Vicar’s in Trouble was out for serious work Saturday when he breezed five furlongs in 1:00.40 over a fast track at the Trackside training center in Louisville, Ky.
Working in company with a horse who has been racing in starter-allowance company, Vicar’s in Trouble was timed going out six furlongs in 1:15.60 by clocker Richard McCreery. It was the second work for the Into Mischief colt since he returned to Kentucky following his 3 1/2-length victory in the March 29 Louisiana Derby.
CYPRESS, Calif. – California Chrome worked a half-mile in 47.80 seconds on Saturday morning at Los Alamitos, his penultimate work before heading to Churchill Downs for the May 3 Kentucky Derby.
California Chrome's position as the Kentucky Derby favorite has solidified over the past week with injuries to top contenders Constitution and Cairo Prince. He became the favorite off four straight wins, most recently the Santa Anita Derby on April 5.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Candy Boy, third in the $1 million Santa Anita Derby on April 5, worked five furlongs in 59.80 seconds at Santa Anita on Saturday, his final local workout in advance of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 3.
Candy Boy was ridden by jockey Gary Stevens, and worked in company with a stablemate. Candy Boy started a half-length behind, caught the pacesetter on the turn, and pulled away in the stretch while racing outside hsi workmate.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - A precautionary quarantine that had been in place on a barn at Aqueduct for a week was lifted Saturday after further tests taken on a deceased horse were negative for equine herpesvirus.
“The state vet called last night and lifted the quarantine,” said Dr. Anthony Verderosa, chief examining veterinarian for the New York Racing Association. “He was confident it wasn’t herpes.”
Dance With Fate will run for the roses.
After being noncommittal regarding a start in the Kentucky Derby following Dance With Fate’s victory in the Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes over Keeneland’s Polytrack on April 12, the colt’s connections announced Friday that the horse will run in North America’s most famous race May 3 at Churchill Downs.
The decision was first announced by Britney Eurton, the daughter of trainer Peter Eurton, on TVG and later confirmed by the trainer.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Alert Bay gave trainer Blaine Wright his first Santa Anita stakes winner in the $200,000 Echo Eddie Stakes on April 5. When Alert Bay runs in the $250,000 Snow Chief Stakes over 1 1/8 miles on turf April 26, he could be part of an even more memorable day for the 39-year-old Wright.
The trainer also plans to run multiple graded stakes winner Hudson Landing in the Grade 3 San Francisco Mile on turf at Golden Gate Fields the same day.
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.”
