday.

Clearly Now, who won the Grade 3 Belmont Sprint Championship here in July and the Grade 3 Bold Ruler Handicap here last fall, was among the nominees to Saturday’s Grade 1 Vosburgh.

Mon, 09/22/2014 - 15:33

Private Zone to defend Vosburgh title

Tom Keyser
Private Zone (right) will try to defend his title in Saturday's $400,000 Vosburgh Stakes at Belmont Park.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Last year, Private Zone shipped to Belmont from Southern California and stole the Grade 1 Vosburgh on the front end.

Saturday, Private Zone will seek a repeat victory in the $400,000 Vosburgh, only his commute will be a lot shorter.

Mon, 09/22/2014 - 15:30

Itsmyluckyday assigned high weight in Kelso

Barbara D. Livingston
Itsmyluckyday wins the Woodward on Aug. 30 at Saratoga.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Woodward winner Itsmyluckyday was assigned high weight of 121 pounds for Saturday’s Grade 2, $400,000 Kelso Handicap at Belmont Park.

Shortly after Itsmyluckyday defeated Moreno in the Grade 1 Woodward, trainer Eddie Plesa announced that Itsmyluckyday would run in the Kelso and not the Jockey Club Gold Cup. In fact, Plesa didn’t even nominate Itsmyluckyday to the Gold Cup.

Mon, 09/22/2014 - 15:28

Main Sequence will use Joe Hirsch Turf Classic as final Breeders’ Cup prep

Tom Keyser
Main Sequence wins the Sword Dancer Invitational on Aug. 17 at Saratoga.

ELMONT, N.Y. – After posting back-to-back Grade 1 wins with Main Sequence this summer, Graham Motion briefly flirted with the idea of training him up to the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Santa Anita. But in the end, Motion thought the 11 weeks between his victory in the Aug. 17 Sword Dancer and the Breeders’ Cup might be too long.

Mon, 09/22/2014 - 15:03

Jockeys Court, Elliott poised to return to saddle

Tom Keyser
Jon Court fell off his mount, Canadian Winner, who broke down in the final race on Kentucky Derby Day at Churchill Downs. Canadian Winner had to be euthanized.

Jon Court is named on four mounts Saturday at Churchill Downs, which will mark his first rides since the 53-year-old jockey injured his hand in a nasty spill in the final race on the May 3 Kentucky Derby program.

Court was scheduled to see the renowned hand specialist Dr. Joseph Kutz on Tuesday.

“If he gives me the go-ahead, I’ll ride Saturday and Sunday and on into Keeneland,” said Court. “I’ve done a whole lot of rehabbing and the hand is finally feeling good.”

Elliott will ride Keeneland

Mon, 09/22/2014 - 14:57

Goldencents staying home for Sprint Championship

Benoit Photo
Goldencents pulled away early and stayed ahead Sunday in winning the Pat O'Brien Stakes at Saratoga.

Trainer Doug O’Neill had thought about sending Goldencents to Keeneland to take on two-time Horse of the Year Wise Dan in the Shadwell Mile. But after working Goldencents over the grass at Santa Anita on Saturday, O’Neill said the turf experiment will be put on hold.

“He breezed on turf the other day and went okay, but my rider said he thought we should work him a couple of more times on it before running him on the grass,” O’Neill said by phone from California on Monday morning. “We’re listening to the horse, and right now he’s telling us not to run him on the turf.”

Mon, 09/22/2014 - 14:44

Rematch looming in Raven Run

Reed Palmer Photography/Churchill Downs
Thank You Marylou could be headed to the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint after winning the Dogwood by 6 1/2 lengths under Miguel Mena.

Thank You Marylou and Fiftyshadesofgold could find themselves rematched at Keeneland after the 3-year-old fillies had a mismatch Saturday at Churchill.

Thank You Marylou, wearing blinkers for the first time, ran off to a 6 1/2-length triumph in the seven-furlong Dogwood Stakes, while Fiftyshadesofgold was fifth, beaten 10 lengths, as the 4-5 favorite.

Mon, 09/22/2014 - 14:36

Van Dyke to ride Wednesday

Benoit & Associates
Apprentice jockey Drayden Van Dyke, 20, was the leading rider, winning the second title of his career. He finished with 11 wins.

Drayden Van Dyke, the top apprentice on the Southern California circuit and a leading candidate for an Eclipse Award, will be among the riders back at Kentucky Downs for the closing-day card Wednesday. Van Dyke, who went winless with his six mounts Sept. 6 at Kentucky Downs, is named on three mounts, all for trainer Tom Proctor.

:: Kentucky Downs: Get PPs, watch Wednesday's card live

Mon, 09/22/2014 - 14:19

Tonalist, V. E. Day drill for Jockey Club Gold Cup

Barbara D. Livingston
V. E. Day (left) defeats stablemate Wicked Strong in the Travers.

ELMONT, N.Y. – The retirements of Palace Malice and Will Take Charge will leave the 3-year-olds as the strength of this year’s Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup field. On Monday, two members of the 3-year-old class put in their final workouts for Saturday’s Gold Cup at Belmont Park, where the winner’s share of $1 million and a fees-paid berth to the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic will be at stake. Working minutes apart were V. E. Day and Tonalist.