ARCADIA, Calif. – Candy Boy emerged from his victory in the Grade 2, $200,500 Robert B. Lewis Stakes on Saturday in good condition and likely will await the Grade 1, $1 million Santa Anita Derby on April 5 for his next start, trainer John Sadler said Sunday.
“I think I’ll wait for the Santa Anita Derby,” Sadler said. “I’m not in a hurry to rush back.”
The mutuel field closed as a big favorite Saturday, the third and final day of wagering into Pool 2 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager.
The field – the 24th or “all others” option – is the 3-2 favorite, followed by Honor Code (12-1), Cairo Prince (13-1), Top Billing (13-1), Shared Belief (14-1), Strong Mandate (17-1), and Midnight Hawk (19-1).
Pool 2 closed at 6 p.m. Eastern, about an hour before Candy Boy (32-1) won the Grade 2 Robert Lewis Stakes at Santa Anita. The Lewis was the only prep race with Derby points (10 to the winner) this weekend.
ALBANY, Calif. - Undefeated Exit Stage Left, winner of the Golden Nugget, Gold Rush, and California Derby, was injured during training Saturday at Golden Gate Fields and will miss the Feb. 15 El Camino Real Derby trainer Jerry Hollendorfer said.
The potential favorite for the Grade 3, $200,000 El Camino Real Derby, Exit Stage Left had a six-furlong bullet work of 1:13.60 on Feb. 2. He was galloping on Saturday when injured.
[ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY: Prep races, point standings, replays]
ARCADIA, Calif. - Wagering at California tracks rose 14 percent in January, bucking a national trend, according to discussions at an open forum conducted at Santa Anita by the Thoroughbred Owners of California on Saturday.
“With the country being down on handle, a lot of that has to do with weather on the East Coast, wagering on California was up 14 percent and purse generation was up 12 percent,” said TOC president Joe Morris. “We’ve been consistently outperforming this year. That’s good news for us out here.”
Heitai, who has been turning out triple-digit Beyer Speed Figures on a regular basis since November, could make his next start at Sam Houston Race Park, said his trainer, Karl Broberg. The horse is being considered for one of two upcoming stakes, he said, the other being at Fair Grounds.
Jockey Martin Pedroza faces an indefinite absence after sustaining a fractured left leg when he was unseated from Sargentina after the start of Friday’s eighth race for maiden claimers at Santa Anita.
Pedroza remained hospitalized on Saturday morning and had considerable swelling, according to his agent, Richie Silverstein. Pedroza fractured a shin when he was unseated.
“It was a straight break around the shin area,” Silverstein wrote in a text on Saturday morning.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Trainer Linda Rice is considering sending her two top New York-bred sprinters to Maryland for next weekend’s graded stakes races at Laurel Park.
La Verdad, who has won five consecutive races, is a definite for the Grade 2, $300,000 Barbara Fritchie Handicap on Saturday while Palace, winner of the Grade 3 Fall Highweight last fall, is possible for the Grade 3, $250,000 General George Handicap on Feb. 17.
CYPRESS, Calif. – California Chrome, who has dominated California-bred stakes in recent months, worked a half-mile in 48 seconds at Los Alamitos on Saturday, preparing for the $300,000 San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita on March 8.
Ridden by Victor Espinoza, California Chrome worked alone on the newly expanded dirt track at Los Alamitos, which began housing Thoroughbreds in late January after the closure of Hollywood Park’s barn area.
Trainer Ken McPeek had a very busy Saturday morning when sending out a handful of his stable stars for serious work.
Four-year-olds War Dancer and Frac Daddy breezed in company, finishing five furlongs in 59.20 seconds after going neck-and-neck throughout.
“I thought they went really nice,” said McPeek. “There are a couple of allowance races in the book for them, but I’m thinking we might be heading for more ambitious spots with both.”
War Dancer is a Grade 2 winner on turf, while Frac Daddy is multiple-graded-placed while competitive on a variety of surfaces.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – It was back to serious work for Mucho Macho Man early Saturday morning, with the reigning Breeders’ Cup Classic winner breezing an easy half-mile over a very fast track in 46.91 seconds under regular exercise rider Nick Petro Jr. It was his first work since cruising to an easy-as-can-be victory in the Sunshine Millions Classic that was little more than a public workout three weeks earlier.
