Wed, 01/30/2013 - 14:09

Fair Grounds: Believe You Can appears sharp for return in Tiffany Lass

Barbara D. Livingston
Rosie Napravnik has good reason to smile after riding Believe You Can to victory in the Kentucky Oaks.

Kentucky Oaks winner Believe You Can will make her long awaited return to action Saturday when she heads a field of six fillies and mares in the $100,000 Tiffany Lass Stakes at Fair Grounds.

Trainer Larry Jones said Wednesday from the New Orleans track that he is excited about the way Believe You Can has trained into the Tiffany Lass, which will be run at 1 1/16 miles on the main track.

Wed, 01/30/2013 - 14:01

Turf Paradise: Swift matches familiar rivals in Derive and Absolutely Cool

Coady Photography
Derive's last stakes win came in the Coyote in March (above).

PHOENIX – Friday’s clash between top local sprinters Derive and Absolutely Cool in the $35,000 Swift was delayed a few days, but judging by their previous meetings it will be worth the wait. The Swift was originally scheduled for last Saturday, but was postponed when that card was scrapped after heavy rains made the track unsuitable for racing.

Wed, 01/30/2013 - 12:54

Fair Grounds: Sunbean takes the next step as he stretches out in distance

Lynn Roberts/Hodges Photography
Sunbean (right) wins the Louisiana Futurity for statebreds in his second career start.

Al Stall Jr. is quite the realist and therefore knows how highly improbable it would be for a 3-year-old named Sunbean to closely follow in the revered Louisiana-bred footsteps of the retired Star Guitar.

“I’d love to tell you he’s going to make a million-eight,” said Stall, exaggerating only a little regarding the $1,749,862 earned by Star Guitar. “But I’d say the odds are against that happening.”

Wed, 01/30/2013 - 10:30

Hawthorne boosts Illinois Derby purse to $750,000

The Illinois Racing Board during a regular monthly meeting Tuesday in Chicago approved Hawthorne Race Course’s request to raise the purse of the Illinois Derby from $500,000 to $750,000 this year.

Tue, 01/29/2013 - 16:27

Arlington Park trims stakes schedule by $300K

Arlington’s 2013 stakes schedule, which was released Tuesday, nearly mirrors the 2012 schedule, with one fewer stakes race scheduled this year and a reduction of $300,000 in stakes purses.

Tue, 01/29/2013 - 16:09

Santa Anita: Appealing Tale the clear speed of Thursday allowance

Benoit & Associates
Appealing Tale will be switching to a fast track after a maiden romp on wet-fast footing.

ARCADIA, Calif. – An allowance route in January cannot be mistaken as a Kentucky Derby prep race. But for the promising 3-year-olds entered Thursday in race 6 at Santa Anita, a first-level allowance at one mile is a good place to start dreaming.

“Anytime you have a 3-year-old at this time of year, you have ambitions,” Appealing Tale’s trainer Peter Miller said.

Tue, 01/29/2013 - 15:49

Oaklawn Park: Goldrush Girl returns to dirt, may get the pace setup she needs

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Goldrush Girl will make a key surface switch at Oaklawn Park on Thursday when she moves back to dirt for a second-level allowance at a mile. The field of eight fillies and mares also includes Lady Jensen, a two-time restricted stakes winner this fall at Remington Park, and Songs and Sonnets, a daughter of the multiple Grade 3-winning racemare Bedanken.

Tue, 01/29/2013 - 15:48

Oaklawn Park notes: Rose to Gold in from Florida with Martha Washington the goal

Coady Photography
Rose to Gold is being pointed for the $75,000 Martha Washington at a mile on Feb. 9.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Kentucky Oaks hopeful Rose to Gold arrived at Oaklawn on Monday night from Calder for the local 3-year-old filly series, said her trainer, Sal Santoro.

Tue, 01/29/2013 - 15:36

Oaklawn Park: Will Take Charge headed to Southwest

Coady Photography/Oaklawn Park
Will Take Charge might be joined in the Southwest by a stablemate, Channel Isle.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Will Take Charge, the winner of the $150,000 Smarty Jones at Oaklawn, has a few options for his next start and will likely run Feb. 18 in Oaklawn's Grade 3, $300,000 Southwest at 1 1/16 miles, said his trainer, D. Wayne Lukas.

“Right now, if I had to say, I’m pretty much locked in,” Lukas said of targeting the Southwest.

Tue, 01/29/2013 - 15:08

Oaklawn Park: Lukas to stage another raiding party at Fair Grounds

Lynn Roberts
Oxbow will ship to Fair Grounds for the Risen Star with an eye to the Louisiana Derby.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas is planning another New Orleans invasion. He said at his Oaklawn Park base on Tuesday that Oxbow is among four horses he has pointing for each of the graded stakes to be run at Fair Grounds on Feb. 23.

“The races fit, and it’s a lot easier to take four down there than one,” said Lukas.