Wed, 04/02/2014 - 15:45

Hawthorne: Gore rolling through meet with 9 winners from 15 horses

Amanda Hodges Weir / Hodges Photography
Fordubai put away heavy favorite Prayer for Relief in upper stretch of the Louisiana Handicap.

STICKNEY, Ill. – You could say trainer Terrel Gore has gotten hot during the winter-spring meet at Hawthorne, but that would be saying far too little.

Wed, 04/02/2014 - 15:41

Arkansas Derby: Conquest Titan, Thundergram offer contrasting styles for Casse

Barbara D. Livingston
Conquest Titan, a deep closer, is one of two 3-year-olds Mark Casse plans to run in the April 12 Arkansas Derby.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Trainer Mark Casse is pointing Conquest Titan and Thundergram to the Grade 1, $1 million Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park, and the horses give him a two-pronged approach to the April 12 race. Thundergram has done his best work on the front end, while Conquest Titan is a deep closer.

Wed, 04/02/2014 - 15:26

Wood Memorial: Social Inclusion has much at stake

Barbara D. Livingston
Social Inclusion will try to prove he is a legitimate Kentucky Derby contender when he breaks from post 11 in Saturday's Wood Memorial.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – By sunset Saturday, Social Inclusion could be the favorite for the Kentucky Derby or he could be a fading memory.

A late-comer to the scene, Social Inclusion has impressed with two eye-catching victories in a 19-day span at Gulfstream Park, including a 10-length victory over the Grade 2 winner Honor Code in a race in which he set a track record of 1:40.97 for 1 1/16 miles.

[ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY: Prep races, point standings, replays]

Wed, 04/02/2014 - 14:39

Gulfstream Park: Sophomores Viva Majorca, Little Daddy show potential

Lost in all the hoopla surrounding Florida Derby weekend were the performances of Viva Majorca and Little Daddy, a pair of 3-year-olds with great potential but who were too late to arrive on the scene for the Kentucky Derby picture.

Wed, 04/02/2014 - 13:48

Gulfstream Park: Action Andy returns against tough lineup in allowance

Barbara D. Livingston
Action Andy wins an optional-claiming race Friday, his first victory since 2012.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Action Andy shipped down from his winter home at Tampa Bay Downs to dominate a good field of high-priced optional-claiming competition here three weeks ago. He’ll make the four-hour trip back to Gulfstream Park to face a similarly conditioned but seemingly tougher lineup that includes the Grade 3-placed Valid and multiple stakes winner Managed Account in Friday’s $54,500 allowance headliner at seven furlongs.

Wed, 04/02/2014 - 13:47

Keeneland: Testa Rossi heads baker's dozen for Ashland

Tom Keyser
Testa Rossi, ridden by Jose Lezcano, scores as the even-money favorite in the Florida Oaks.

Testa Rossi heads a field of 13 3-year-old fillies entered in the richest race of the opening three-day weekend at Keeneland, the Grade 1, $500,000 Ashland Stakes on Saturday.

From the rail, this is the field for the 1 1/16-mile Polytrack race: Istandford, Room Service, Macaroon, On the Backstreets, Thank You Marylou, Testa Rossi, Miss Besilu, Rosalind, Candy Kitty, Ireland, Saturday Bliss, Seeking Her Glory, and Resistivity.

Silver Max back in Kentucky

Wed, 04/02/2014 - 13:42

Keeneland: Blue Grass projected field looks full

Tom Keyser
Bobby's Kitten will be one of the prime contenders for the April 12 Blue Grass.

The field for the annual spring marquee at Keeneland, the Grade 1, $750,000 Blue Grass Stakes, is coming up big, with perhaps the 14-horse limit having to be invoked.

[ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY: Prep races, point standings, replays]

Wed, 04/02/2014 - 13:15

Keeneland: Ramsey turns focus to collecting stakes wins

Barbara D. Livingston
Ken Ramsey intends to run horses in 12 of the 16 stakes this spring at Keeneland, including Thank You Marylou in Saturday's Ashland.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Pretty soon you can just call him “Doctor Ramsey.”

Ken Ramsey has been such a phenomenal success as a racehorse owner and businessman that he is being conferred with an honorary doctorate degree.

“I just found out [Tuesday], and it brought tears to my eyes,” Ramsey said this week from his farm in nearby Nicholasville.

Wed, 04/02/2014 - 12:23

Keeneland to replace Polytrack with dirt track in time for fall meet

Keeneland/Coady Photography
Keeneland will replace its Polytrack synthetic surface, installed in 2006, with a dirt track in time for its fall meet.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – In a move with wide-ranging implications, Keeneland Race Course officials announced Wednesday that their Polytrack surface will be discarded shortly after the spring meet ends April 25 and replaced with a dirt track that will be ready for the fall meet in October.

The decision comes almost eight years after Polytrack was installed as a source of considerable intrigue and controversy at this bastion of tradition. Its elimination furthers the demise of synthetic surfaces for racing purposes in North America.

Wed, 04/02/2014 - 12:03

Fort Erie: Increased government funding paves way for 37-day meet

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Fort Erie Race Track will run a 37-day Thoroughbred race meet in 2014 after the Ontario government announced increased funding for the province’s horse-racing industry Monday.

The track will host live racing Sundays and Tuesdays this summer, with opening day scheduled for May 27. The meet will conclude Sept. 30. First post Sundays will be 2 p.m. Eastern, and first post Tuesdays will be 4:15 p.m.

Fort Erie will host the $500,000 Prince of Wales Stakes, the second jewel of the Canadian Triple Crown, on July 29.