HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Titletown Five is set for Saturday’s Louisiana Derby after breezing a half-mile in 48.80 seconds Wednesday at his Oaklawn base. He was scheduled to ship to Fair Grounds on Thursday, according to his trainer, D. Wayne Lukas.
Fairplex Park, which is seeking more racing dates in Southern California as early as 2014, can accommodate as many as 1,200 horses on its backstretch as a secondary training center upon the expected closure of Betfair Hollywood Park, track officials said Wednesday.
Fairplex Park, in Pomona, Calif., has emerged as a leading contender to gain racing dates if Hollywood Park closes. Hollywood Park has racing dates through December of this year, but the track has not definitively stated whether it will remain open for training and racing past then.
Shippers abound in Friday’s featured eighth race, as five of the eight fillies and mares in the one-mile optional claimer last ran out of town.
Among the new faces are Zaphyra and Roman Invader, who concluded their productive 2012 campaigns with sharp efforts for former trainer Michael Reavis at Hawthorne Park last December. They make their seasonal debuts as the only entrants in for the $62,500 claiming price.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Three races into his career, Little Jerry has yet to display the potential trainer Richard Baltas expects.
"He's kind of a baby," Baltas said.
Little Jerry was fourth and last in the Grade 2 Robert Lewis Stakes on Feb. 2, ending his involvement in the major springtime races for 3-year-olds on dirt. Friday, Little Jerry makes his turf debut in the $70,000 Pasadena Stakes for 3-year-olds over a mile on turf at Santa Anita.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – After a failed turf experiment, Dreaming of Neno returns to dirt and looms as the horse to catch in Friday’s $62,100 optional-claiming feature at Gulfstream Park.
Two starts back, Dreaming of Neno finished third in this condition behind Discreet Dancer and Candyman E. Discreet Dancer came back to win the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Handicap, while Candyman E came back to win the Bensalem Stakes at Parx Racing.
Del Mar has made only minor revisions to the stakes schedule for its 37-day summer meeting, which runs from July 17 to Sept. 4, with an emphasis on increasing overnight purses for maiden special weight races and allowance races.
Del Mar has scheduled 43 stakes worth $7.8 million, an increase of $50,000 from the 2012 meeting. The richest race remains the $1 million Pacific Classic for 3-year-olds and older on Aug. 25. The Pacific Classic is one of seven Grade 1 stakes during the meeting.
NEW ORLEANS – Revolutionary, who overcame severe traffic problems to win the Withers Stakes at Aqueduct in his last start, drew post 3 in a full field of 14 on Wednesday for the Grade 2, $1 million Louisiana Derby on Saturday at Fair Grounds.
[LOUISIANA DERBY: Get Fair Grounds PPs, watch video previews]
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – And then there were 10.
What originally was shaping up to be a small field due to the imposing presence of Itsmyluckyday, Orb and Shanghai Bobby – three of the top four horses on Daily Racing Form’s Derby Watch – swelled to 10 when entries were drawn Wednesday for Saturday’s $1 million Florida Derby.
The Grade 1 Florida Derby will top a 13-race program at Gulfstream Park which also includes its filly counterpart, the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks. The Florida Derby is worth 170 qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby, including 100 to the winner.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Trainer-owner Mark Tsagalakis will be happy if the month of March ends like it began, with a comeback victory at Santa Anita.
Oliver’s Tale might eventually emerge as the star of Tsagalakis’s small stable after a sparkling March 1 maiden win that earned him a 104 Beyer Speed Figure in his first start in nine months. But the current star is Dubai You X Y Z, returning Thursday from a similar layoff.
