Fri, 05/09/2014 - 13:15

Donoharm eyes Lone Star Handicap

Coady Photography
Donoharm will make his next start in the Grade 3 Lone Star Park Handicap on May 26.

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas – Donoharm will bring a strong last-race company line into his next start, the Grade 3, $200,000 Lone Star Park Handicap on May 26, according to trainer Bret Calhoun. The horse was second in an Oaklawn Park allowance won by Moonshine Mullin, who one start later captured the Grade 2 Alysheba at Churchill Downs on May 2.

Fri, 05/09/2014 - 12:10

Unbridled Forever likely for Acorn

Churchill Downs/Reed Palmer Photography
Unbridled Forever is passing the Rachel Alexandra and will go directly into the Fair Grounds Oaks.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Dallas Stewart said Unbridled Forever came out of her third-place finish in the Kentucky Oaks in good shape and likely will run next in the Grade 1, $750,000 Acorn Stakes on the huge June 7 Belmont Stakes undercard in New York.

“We just got outrun by Untapable, but I thought our filly ran big,” said Stewart.

Trainer Steve Asmussen said this week that the one-mile Acorn “has been mentioned” as a next start for Oaks winner Untapable, with the Grade 1 Mother Goose three weeks later the other return possibility.

Fri, 05/09/2014 - 12:08

Global View targets Penn Mile

Barbara D. Livingston
Global View finished down the center of the course to win by a neck in the American Turf Stakes on the Kentucky Derby undercard Saturday at Churchill Downs.

Trainer Tom Proctor said the $500,000 Penn Mile on May 31 at Penn National is the likely next start for Global View, the winner of the Grade 2 American Turf Stakes on the Kentucky Derby undercard May 3.

“There are some other spots we could run in, but that’s the most likely one,” Proctor said. “The colt came out of it good, and we were really happy with how he ran.”

Global View, owned by Glen Hill Farm, won the Grade 3 Generous Stakes last fall at Hollywood Park, then was defeated in his first two starts at 3 prior to his rallying triumph in the American Turf.

Fri, 05/09/2014 - 12:05

Centre Court out of action until summer due to bruised foot

Barbara D. Livingston
Stephanie's Kitten, left, and Centre Court will have the sixth meeting in their rivalry Saturday in the Jenny Wiley Stakes at Keeneland.

Centre Court exited her fifth-place finish in the Grade 2 Churchill Distaff Turf Mile with a bruised foot that will keep her out of action until this summer, said trainer Rusty Arnold.

Centre Court was never a factor as the 7-5 favorite in the Derby Day fixture May 3. The 5-year-old mare is a multiple graded stakes winner and an earner of $928,548.

Thu, 05/08/2014 - 16:13

Grace Hall returns in Ruffian

Tom Keyser
Multiple graded stakes winner Grace Hall will make her first start in 13 months in Sunday's Ruffian.

Grace Hall, a four-time graded stakes winner who has been away from the races for 13 months, makes her first start for trainer Bill Mott in Sunday’s Grade 2, $250,000 Ruffian Stakes against five rivals at Belmont Park.

Thu, 05/08/2014 - 16:07

Palace Malice has few challengers in Westchester

Lou Hodges Jr./Hodges Photography
Palace Malice will face just three rivals in Sunday's one-mile Westchester.

Palace Malice, arguably the top older male in training this year, figures to be a short-priced favorite in Sunday’s Grade 3, $150,000 Westchester Stakes at Belmont Park.

Only three horses were entered against Palace Malice, the winner of the Gulfstream Park and New Orleans handicaps this year, prompting NYRA officials to card this as the third race.

Thu, 05/08/2014 - 16:00

Road warrior Grandeur visits New York for Man o' War

Shigeki Kikkawa
The European-based Grandeur is a two-time graded stakes winner in the United States, including the 2012 Hollywood Turf Cup.

ELMONT, N.Y. – He has played California and Chicago, Hong Kong and England. On Sunday, the Irish-bred Grandeur tries New York for the first time when he runs in the Grade 1, $400,000 Man o’ War Stakes at Belmont Park.

Thu, 05/08/2014 - 15:50

Casse's barn targets variety of stakes

Tom Keyser
The Mark Casse-trained Kaigun may make his next start in the Manhattan Invitational at Belmont Park after second- and fourth-place finishes behind Wise Dan in his last two outings.

Mark Casse, fresh off capturing the training title at the prestigious Keeneland spring meet, has a lot on his plate as the Woodbine meet gears up. He said the upwardly mobile turf expert Kaigun might start June 7 in the Grade 1 Manhattan Invitational at Belmont rather than returning home for the Grade 2 Connaught Cup over seven furlongs May 31. Kaigun finished second and fourth behind Wise Dan in his last two outings, both in Grade 1 races in Kentucky.

Thu, 05/08/2014 - 13:35

Transitional meet opens with Decathlon Stakes

OCEANPORT, N.J. – The Monmouth Park meet opens Saturday for what promises to be another transitional racing season on the Jersey Shore.

The meet kicks off with a 12-race card starting at 12:50 p.m. Eastern. The $75,000 Decathlon Stakes for sprinters tops the first of 57 programs through Sept. 28.

Monmouth will race Saturday and Sunday in May, as well as Memorial Day. The schedule expands to Friday through Sunday in June.

Thu, 05/08/2014 - 13:27

Nielsen high on Ole’s Miss after Ross McLeod upset

Four-Footed Fotos
Ole's Miss (outside) wins the Ross McLeod Stakes on Saturday at Hastings.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Owner Ole Nielsen of Canmor Farms was understandably excited after his Ole’s Miss upset Arabella’s Muse in a thrilling renewal of the $50,000 Ross McLeod at Hastings last Saturday. Nielsen may have been a bit overexuberant when he compared her with another horse he owns, Monashee, though. After all, Monashee won 14 stakes, including the Grade 3 British Columbia Oaks and the Grade 3 Ballerina twice.