When Nash came to Fair Grounds in early December following a sharp second at Keeneland sprinting in his career debut and a blowout two-turn Churchill Downs maiden win that earned a 97 Beyer Speed Figure, his connections, Godolphin and trainer Brad Cox, must have figured the colt could be racing on the Risen Star Stakes card in February. He is, but not in the Risen Star.
Domestic Product, runner-up to Hades in the Holy Bull Stakes on Feb. 3 at Gulfstream Park, will most likely make his next start in the Grade 3, $400,000 Tampa Bay Derby on March 9, trainer Chad Brown said this week.
Brown believes Domestic Product is the type of horse who will benefit from more racing and by running in the Tampa Bay Derby, which allows him to run him back once more before a potential start in the Kentucky Derby.
In early January, his horse gearing up for his first timed workout following a post-Breeders’ Cup respite, trainer Brad Cox said everything would have to go right with Timberlake for the colt to make his 3-year-old debut in the Rebel Stakes.
So far, everything has gone right, and Timberlake is on target to race Feb. 24 at Oaklawn Park in the Rebel.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Brickyard Ride, the blazingly fast California-bred who won eight stakes at Santa Anita including three graded races, has been retired at age 7.
Owned and bred by Sonny Pais and trained his entire career by Craig Lewis, Brickyard Ride is from the first crop by prominent California stallion Clubhouse Ride. Brickyard Ride won 13 races and $925,477 from 31 starts and retires as the leading earner by Clubhouse Ride, also trained by Lewis.
Locked, the 3-year-old colt who does not yet have a next start mapped out for him, has been made the 10-1 morning-line favorite among individual betting interests in the fourth Kentucky Derby future wager, which will open on Friday at noon.
The overall favorite is the “all others” entry, which comprises all 3-year-olds in the U.S. other than the 39 individual interests in the pool. The “all others” entry, which was favored in all three of the preceding future wager pools, is listed at 2-1.
Endlessly started on a synthetic track for the first time when he won the third stakes of his brief career in the $101,350 El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate Fields on Saturday.
The victory did not change trainer Michael McCarthy’s outlook for the colt’s spring campaign.
“We know he’s a top talent on the turf,” McCarthy said Sunday. “He showed his versatility on the synthetic. We’ll keep him on the turf for now.”
White Abarrio was pronounced ready for the $20 million Saudi Cup in Saudi Arabia on Feb. 24 by exercise rider Emily Ellingwood after working a half-mile in 47.40 seconds at Santa Anita on Monday.
White Abarrio “was eager to do more,” according to Ellingwood.
Most of trainer Neil Pessin’s 22-horse stable went up for sale when the late owner-breeder Bob Lothenbach’s racing and breeding stock was dispersed at the Lothenbach horses of racing age dispersal on Fasig-Tipton Digital in late January. While Pessin is down to nine horses, three are running on the Saturday card at Fair Grounds, including Happy American, one of several horses with a decent chance in the Grade 3, $250,000 Mineshaft Stakes.
Pessin himself paid $340,000 to acquire Happy American, a 6-year-old gelding with more than $600,000 in career earnings.
