Head Heart Hoof and Johannesburg Smile, the one-two finishers from Saturday’s Grade 3 Toboggan Stakes, could meet again in the Grade 3, $200,000 Tom Fool on March 2.
Head Heart Hoof has won his last two starts at six furlongs over the inner track, and the Tom Fool would be the last sprint stakes run under those conditions this winter.
Johannesburg Smile, who hadn’t sprinted in four years, ran a credible second in the Toboggan, which may encourage his connections to try six furlongs again.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - A carryover of $1,399,085 will be waiting in the Rainbow 6 pool when racing resumes on Wednesday. The Rainbow 6 jackpot can only be hit if there is a single ticket on the winning combination.
There was one unique ticket alive going into Sunday’s 11th race on longshot Long Legged Girl which would have paid in excess of $1.5 million, but she finished fifth. Six of six winners still returned a generous $15,017 for a 10-cent wager. The Rainbow 6 attracted $400,000 in new money on both Saturday and Sunday.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - My Name Is Michael and Speak Logistics, the third- and fourth-place finishers in Saturday’s Grade 3 Sam F. Davis at Tampa, could return here on Feb. 23 in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth, said their respective trainers, Mott and Eddie Plesa Jr.
[ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY: Prep races, point standings, replays]
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – While most owners with a 3-year-old filly as talented as Princess of Sylmar would be thinking about the Kentucky Oaks, Ed Stanco has another top-class race for 3-year-old fillies on his mind.
As a native of Schenectady, N.Y., Stanco said he would love to win the Grade 1 Alabama, the signature race for 3-year-old fillies at Saratoga, held this year on Aug. 17.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Two-time Eclipse Award winner Royal Delta continues to progress toward her much-anticipated 5-year-old debut here a week from Sunday in the Grade 3 Sabin after breezing six furlongs in 1:15 at Payson Park on Sunday morning. Trainer Bill Mott is planning on using the Sabin as a prep for the $10 million Dubai World Cup, as he did a year ago.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Trainer Pat Byrne is expecting a big effort on Saturday off the bench from Take Charge Indy, who figures to go postward among the favorites in the Grade 1 Donn Handicap. Take Charge Indy has not started since finishing second behind Shackleford in the Grade 1 Clark Handicap on Nov. 23.
Take Charge Indy indicated his readiness for the race by working a bullet half-mile in 47.02 at Palm Meadows on Saturday.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Unbridled Command has won his last five starts including the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby. But despite such an imposing resume, the talented turf specialist figures to play not only second but third fiddle to Animal Kingdom and Point of Entry in Saturday’s Grade 1 Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap.
Unbridled Command quietly rose to the top of the 3-year-old turf division during the second half of 2012, coming out of New York-bred allowance races to win both the Grade 3 Saranac and the Hollywood Derby against open company during the latter part of the year.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Game On Dude equaled a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 116 with his win in Sunday’s $200,000 San Antonio Stakes at Santa Anita, a performance that will make him a strong favorite for the $750,000 Santa Anita Handicap on March 2.
The San Antonio Stakes was witnessed by Joe Torre, Game On Dude’s co-owner and the retired manager of the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Torre sat with trainer Bob Baffert for the race and admitted to a few anxious moments when Game On Dude was fighting for the lead with Basmati.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla.- The new race week at Gulfstream Park will get off to a fast start when Discreet Dancer, the favorite in last year’s Grade 2 Fountain of Youth, and Grade 1 winner Sean Avery match up against four rivals in the second half of Wednesday’s early daily double, a $57,500 optional claiming dash to be decided at six furlongs.
OLDSMAR, Fla. – When they run for the big money, the cream, as they say, usually rises to the top. Such was the case Saturday when one trainer who is already in the Hall of Fame and another who is assured of a spot in that hallowed shrine sent out a pair of rising stars to take the Grade 3, $150,000 Florida Oaks and Grade 3, $150,000 Endeavour Stakes on Festival Preview Day at Tampa Bay Downs.
