Sat, 04/12/2014 - 15:45

Belmont's Ogden Phipps next target for Close Hatches

Tom Keyser
Close Hatches (right), with Joel Rosario aboard, will be pointed to the $1 million Ogden Phipps at Belmont Park on June 7.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Close Hatches spent a quiet morning at Oaklawn Park on Saturday, taking advantage of some well-earned grazing time following her powerful, front-running win in the Grade 1, $600,000 Apple Blossom Handicap on Friday. It was her second graded stakes score in two starts this year, the other being the Grade 2, $200,000 Azeri in her 4-year-old debut March 15. Close Hatches is now targeting the Grade 1, $1 million Ogden Phipps at Belmont Park on June 7.

Sat, 04/12/2014 - 14:42

Lemon Drop Dream going to Churchill

Tom Keyser
Lemon Drop Dream (No. 5) and jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. win the Count Fleet Sprint Handicap by a neck over Alsvid on Thursday.

Lemon Drop Dream, who won the Grade 3, $300,000 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap on Thursday at Oaklawn, will now head to Churchill Downs with his next race to be determined, Asmussen said Saturday. Lemon Drop Dream caught Alsvid on the wire for a neck win in the Count Fleet, covering six furlongs in 1:09.15 and earning a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 99.

Sat, 04/12/2014 - 14:32

Humana Distaff might be next for Speedinthruthecity

Coady Photography
Speedinthruthecity, under Luis Quinonez, enables trainer Steve Asmussen to win the Carousel Stakes for the sixth time.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. -- Speedinthruthecity could get a shot at Grade 1 rivals next month following her powerful win in the $100,000 Carousel at Oaklawn Park. She is being considered for the Grade 1, $300,000 Humana Distaff at Churchill Downs, trainer Steve Asmussen said on Saturday. The seven-furlong race for fillies and mares is May 3.

The Carousel was one of the nine stakes that made up this year’s Racing Festival of the South at Oaklawn, with the $3.3 million series to close Saturday with the Grade 1, $1 million Arkansas Derby.

Sat, 04/12/2014 - 14:04

Beholder works seven furlongs, nearing return

Barbara D. Livingston
Beholder could earn a second consecutive divisional Eclipse Award representing sire Henny Hughes.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Beholder, the champion 3-year-old filly of 2013, worked seven furlongs in 1:27.60 at Santa Anita on Saturday, moving closer to her 2014 debut.

Trainer Richard Mandella timed Beholder in 1:27.

“It was a nice, easy cruise,” Mandella said. “She galloped out a mile. We’re getting closer.”

Beholder, who was also the champion 2-year-old filly of 2012, has not raced since winning the Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Santa Anita last November. Owned by B. Wayne Hughes, Beholder has won 8 of 12 starts and $3,075,000.

Sat, 04/12/2014 - 12:30

Moreno scratched from Oaklawn Handicap

Barbara D. Livingston
Breeders' Cup Classic contender Moreno breezes five furlongs in 59 seconds and change Saturday at Santa Anita.

Moreno was scratched from Saturday’s Grade 2, $600,000 Oaklawn Handicap due to a case of shipping fever, according to trainer Eric Guillot, who added that he is now considering running the horse in the $1.5 million Charles Town Classic on April 19.

Guillot said Moreno had a 102-degree temperature on Thursday in Arkansas following a flight from Southern California. Guillot said Moreno needed to be treated with antibiotics to reduce the fever, which resulted in him having to scratch from Saturday’s race.

Sat, 04/12/2014 - 11:49

Keeneland notes: Reload sidelined after Maker's 46 scratch

Barbara D. Livingston
Reload carries Javier Castellano to his sixth win on Saturday's first 10 races in the Canadian Turf Stakes.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Reload, scratched from the Grade 1 Maker’s 46 Mile on Friday at Keeneland after filling was detected in a tendon, “probably will be all right in time,” trainer Shug McGaughey said Saturday morning.

McGaughey said he wants Dr. Larry Bramlage, who has been out of town, to make a definitive diagnosis.

“We’re waiting for Dr. Bramlage to take a look at it and tell us what we need to do,” said McGaughey. “It’s my guess the horse will be all right, but you don’t know how much time that’ll take.”

Sat, 04/12/2014 - 10:28

Sittin At the Bar holds on in Hallowed Dreams

OPELPOUSAS, La. – Sittin At the Bar ran her local record to a perfect 4 for 4 on Friday night when she captured the $60,000 Hallowed Dreams Stakes at Evangeline Downs. Afternoon Tango finished a half-length back in second and 6 1/4 lengths in front of Guadalupe High in third. Dawn’s Cherokee was a late scratch in the six-furlong affair for fillies and mares.

Sat, 04/12/2014 - 09:11

Triple dead heat for win

Evangeline Downs
All in the Art, Chessie Slew, and Memories of Trina hit the wire together in Friday's fifth race at Evangeline Downs.

OPELOUSAS, La. – Friday night’s fifth race at Evangeline Downs produced a racing rarity when All in the Art, Chessie Slew, and Memories of Trina hit the wire together, resulting in a triple dead heat for the win. Lady Bistineau, the 2-1 favorite, finished a length back in fourth in the six-furlong race for $15,000 maiden-claiming fillies.

Fri, 04/11/2014 - 19:06

Santa Anita to restore rolling doubles

ARCADIA, Calif. – Santa Anita will resume offering rolling doubles with an 18 percent takeout rate at the start of its spring-summer meeting April 25, the track announced Friday.

The decision was made after discussions with the Thoroughbred Owners of California, whose board of directors approved the plan Friday.

The resumption of rolling doubles reverses the current plan of offering three daily doubles each day – on the first two races, the fourth and fifth races, and the last two races – which has been in place since the start of the winter-spring meeting Dec. 26.

Fri, 04/11/2014 - 15:34

Little Daddy on the rise in Vaccarezza barn

Little Mike is still the star of owner-trainer Carlo Vaccarezza’s barn, but he might have to start sharing some of the glory with his undefeated stablemate, Little Daddy, a New York-bred son of Scat Daddy who followed his impressive maiden win with a come-from-behind 1 1/4-length allowance victory March 30 over the well-regarded All in Blue.

Little Daddy breezed an easy but impressive half-mile in 46.14 seconds before galloping out five-eighths in 59.24 here Friday.