Sat, 02/02/2013 - 15:42

Gulfstream Park: Mucho Macho Man will sit out Donn Handicap

Tom Keyser
Jockey Mike Smith eases Mucho Macho Man, the odds-on favorite in the Sunshine Millions Classic. Trainer Kathy Ritvo says she suspects the horse simply did not like the sloppy track.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Mucho Macho Man, the 2012 Breeders’ Cup Classic runner-up, will not run in the Grade 1 Donn Handicap, trainer Kathy Ritvo confirmed on Saturday.

Mucho Macho Man was eased through the stretch by jockey Mike Smith as the odds-on favorite when making his 2013 debut in the Sunshine Millions Classic two weeks ago. Ritvo said Mucho Macho Man came out of the race with no apparent physical issues and he was able to resume normal training 48 hours later, although he has yet to work since then.

Sat, 02/02/2013 - 15:22

Aqueduct: Princess of Sylmar cruises in Busher

Barbara D. Livingston
Princess of Sylmar wins the Busher by seven lengths on Saturday. Next up: the Gazelle and then perhaps the Kentucky Oaks.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – While it remains to be seen if a true Kentucky Derby contender can emerge from Aqueduct in the winter, it certainly looks like a serious Kentucky Oaks player can.

Princess of Sylmar took another step toward the May 3 Kentucky Oaks with another dominating performance Saturday, taking the $100,000 Busher Stakes by seven lengths at Aqueduct.

Kelli Got Frosty finished second by a half-length over Let Me Entertain U. Kimono and Marcellina d’Oro completed the order of finish.

Sat, 02/02/2013 - 14:45

Aqueduct: Cluster of Stars refuses to fold in Correction

Barbara D. Livingston
Cluster of Stars (right), ridden by Javier Castellano, outfights favored Nicole H and Channing Hill to win the Correction.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – In midstretch of Saturday’s $100,000 Correction Stakes at Aqueduct, it certainly looked like heavily favored and multiple stakes winner Nicole H was going to run past the talented but inexperienced Cluster of Stars.

And, according to Toby Sheets, the assistant trainer of Cluster of Stars, that would have been okay.

“If she had run second I still would have been ecstatic,” said Sheets, the assistant to trainer Steve Asmussen.

Sat, 02/02/2013 - 14:24

Gulfstream Park: Varsity affirms love for course with victory in Turf Sprint

Courtney Heeney
Varsity runs his record to four wins in five starts over the Gulfstream grass with a victory under Joe Bravo in the Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint on Saturday.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - “When I started here 20 years ago I was all about a mile and one-half. Now I’m five furlongs in 54. That’s what America has done to me.”

Sat, 02/02/2013 - 14:08

Santa Anita: O'Neill hoping turf start will wake up Richard's Kid

Barbara D. Livingston
Trainer Doug O'Neill will switch Richard's Kid to turf for Saturday's San Marcos.

ARCADIA, Calif. – To revive the career of Richard’s Kid, trainer Doug O’Neill will try something next weekend with the 8-year-old multiple stakes winner that has not been done since the summer of 2009 – a start in a turf stakes.

Richard’s Kid is being pointed for Saturday’s $150,000 San Marcos Stakes over 1 1/4 miles on turf at Santa Anita in an attempt to reverse a four-race losing streak. The losses coincide with the time that Paul Boghossian, Dave Kenney, Dan Kramer, Steve Keh, and Mark Verge have owned Richard’s Kid, having purchased him privately last August.

Sat, 02/02/2013 - 13:57

Charles Town: Broad But Nice, 7, enters Tuesday feature in best form of career

Renee Ludwig
The 7-year-old mare Broad But Nice won five short sprints at Charles Town during a 10-race campaign in 2012.

At an age when most mares are finished racing, Broad But Nice is running faster than ever. After two easy wins that produced the two best Beyer Speed Figures of her 30-race career, Broad But Nice will step up substantially in class for the first start of her 7-year-old campaign in Tuesday night’s $30,000 feature at Charles Town.

The 4 1/2-furlong sprint is open to second-level allowance fillies and mares, nonwinners of four lifetime, and $25,000 claimers.

Sat, 02/02/2013 - 13:41

Parx: Nile Runner proving to be a profitable claim

Picking out a yearling at an auction – even with someone as sharp as Hall of Fame trainer Nick Zito as an advisor – is something of a crapshoot. In the short time Richard Pell has been involved owning horses selected and trained by Zito, he has experienced the thrill of rolling a series of sevens that produced a nice profit on a modest investment and the frustration of spilling out snake eyes after risking big bucks.

One of Pell’s less successful buys is Nile Runner, who cost $100,000 as a yearling but won only 1 of 5 starts before he was claimed away for $7,500 last September.

Sat, 02/02/2013 - 12:36

Fair Grounds: Stall wins 3-year-old allowance races with Departing, Sunbean

Trainer Al Stall came out of Friday night’s races at Fair Grounds with two 3-year-olds who could start next in Kentucky Derby prep races. Departing ran his record to 2 for 2 by winning an open allowance race by 4 1/4 lengths, while Sunbean captured a Louisiana-bred allowance race by 1 3/4 lengths.

Sat, 02/02/2013 - 12:04

Triple Crown nominations dip from a year ago to 369

Tom Keyser
Champion Beholder is one of seven fillies nominated to this year's Triple Crown.

Led by the two 2-year-old champions of last year, the colt Shanghai Bobby and the filly Beholder, as well as Itsmyluckyday, the only horse to defeat Shanghai Bobby, a total of 369 3-year-olds were made early nominations to this year’s Triple Crown – the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes - Churchill Downs, the home of the Derby, announced on Saturday.

Fri, 02/01/2013 - 18:34

Turf Paradise: Streakin' Mohican posts minor upset in Swift

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Streakin’ Mohican bounced back to top form, posting a mild upset in Friday’s rescheduled $35,000 Swift Stakes at Turf Paradise. The race was originally slated for Jan. 26 but that card was canceled due to weather.