ARCADIA, Calif. – The elongated season under which Santa Anita now operates could be advantageous for Let Faith Arise, who has progressed mightily this meet and reached new heights by capturing the Grade 1 Santa Margarita Stakes on Saturday.
OLDSMAR, Fla. – Just prior to the opening of the 2013-14 Tampa Bay Downs meeting, trainer Jamie Ness was asked for an assessment of his expectations for the season.
“I think we’ll have a good meeting but we’ve had a long year,” Ness said. “Many of our horses need a little break, and we’re also leaving some horses up north, so while I’m cautiously optimistic, I also realize it will be tough this winter.”
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Bob Baffert, the trainer of Hoppertunity, on Sunday morning at Santa Anita said the Rebel winner would run next in either the Santa Anita Derby on April 5, or return to Oaklawn for the Arkansas Derby on April 12. Both are $1 million races at 1 1/8 miles. Hoppertunity earned a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 100 for his half-length win over Tapiture in the Rebel, a Grade 2, $600,000 race run Saturday.
[ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY: Prep races, point standings, replays]
Trainers Bob Baffert and Todd Pletcher plan to invade New Mexico with two shippers each next Sunday for the Grade 3, $800,000 Sunland Park Derby. The 1 1/8-mile race could have as many as 10 horses when entries are drawn on Wednesday.
The Sunland Derby carries 85 preference points for the Kentucky Derby, to be divided among the first four finishers on a scale of 50-20-10-5. The Sunland Derby anchors a program of seven stakes worth a cumulative $1.4 million. The program includes the $200,000 Sunland Park Oaks, which offers its first four finishers points toward the Kentucky Oaks.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Onlyforyou, a winner of her first four career starts including the Grade 2 Forward Gal and Grade 2 Davona Dale stakes here earlier in the meet, was euthanized Saturday after suffering a condylar fracture while galloping out after a routine workout at Palm Meadows.
Onlyforyou, a 3-year-old daughter of Malibu Moon, was owned by Glencrest Farm LLC. She was preparing for a scheduled start in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks on March 29.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Having already won the Fountain of Youth Stakes and earned enough qualifying points to be virtually assured of making it into the Kentucky Derby with Wildcat Red, Jose Garoffalo has a luxury few other trainers have when it comes to preparing their 3-year-olds for Derby preps such as the $1 million Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park on March 29.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Trainer Richard Mandella wanted to give Beholder a freshening after her win in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, bring her back in the spring, and point for the major races in the summer and fall, including the Distaff, to be run again at Santa Anita this year.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Jockey Gonzalo Nicolas has been granted a 69-day extension of his apprentice claim after missing more than two months because of injury earlier this year. Nicolas, 23, returned to riding Friday for the first time since suffering a back injury in a spill Jan. 2.
Santa Anita stewards issued a ruling Thursday stating that Nicolas can ride as an apprentice until Oct. 24 or until he has ridden his 40th winner, whichever occurs later. Through Friday, Nicolas had 25 wins.
Nicolas was the leading apprentice at the Hollywood Park autumn meeting last year.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Kristo, third in the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita on March 8, is a candidate for the $1 million Wood Memorial at Aqueduct on April 5 as a last-chance prep for the Kentucky Derby, trainer John Sadler said.
Kristo has 1 win in 5 starts and was second in the Grade 3 Sham Stakes at Santa Anita on Jan. 11. Sadler said Kristo needs a big performance in the Grade 1 Wood Memorial over 1 1/8 miles to move toward a start at Churchill Downs.
