Accomplished 2-year-old My Boy Prince and crack sprinter Patches O’Houlihan are finalists in two categories in the 2023 Sovereign Award voting, The Jockey Club of Canada announced Monday.
The 49th annual Sovereign Awards ceremony takes place April 18 at the Paramount Eventspace in Woodbridge, Ontario, during which the award winners will be announced along with the 2023 Canadian Horse of the Year.
He’s 7 and finally getting the hang of racing.
In two starts this year, Goliad has won consecutive races for the first time in his limited career, including Saturday’s Grade 3 Thunder Road Stakes at a mile on turf at Santa Anita in a dramatic style.
The win has led to plans for his first career Grade 1 start in the $300,000 Frank Kilroe Mile on March 2, a goal that would have seemed improbable as recently as a few months ago when Goliad was mired in a five-race losing streak.
Los Alamitos has cancelled its Sunday program because of expected widespread rain in Southern California, and has altered its racing schedule next weekend to add a day of racing.
Racing is scheduled to be held on Saturday this weekend, beginning at 6:10 p.m. Pacific, and will resume on Saturday, Feb. 10.
In late January, the track announced it would not race on the weekend of Feb. 10-11 to begin an annual maintenance program and to avoid racing opposite of the Super Bowl on Feb. 11.
Maycocks Bay has been scratched from the Grade 3, $800,000 Southwest Stakes on Saturday at Oaklawn Park after spiking a temperature, trainer Michael Stidham said Friday.
The defection leaves a field of 11.
Maycocks Bay had shipped to Arkansas from Fair Grounds, where he dominated an entry-level allowance route in his last start, winning by more than 10 lengths. The Beyer Speed Figure of 95 that he earned was the best last-race number in the Southwest. Maycocks Bay was the 3-1 morning-line favorite for Saturday.
Santa Anita has cancelled Sunday’s eight-race program because of a forecast for a significant storm expected to bring more than two inches of rain to Southern California that day.
The decision was made early Friday afternoon. The track will race on Saturday this weekend before resuming live racing on Feb. 9.
The two Grade 3, $100,000 stakes scheduled for Sunday – the Las Virgenes Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at a mile and the San Marcos Stakes at 1 1/4 miles on turf – have been rescheduled for Feb. 10.
El Capi, who won his career debut Dec. 2 at Aqueduct by 9 1/2 lengths, earning a 99 Beyer Speed Figure, is sidelined for a few months due to shins, trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. said.
He was sent to a farm in Lexington, Ky., several weeks ago.
“He’ll probably be back to us in a month, month-and-a-half,” Dutrow said. “Nothing has to be done other than just getting him rest and getting him right.”
Meanwhile, Dutrow said he has no plans for Guanare, the 3-year-old son of Runhappy who won the three-horse Spectacular Bid Stakes on Jan. 27 at Laurel Park.
The Grade 3, $400,000 Steve Sexton Mile will again anchor the Lone Star Million Day program May 27, Lone Star Park announced. The track released its 21-race, $2.8 million stakes schedule on Thursday.
The meet opens April 18 and runs through July 14.
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Northern Flame and Woodcourt are both under consideration for the Grade 2, $1.25 million Rebel Stakes after winning divisions of a split 3-year-old allowance last week at Oaklawn Park.
Northern Flame was a neck winner of the second division, after setting a pressured pace over a good track that was sealed. For his effort in the one-mile race he earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 79.
Instant Coffee, a graded stakes winner at 2 and 3, is nearing his return from an 11-month layoff, owner Al Gold said Friday. The horse is now with trainer Brittany Russell after having previously raced for Brad Cox.
On Thursday, Instant Coffee worked a half-mile in 48.45 seconds out of the gate at Palm Meadows. It was the fastest of 22 works at the distance and it was Instant Coffee’s seventh work since early December.
Tumbarumba, the narrow winner of the Grade 3 Fred Hooper on Jan. 27, came out of the race in good order and will point to the Grade 2, $200,000 Gulfstream Park Mile on March 2, trainer Brian Lynch said Friday.
The Fred Hooper, which Tumbarumba won by a nose over Castle Chaos, came seven weeks after he had finished second to Touchuponastar in a Louisiana-bred stakes at Fair Grounds. Touchuponastar has won 10 of 13 starts.
