INGLEWOOD, Calif. – A little patience from jockey Rafael Bejarano may put Gervinho in the winner’s circle of Sunday’s $250,000 Hollywood Derby at Betfair Hollywood Park.
On Nov. 1, Gervinho finished third in the $150,000 Twilight Derby over 1 1/8 miles on turf at Santa Anita. He was third on the backstretch, raced within a length of the lead in the stretch, and was beaten 1 1/2 lengths by Rookie Sensation.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Al Stall Jr. already has the vast majority of his stable in his native New Orleans for the winter, but the trainer said he “wouldn’t miss” being back at Churchill Downs for closing day of the 25-day fall meet.
His duties pertaining to a promising filly named Vexed are the reason for that. Bred and owned by Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider, Vexed is one of 10 2-year-old fillies entered in the first of two Grade 2 races on the Saturday card, the $150,000 Golden Rod Stakes.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Since Discreet Marq last ran in California, winning the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks on Aug. 17, she has enhanced her reputation in the nation’s 3-year-old filly division on turf. A second in the Grade 1 Garden City Stakes at Belmont Park on Sept. 14 was followed with a win in the $200,000 Pebbles Stakes there on Oct. 14.
Sunday, Discreet Marq races outside of her age group for the first time in the $250,000 Matriarch Stakes for fillies and mares. Winning that Grade 1 race over a mile on turf will not be easy.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. – For most of 2013, Infinite Magic has been a candidate for Sunday’s $250,000 Hollywood Derby at Betfair Hollywood Park. Getting here has not gone as smoothly as hoped.
Infinite Magic won the Grade 3 American Derby at Arlington Park in July, and was second in a division of the Grade 2 Del Mar Derby on Sept. 1, closing well in the final furlong. From a racing standpoint, the Del Mar Derby was the last thing that went right.
[bc_video_id:311064:]OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The Kentucky Derby was the furthest thing from trainer Shug McGaughey’s mind when he ran Orb in a one-mile maiden race on the undercard of the Cigar Mile program last Nov. 24 at Aqueduct.
It is with the Kentucky Derby in mind that McGaughey is running Honor Code in Saturday’s Grade 2, $400,000 Remsen Stakes for 2-year-olds at 1 1/8 miles. The Remsen will be run as race 9, one race after the Grade 1 Cigar Mile, and offers 17 qualifying points (10 to the winner) for next year’s Kentucky Derby.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Trainer David Fawkes will be in action in a big way on opening day of Gulfstream’s championship meeting Saturday, having entered horses in six of the 10 races on the card, including longshot Steve in the $100,000 Pulpit and Stately Defence for the main track only in the $100,000 Wait a While Stakes.
CYPRESS, Calif. – The stablemates Viva Mi Corazon and Ms First Prize Rose were already major stakes winners when they won divisions of the Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity trials last Sunday at Los Alamitos.
There is a very good chance one of them is going to end the year as a multiple stakes winner for Texas owners Johnny Trotter and Burnett Ranches and trainer Trey Wood.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Trainer Chad Brown, who’ll have more than 100 horses stabled at Palm Meadows during the winter, will have the likely favorite in both stakes to be run here opening day, with Storming Inti in the Pulpit and Ready to Act and Hillhouse High in the Wait a While. The Brown-trained Calm Pacific also is the horse to beat in the afternoon’s eighth race, an optional claimer on the turf.
Calm Pacific, a lightly raced son of Stormy Atlantic, began his career with a pair of victories before finishing third last out in an overnight stakes at Belmont.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Owner-breeder Carlo Vaccarezza will board a flight Saturday evening for Hong Kong where his star Little Mike will compete next weekend in the rich Hong Kong Cup. But several hours prior to his departure, Carlo Vaccarezza the trainer will saddle Little Daniella in the sixth race at Gulfstream Park, his first starter since taking out his trainer’s license earlier this week.
GROVE CITY, OHIO – Trainer Ralph Martinez reached a personal milestone Tuesday afternoon when Cavanaugh won the seventh race at Beulah Park, giving him 2,000 wins as a trainer.
The 36-year-old Martinez is the leading trainer at Beulah Park with 14 wins, nine more than Eric Reed who has five wins. Martinez won the bulk of his races this season at Fairmount Park and Indiana Downs.
Cavanaugh paid $3.60 to win.
