ELMONT, N.Y. – An early-season star of the 3-year-old division, Constitution looks to get a head start on his 4-year-old campaign when he returns to the races in an $85,000 allowance race Sunday at Belmont Park.
During the winter at Gulfstream, Constitution won the first three starts of his career, including the Grade 1 Florida Derby, and was seemingly on his way to the Kentucky Derby when he sustained a cracked shin during training in April.
Trainer Craig MacPherson has wrapped up his second straight training title, and after Monday, he’ll be heading to Woodbine, where he’ll have seven horses in training. Six are owned by Chad Joe, who races under the stable name Copper Water Thoroughbred Co.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Lakerville, a stakes winner on the hillside turf course, has been retired, trainer Barry Abrams said Friday.
The 6-year-old Lakerville won 5 of 11 starts and $318,910 in a career highlighted by a win in the Clocker’s Corner Stakes last January. Lakerville was in training for a potential start in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint on Nov. 1 when he was injured.
“It’s minor, but he would need two months off,” Abrams said. “It’s time for him to be a stallion.”
ARCADIA, Calif. – Top Kisser, the winner of the L.A. Woman Stakes on Oct. 4, is scheduled to make her next start in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Santa Anita on Nov. 1, trainer Jerry Hollendorfer said Friday.
Top Kisser has won 7 of 14 starts and $407,100. The Grade 3 L.A. Woman Stakes was her third stakes win but her first in a graded stakes.
The BC Filly and Mare Sprint is run over seven furlongs. The L.A. Woman Stakes was run over 6 1/2 furlongs.
“The distance looks like it will be ideal,” Hollendorfer said of the Breeders’ Cup.
Miss Behaviour on Friday completed her serious preparations for next weekend’s Grade 2 Raven Run at Keeneland by working five furlongs in 1:01.60 at her home base of Laurel Park.
“It was just a nice, easy maintenance work,” said trainer Phil Schoenthal.
Miss Behaviour is coming off an easy 9 3/4-length victory in the Grade 3, $500,000 Charles Town Oaks. In her two prior starts, she finished second in the Grade 1 Test and Grade 2 Prioress at Saratoga.
Maryland Million Day is a highlight of the Laurel Park meeting each fall, and there will be a celebratory vibe at the track next Saturday, when the series of seven stakes and four undercard races are run.
The expected starters include Eighttofasttocatch, who will be going for his third Classic win in the last four years, and Roadhog, who will be shooting for his third straight Turf victory.
But the participation of Ben’s Cat, Maryland’s most well-known horse, is up in the air.
Nick Zito doesn’t do this very often, but after Catholic Cowboy failed to fire Wednesday in a 1 1/16-mile allowance, the Hall of Fame trainer entered the 4-year-old colt back for a seven-furlong allowance Sunday.
“He was so fired up after [the Wednesday race] that he got loose from the hot walker and was running through the stable area,” said Zito. “Luckily, we caught him right away, but that told me he barely did any running, so we’re coming right back at them. He’s better than what he showed.”
Thank You Marylou will try to stamp her ticket to the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint when starting Oct. 18 in the Grade 2 Raven Run Stakes, the highlight of the next week of racing at Keeneland.
Owned by Ken and Sarah Ramsey and trained by Mike Maker, Thank You Marylou gave a breakthrough performance in winning the Sept. 20 Dogwood Stakes at Churchill when wearing blinkers for the first time. She is one of 29 3-year-old fillies nominated to the seven-furlong Raven Run.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Rocket Time earned an 88 Beyer Speed Figure in winning the Thursday feature at Keeneland, a victory trainer Al Stall Jr. partly credits to the 3-year-old recently having been gelded.
“I’m much happier with his attitude now,” said Stall. “He’s always been a big, physical, strong-looking horse, but he’s made some mistakes going around there. Hopefully, we’re on the right track with him now.”
