NEW ORLEANS – For trainer Al Stall Jr., a local boy made good, this has been a fairly quiet winter at Fair Grounds, where he has lamented the purse cuts and quality of racing, factors that led to him giving his stable stars an easier winter than might have been expected.
NEW ORLEANS – Louies Flower won three straight races at Remington Park last year, then headed to Oaklawn Park, where he was purposely kept out of the Smarty Jones Stakes in January to await the Southwest Stakes on Feb. 17. His trainer, Bret Calhoun, now thinks that was a major mistake and believes that Louies Flower, who ran last in the Southwest, can improve when he starts in the Grade 2, $1 million Louisiana Derby on Saturday at Fair Grounds.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Ami’s Holiday, who is 10-1 on a winter-book line for the $1 million Queen’s Plate, likely will launch his 3-year-old season next month at Keeneland, trainer Josie Carroll said Wednesday. The winner of last year’s Grade 3 Grey on Polytrack at Woodbine, the horse breezed six furlongs in 1:14.80 at Oaklawn on March 20. He last raced Dec. 8 and was third as the favorite in the $134,000 Display at Woodbine.
Horses competing in Aqueduct’s upcoming $1 million Wood Memorial on April 5 will be subject to out-of-competition blood testing for banned substances, be required on the grounds by April 2, and are subject to 24-hour monitoring at their trainers’ own barns and stalls on the grounds, the New York State Gaming Commission announced.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Strong Mandate has had a couple of eventful mornings this week at Oaklawn Park but remains on course for the Grade 1, $1 million Arkansas Derby on April 12 despite a less-than-ideal workout Wednesday.
Strong Mandate breezed a half-mile in 54 seconds soon after the track opened, then lost his exercise rider, Alberto Rodriguez, galloping out after the wire. Strong Mandate was caught by an outrider without incident and came back fine, as did Rodriguez, trainer D. Wayne Lukas said later in the morning.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Tom Ludt, the former chairman of the Breeders’ Cup, was named president of Santa Anita on Wednesday, replacing George Haines, who will direct the network of Southern California offtrack wagering locations, the track announced.
Ludt, 49, joined Santa Anita in April 2013 as senior vice president of racing and gaming. He has a background as an executive in both Thoroughbred racing and breeding as the president of Vinery Farms in Kentucky from 2004-13 and the chairman of the Breeders’ Cup board of directors from 2011-13.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Wednesday, Game On Dude worked a half-mile in 48 seconds, preparing for a start in the $1.5 million Charles Town Classic in West Virginia on April 19.
Trained by Bob Baffert, Game On Dude won the 2013 Charles Town Classic.
Wednesday, Baffert worked two of his leading 3-year-olds – Bayern and The Admiral.
[ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY: Prep races, point standings, replays]
ARCADIA, CAlif. - Honey Ride, the winner of a maiden race over a mile on March 2, may run in the $400,000 Santa Anita Oaks on April 5, trainer John Sadler said. The Grade 1 Santa Anita Oaks would be the stakes debut for Honey Ride, who races for Jerry and Ann Moss.
Sadler said that a workout on Sunday would determine whether Honey Ride runs.
“I’d like to go in an easier race,” Sadler said. “You don’t want to go from a maiden to a [graded] race.”
ARCADIA, Calif. - Moreno, the winner of the Grade 2 Dwyer Stakes at Belmont Park last July, will skip Sunday’s $75,000 Santana Mile in favor of stakes at Charles Town or Oaklawn Park, trainer Eric Guillot said on Wednesday.
Guillot said he is considering the $1.5 million Charles Town Classic April 19 or the $500,000 Oaklawn Handicap on April 12. Moreno has not raced since finishing 10th in the BC Classic last November.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Ever Rider arrived in California from Argentina last fall with the reputation as a main-track distance horse who would be dangerous in the Breeders’ Cup Marathon.
Ever Rider was the 4-1 favorite in the Marathon, but did not finish the race. Jockey Gary Stevens pulled him up on the backstretch.
“The saddle wasn’t right that day,” trainer Mike Puype said on Wednesday. “When he was done, Gary stopped on him.”
