ARCADIA, Calif. – The turf miler Winning Prize is proving dangerous in a variety of racing scenarios.
The 5-year-old Winning Prize stalked the pace in the Grade 2 Arcadia Stakes over a mile on turf Feb. 1 and won by 1 1/2 lengths. In Saturday’s $350,000 Frank Kilroe Mile, Winning Prize led throughout and won by a half-length over the Florida invader Lochte.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Trainer Bob Baffert’s admiration for Game On Dude reached a new level after the $750,750 Santa Anita Handicap on Saturday.
The race was almost two hours old when Baffert was told that Game On Dude’s winning time of 1:58.17 for 1 1/4 miles was a stakes record in the 77th running of the historic race.
“I’m still in awe of Dude,” Baffert said.
CYPRESS, Calif. – Despite having a runner at Los Alamitos on Saturday night and losing an hour of sleep because of daylight saving time, trainer Art Sherman was at work before anyone at his Los Alamitos barn Sunday morning, still excited over the victory by his colt California Chrome on Saturday at Santa Anita in the San Felipe Stakes.
“I came here early and checked his legs. They were nice and cold,” Sherman said while watching his trainees at Los Alamitos. “He ate everything up. He’s alert. He wants to bite you.”
Pioneering Native won the $70,000 B-Connected Stakes by a nose over One King's Man on Saturday night at Delta Downs to give his owner and trainer team, Maggi Moss and Tom Amoss, a one-two finish.
The pair raced as separate interests. Pioneering Native ($6) was ridden by Tracy Hebert in the race that was restricted to Louisiana-breds who have never won a stakes.
Pioneering Native covered the mile on a good track in 1:38.91. The horse has won 9 of 37 starts and $270,060.
Jockey Colby Hernandez got his 1,000th career win Saturday night at Delta Downs when he captured the fifth race with Stephanies Wildcat.
Hernandez was aboard for Ben Marek and trainer Bret Calhoun. Stephanies Wildcat ($4) was prominent throughout in the $20,000 maiden claimer for 3-year-old fillies.
Hernandez is a brother of Brian Hernandez Jr., the Eclipse Award-winning apprentice of 2004 who won the 2012 Breeders' Cup Classic aboard Fort Larned. Their father, Brian, is a jockey, and their sister, Courtney, launched her riding career this meet at Delta.
Mamdooha, winner of the Ruthless Stakes, and Sustainable, second in the Dearly Precious Stakes, worked a half-mile in company in 48.70 seconds over Belmont Park’s training track on Saturday morning. Both are being pointed to next Saturday’s $100,000 Cicada Stakes at six furlongs.
The two broke off very quickly and went their opening quarter in 23.19 seconds.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Sweet Reason did what she had to do to win her 3-year-old debut Friday at Aqueduct. Her connections hope it will set her up to do more in the Grade 2, $300,000 Gazelle Stakes here on April 5.
Sweet Reason, last year’s Grade 1 Spinaway winner, returned from a 125-day layoff to win a one-mile allowance race by one-half length over the pacesetting Aqua Regia. The race was her first since she finished fourth as the favorite in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies last Nov. 2.
Trainer Mike Maker had considered several options for General a Rod’s final Kentucky Derby prep but in the end, he opted to avoid the pitfalls of traveling and has decided to keep the Fountain of Youth runner-up at Gulfstream for the Florida Derby. General a Rod won the Gulfstream Park Derby here on New Year’s Day.
General a Rod had his first breeze since the Fountain of Youth on Saturday, cruising an extremely easy half-mile in 51.26 seconds shortly after the first renovation break.
Will Rogers Downs in Claremore, Okla., opens Monday with tweaks to its racing and stakes schedule, a reduced minimum for pick fours, and a barn area overflowing with horses. The 30-date meet continues through May 17.
Will Rogers is racing every Monday, Tuesday, and Saturday compared to a Monday through Wednesday schedule last year that did not pick up Saturdays until May. The track also has moved six of its eight stakes to Mondays and Tuesdays, said Jesse Ullery, racing secretary at Will Rogers.
ARCADIA, Calif. – After Spellbound won the Grade 2 La Canada Stakes for 4-year-old fillies on Jan. 19, trainer Richard Mandella was adamant that her next start would be next Saturday’s $350,000 Santa Margarita Invitational at Santa Anita.
Mandella could have chosen a start in the Grade 2 Santa Maria Stakes against older fillies and mares, but he wanted Spellbound to have a longer break between starts.
Friday, he stood by that decision and predicted Spellbound will be competitive in the Grade 1 Santa Margarita, which is run over 1 1/8 miles.
