INGLEWOOD, Calif. - The rapidly improving Warren’s Veneda is set for the Grade 1 La Brea Stakes in late December at Santa Anita following her victory against older California-bred females in the Cat’s Cradle Handicap on Sunday.
The win was her fifth in 10 starts. She is 4 for 6 in races on dirt and synthetic surfaces and is 2 for 2 at Hollywood Park. She was a romping winner going a mile in a second-level allowance field in her only try at Santa Anita.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Arethusa earned a start in the Grade 1 Hollywood Starlet on Dec. 7 with a powerful victory Saturday in the Sharp Cat Stakes for 2-year-old fillies. It was the first victory for Arethusa after three losses, all in maiden races.
Those maiden races, though, were solid efforts behind Be Proud and Georgia, who were the top two choices in the Sharp Cat. That, along with the small field, prompted trainer Eoin Harty and owner Darley Stable to give the 1 1/16-mile Sharp Cat a try.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. – It was moving day on Sunday for Martin Panza, as he packed up 20 years of memories into several boxes in the racing office at Betfair Hollywood Park and prepared for a day when he would say good-bye to many of his colleagues before heading to New York for his new position with the New York Racing Association.
Standing behind the desk that had been part of his workspace for 20 years, Panza looked around and said, “Yes, been here a long time.”
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Although King David has been assigned the high weight of 121 pounds for the lone stakes of the coming weekend at Churchill Downs, the Grade 3 River City on Saturday, the 4-year-old colt will not be permitted to start after failing to get off the state veterinarian’s list following a workout last Saturday at his Trackside training center base.
State veterinarian William Farmer confirmed Monday that he is “working with” trainer Mike Maker in getting King David eligible to race again but said “there is no set time” when that will happen.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Trainer Reade Baker swept both weekend stakes at Woodbine, most notably Sunday’s $250,000 Coronation Futurity with his Bear Stable runners Asserting Bear and Man o’ Bear finishing first and third.
With journeyman Jim McAleney up, Asserting Bear notched his first stakes win in his first Polytrack start in the Coronation, a nine-furlong test for Canadian-bred 2-year-olds. Man o’ Bear rallied outside from fifth to finish 1 1/2 lengths back. The promising maiden Majestic Sunset split the two Bears after closing along the live rail.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Mucho Macho Man got the opportunity to really stretch his legs for the first time since his return from Santa Anita when he galloped early Saturday morning at Gulfstream Park. Trainer Kathy Ritvo had not allowed Mucho Macho Man to do little more than jog since getting him back to the track last weekend.
“I just wanted him to go easy and get reaccustomed to this track here before letting him start galloping again,” said Ritvo.
Casiguapo, runner-up behind Strong Mandate earlier this season in the Grade 1 Hopeful, was scheduled to van Sunday from Florida to Delta Downs, where he will attempt to become the third Calder-based juvenile to win the Delta Jackpot in the last six years. The Grade 3, $1 million Delta Jackpot will be decided at 1 1/16 miles on Saturday.
Casiguapo will attempt to follow in the footsteps of Big Drama and Gourmet Dinner, the 2008 and 2010 winners of the Delta Jackpot.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Will Take Charge has come out of his narrow defeat in the Breeders’ Cup Classic in such fine shape that trainer D. Wayne Lukas is going full speed ahead toward one more race in the 2013 season, the Grade 1 Clark Handicap on Nov. 29 at the horse’s home track, Churchill Downs.
Lukas sent out Will Take Charge for his first workout since the Classic when the 3-year-old colt breezed an easy half-mile Saturday morning in 49 seconds over a fast track at Churchill. Will Take Charge was second by a nose to Mucho Macho Man in the Nov. 2 Classic at Santa Anita.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. – A day after dumping his rider and getting loose when scheduled to work, Silentio behaved much better on Saturday morning at Betfair Hollywood Park, turning in a drill that encouraged his trainer, Gary Mandella, to believe he was on course for the Citation Handicap later this month following an outstanding effort last time out in the Breeders’ Cup Mile.
Silentio on Friday was supposed to go six furlongs under jockey Rafael Bejarano, but he dumped Bejarano and ran loose on the track before being corralled by an outrider.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Ian Wilkes knows all too well that the minute you think you can enjoy the fruits of your labor in racing is when you can’t.
Wilkes swept the late double Wednesday at Churchill Downs with a pair of homebreds for Marylou Whitney: Prescott Brown ($7.40) won the ninth race and Bird County ($12.40) led all the way in the 10th, a maiden special weight race at 1 1/16 miles – but that just couldn’t suffice as the end of a nice story, could it?
