Wed, 02/20/2013 - 13:33

Gulfstream: Sky Captain seems likely to pass Fountain of Youth

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Eleven horses were entered for Saturday's Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream Park, but at least one, Sky Captain, figures to come out at scratch time. Trainer Mark Casse said Wednesday that barring any significant scratches, he’ll come out and await either Turfway’s Battaglia or the Grade 3 Gotham at Aqueduct for Sky Captain’s stakes debut. Both races will be decided March 2.

Wed, 02/20/2013 - 13:22

Golden Gate notes: New career for Gallant Son?

Vassar Photography
Gallant Son wins the Albany, his first victory on a synthetic surface.

Gallant Son won three stakes at Emerald Downs as a 2-year-old and ran in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. The 7-year-old horse scored his first victory on a synthetic surface Monday when he exploded in the lane to win the six-furlong Albany Stakes. It was only his second win since capturing the Grade 3 Inglewood in 2010.

Trainer Frank Lucarelli admitted to being “hesitant” to running him on Tapeta. Gallant Son was 0 for 9 on synthetic tracks and was entered against several superior runners on synthetic surfaces.

Wed, 02/20/2013 - 13:13

Gulfstream Park: McLaughlin testing Elmutahid in Fountain of Youth

Barbara D. Livingston
Elmutahid is the first foal out of the Grade 1-winning mare Alwajeeha.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Two years ago, trainer Kiaran McLaughlin won the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth with Soldat, a War Front colt best known for his exploits on turf at 2.

On Saturday, McLaughlin is hoping lightning will strike in a similar manner with Elmutahid, a son of Street Cry who made all four of his 2-year-old starts on grass before switching to dirt to register an impressive maiden win over a sloppy track here at Gulfstream last month.

Wed, 02/20/2013 - 12:59

Golden Gate: El Camino Real as graveyard for Southern California front-runners continues with Manando

Shigeki Kikkawa
Manando set a reasonable pace in the El Camino Real Derby, but faded to last.

What has become an interesting trend continued at Golden Gate Fields in the Grade 3, $200,000 El Camino Real Derby last Saturday.

A Southern California front-runner set what seemed to be a comfortable pace but then ran into a brick wall at the top of the stretch.

Manando, the 2-1 favorite from the Bob Baffert barn, set the pace in the 1 1/8-mile race with fractions of 23.10 seconds, 47.34, and 1:11.67 and finished dead last.

Wed, 02/20/2013 - 12:36

Charles Town: Fear the Facelift narrowly scores in Presidents Day Handicap

Coady Photography
Fear the Facelift, ridden by Richard Monterrey, finishest fastest of all to score her seventh lifetime victory at Charles Town in the Presidents Day Handicap.

Maryland shipper Fear the Facelift continued her love affair with the racing surface at Charles Town to prevail in a three-horse photo in Tuesday night’s $35,000 Presidents Day Handicap.

A 4-year-old filly based at Laurel Park with trainer Donald Barr, Fear the Facelift ($15.20) came from just off the pace under Richard Monterrey to get up by a neck over Flip the Switch, who was a neck in front of Pretty Miss Trippi. Dorothy’s Aurora finished fifth of six fillies and mares as the 4-5 favorite.

Tue, 02/19/2013 - 17:42

Fair Grounds: Fallout from Silverbulletday continues

Lou Hodges Jr./Hodges Photography
Touch Magic, the Silverbulletday winner, has been hindered by a hock injury.

NEW ORLEANS - The Silverbulletday Stakes is the first in Fair Grounds’ series of 3-year-old filly dirt-route stakes, a series that has regularly produced top early season 3-year-old fillies. But the shape of the local division has changed dramatically since the Jan. 19 Silverbulletday.

None of the first four finishers from that race will contest the Rachel Alexandra Stakes, and another prominent local filly, Seaneen Girl, also is sitting out Saturday’s race.

Tue, 02/19/2013 - 17:19

Calvin Borel resumes chase for 5,000 wins on Thursday

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Jockey Calvin Borel, who last weekend returned to action after being out five weeks with a broken bone in his left wrist, remains one win from career victory 5,000. He has one shot at the milestone Thursday, when he rides Bold Choice in the featured eighth race at Oaklawn Park.

Bold Choice will be seeking his third consecutive win when he starts in the first-level allowance at 1 1/16 miles. Borel has taken limited mounts for his first few cards back and last holiday weekend rode five horses between Saturday and Monday.

Tue, 02/19/2013 - 17:05

Fair Grounds: Risen Star has solid local contenders

Lou Hodges Jr./Hodges Photography
Mylute is "still late developing mentally," said his trainer, Tom Amoss.

NEW ORLEANS – The last three Risen Star Stakes winners shipped from Florida, and the pipeline is still open. Normandy Invasion, from trainer Chad Brown, and Palace Malice, from Todd Pletcher, could wind up the top two betting choices in this year’s Risen Star on Saturday.

Bob Baffert’s entrant, Code West, got a form boost Monday when the horse who beat him Jan. 31 in a Santa Anita allowance race, Super Ninety Nine, romped in the Southwest Stakes. Oxbow, the Lecomte Stakes hero here Jan. 19, is coming back from Arkansas.

Tue, 02/19/2013 - 16:52

Oaklawn Park notes: Super Ninety Nine headed home but may return for Arkansas Derby

Coady Photography
Super Ninety Nine didn't let rain or a sloppy track bother him during an 11-length romp in the Southwest Stakes. He was given a 101 Beyer Speed Figure.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Super Ninety Nine’s win in the Grade 3, $300,000 Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park on Monday was somewhat reminiscent of Oxbow’s score in last month’s Grade 3, $200,000 Lecomte at Fair Grounds.

Both horses were front-running, 11-length winners of the first graded 3-year-old preps in this region. And both traveled for their races for Hall of Fame trainers. But their paths are not likely to cross soon.

Tue, 02/19/2013 - 15:23

Gulfstream Park: Capo Bastone wins for Pletcher

Tom Keyser
Capo Bastone won his 3-year-old debut and could return in a race like the Rebel at Oaklawn.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Although trainer Bill Mott was the No. 1 star this past week, leading trainer Todd Pletcher didn’t fare too badly himself over the holiday weekend. Pletcher sent out Capo Bastone to win his 3-year-old debut Saturday, then came back Monday to register impressive allowance wins with a pair of 4-year-olds, Hierro and the filly Ciao Bella.