ARCADIA, Calif. – Sahara Sky, the winner of the 2013 Metropolitan Mile and three other stakes in the last 15 months, will make his next start in the $400,000 Churchill Downs Stakes on the Kentucky Derby undercard May 3.
Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer said Friday that the Grade 2 Churchill Downs Stakes will serve as a prep for the $1,250,000 Met Mile at Belmont Park on June 7.
“He’s training so well, we want to give him a chance in the Churchill Downs race,” Hollendorfer said.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Fashion Plate and Ria Antonia, the first two finishers of the Grade 1 Santa Anita Oaks on April 5, remained on course for a rematch in the Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs on May 2 with workouts at Santa Anita on Friday.
Fashion Plate worked a half-mile in 49.60 seconds. Ria Antonia worked five furlongs in 59.40 seconds, the fastest of 62 recorded works at the distance.
For both fillies, the workouts were their first since the Santa Anita Oaks over 1 1/16 miles. The Kentucky Oaks is run over 1 1/8 miles.
Samraat and Uncle Sigh have remained on virtually the same schedule all winter and into the early spring. On Friday, however, they had vastly different agendas. Both put in workouts at Belmont Park two weeks ahead of the Kentucky Derby.
Gary Contessa, the trainer of Uncle Sigh, is making a couple of significant changes to his colt’s equipment after his fifth-place finish in the Wood Memorial, and on Friday he wanted to test them out.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Trainer Mike Mitchell is hanging it up – sort of.
Among the top trainers in Southern California with 18 meet titles and 2,678 wins, including a record 476 at Del Mar, Mitchell will turn over his operation to assistant Phil D’Amato after the sixth race Sunday at Santa Anita. Good Samurai will be Mitchell’s final starter.
“I’ve got to slow down a little bit,” Mitchell said. “I want to be able to train but also travel. My health issues have slowed me down. I’m good now, but I can’t do what I used to do.”
ARCADIA, Calif. – Eblouissante has lived in the spotlight since she made her first start at Hollywood Park in November 2012. Being a half-sister to 2010 Horse of the Year Zenyatta earns that attention.
But when Eblouissante starts in Sunday’s $75,000 Santa Lucia Stakes at Santa Anita, she will not be the focus of the race. Beholder, the champion 2-year-old filly of 2012 and champion 3-year-old filly of 2013, will have her first start of the year in the Santa Lucia, run over 1 1/16 miles for fillies and mares.
ARCADIA, Calif. – She’s a Tiger, the champion 2-year-old filly of 2013, worked seven furlongs in 1:26 at Santa Anita on Thursday, her final major exercise before she is sent to Kentucky next week for her 2014 debut in the $175,000 Eight Belles Stakes at Churchill Downs on May 2.
Ridden by jockey Gary Stevens, She’s a Tiger worked alone without being urged.
“We’re trying to get her to relax,” trainer Jeff Bonde said. “She’s ready.”
[DRF Live: Get live reports and handicapping insights from Santa Anita this Saturday]
General a Rod, one of the main Kentucky Derby threats out of Florida this winter, had his first breeze since shipping to Kentucky when going five furlongs Thursday in 59.80 seconds at the Trackside training center.
“It was a nice work, nothing out of character for him,” said trainer Mike Maker. “He’ll probably have just one more work before the Derby. We’ll send him over to Churchill to work the Monday or Tuesday before the race.”
Trackside clocker Richard McCreery caught General a Rod, who went without company, with a six-furlong gallop-out of 1:14.40.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Mike DePaulo led all trainers after opening weekend at Woodbine, with three wins from six starts. DePaulo had a string with him at Gulfstream throughout the winter, but he credited his wife, Josie, for his early success here because all three of those winners wintered in Ontario. DePaulo’s highest-profile runners are 2011 champion 3-year-old male Pender Harbour and Grade 2 winner Part the Seas, who was an astute $62,500 claim. He said he’s in a rebuilding mode and probably won’t be atop the standings for very long.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Jockey Patrick Husbands, who missed about half of the 2013 Woodbine meet after breaking his leg and ankle in a spill in May, seemed to be back on top of his game late in the fall. However, he said his foot was causing him some discomfort because he rushed back into action too soon, so he took the winter off to heal properly.
Husbands, a native of Barbados, won the March 8 Barbados Gold Cup on Major Marvel for owners Ken and Sarah Ramsey and trainer Mike Maker.
ELMONT, N.Y. – The two weeks leading up to the 2009 Kentucky Derby were torture for trainer Jimmy Jerkens.
His 3-year-old Quality Road – the winner of the Florida Derby and Fountain of Youth Stakes – went from potential Derby favorite to out of the race due to a quarter crack on a front foot that needed time to heal.
