ETOBICOKE, Ontario – For the second consecutive year, a winter claim at Gulfstream Park has resulted in a stakes win at Woodbine for trainer Nicholas Gonzalez and owner Tucci Stables.
Puntrooskie, a $50,000 claim in February, sat at the back of the pack early and looped the field en route to a five-length victory in Sunday’s $127,750 Woodstock Stakes.
“It didn’t surprise me that he won, but it was the way he won,” Gonzalez said. “There were some good horses behind him.”
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – After a couple of tough starts over the winter, a return to Woodbine appeared to suit Zensational Bunny well in last Saturday’s $144,000 Star Shoot Stakes, as she stalked the early pace and pounced in the stretch to win by 1 3/4 lengths over Paladin Bay.
“I was happy with [the race],” trainer Mark Casse said. “Her couple races this year, she’s had so many things go wrong, you don’t know how she’s going to react. We thought she trained well into the race, but not great, so I had some real concerns.”
Bolstered by a surge in offtrack business, Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., reported a double-digit gain in average daily handle during its 51-date meet that closed April 12. The track also reported record purses and a small gain in average daily attendance during the meet, which lost four full programs and two partial cards due to inclement weather.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Santa Anita finished its 69-day winter-spring meeting Sunday with an increase in average daily all-sources handle but a decline in average ontrack attendance, according to track president Tom Ludt.
The meeting, which began Dec. 26, had an increase in all-sources handle of approximately 4 percent. Attendance was down 8 percent, while ontrack handle was down approximately 1 percent, Ludt said.
The track did not release extensive business data after Sunday’s final day of the season.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Earlier this year, Chuck Winner went on a horse scouting mission to France.
The goal was to buy Baby Foot, a three-time winner at the time who was stakes-placed last summer. When the price was higher than expected, Winner turned his attention to Flamboyant, who finished second to Baby Foot in an allowance race in January.
A private deal was reached and Flamboyant was sent to California, joining trainer Paddy Gallagher’s stable.
“I liked what I saw and what I felt,” Winner said.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Living the Life, the winner of Friday’s $252,000 All-Weather Championship Fillies and Mares Condition Stakes at Lingfield, England, is set to join trainer Gary Mandella’s stable at Santa Anita in the next week.
Mandella said over the weekend that Living the Life is expected to be released from quarantine by Friday and that the 4-year-old filly will be pointed for the Del Mar meeting this summer.
Living the Life races for Henry Nothhaft, who has horses with Mandella and has recently started racing in England.
BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Todd Pletcher completed his final piece of important business in south Florida for the season when sending out two of his four potential Kentucky Derby starters, We Miss Artie and Intense Holiday, to work at his winter home, the Palm Meadows training center, Sunday morning.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - For the second consecutive morning, trainer Jose Garoffalo was forced to postpone a scheduled work at Gulfstream Park for his Kentucky Derby hopeful Wildcat Red on Saturday due to heavy rains in south Florida.
More than two inches of rain has fallen at Gulfstream over the last two days, with the second deluge striking during the early morning on Saturday. The main track was sloppy and sealed and the dogs were out throughout the four-hour training session.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Todd Pletcher-trained stablemates My Miss Sophia and Got Lucky, who swept the exacta in the Grade 2 Gazelle Stakes at Aqueduct earlier this month, worked a half-mile in company in 48 seconds at Churchill Downs in preparation for the Kentucky Oaks.
My Miss Sophia, who worked to the inside of her stablemate, finished a neck in front, and Churchill Downs clockers caught the pair galloping out in 1:01.60.
