Sat, 02/02/2013 - 17:55

Turfway Park: Mac the Man takes second straight prep leading to Spiral Stakes

Pat Lang Photography
Mac the Man gives Norberto Arroyo Jr. one of his two stakes wins on the card in the 96Rocks for 3-year-olds.

Mac the Man broke fastest of all and proceeded to lead all the way in the $50,000 96Rocks Stakes, giving jockey Norberto Arroyo Jr. a Saturday stakes sweep at Turfway Park in northern Kentucky.

Trained locally by Jeff Greenhill for his wife, Sherri, Mac the Man returned $4 as the favorite in a field of 10 after finishing two lengths ahead of his race-long pursuer, Bye Bye Bernie. It was another 6 1/4 lengths back to Takin the Sloroad.

Mac the Man, a Kentucky-bred colt by El Corredor, finished the one-mile distance in 1:40.52 over Polytrack.

Sat, 02/02/2013 - 17:50

Aqueduct: Revolutionary gets an education in trouble-filled Withers win

Barbara D. Livingston
Revolutionary (right) broke slowly and lacked room under Javier Castellano at several points, yet still ran down Escapefromreality to win the Withers by a neck.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - It may not have been as dominant as his maiden win here five weeks ago, but Revolutionary’s neck victory in Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Withers Stakes at Aqueduct was equally if not more impressive.

Shuffled back to last down around the far turn and with seemingly no room to run in upper stretch, Revolutionary, under Javier Castellano, split horses in deep stretch and ran down Escapefromreality to win the Withers by a neck and put himself on the Kentucky Derby trail.

Sat, 02/02/2013 - 17:49

Fair Grounds: Believe You Can has easy time with Tiffany Lass rivals in comeback race

Lou Hodges Jr.
Believe You Can romps under Rosie Napravnik while making her first start since last June.

On paper there was no horse in the $100,000 Tiffany Lass Stakes who could threaten 2012 Kentucky Oaks winner Believe You Can in her first start at 4, and that is exactly how the Tiffany Lass played out, with Believe You Can controlling the pace and thoroughly dominating three rivals while eased across the finish line in a useful comeback run.

Sat, 02/02/2013 - 17:41

Tampa Bay: Times adjusted for Florida Oaks, Endeavour due to Trakus error

Tom Cooley Photography
Joel Rosario wins his first of two Grade 3 turf stakes on the card with favored Tapicat in the Florida Oaks.

The 3-year-old filly Tapicat and 5-year-old Brazilan-bred mare Old Tune ran fast Saturday winning a pair of Grade 3 turf stakes at Tampa Bay Downs. But not as fast as the timing clock indicated.

Due to an error by Trakus, the electronic tracking and timing company used by the track, Tampa Bay Downs announced Sunday that the fractional and final times for both stakes have been revised.

Sat, 02/02/2013 - 16:39

Laurel: Walkwithapurpose extends winning streak to four in Wide Country

Jim McCue/Maryland Jockey Club
The 3-year-old filly Walkwithapurpose, ridden by Jeremy Rose, wins her second straight stakes and fourth race in a row overall in the Wide Country.

Walkwithapurpose confirmed her status as the top 3-year-old filly on the grounds at Laurel Park by overcoming a bad start to post her fourth straight victory in Saturday’s $75,000 Wide Country Stakes.

Sat, 02/02/2013 - 16:03

Gulfstream Park: Verrazano earns shot at Kentucky Derby prep with dominant victory

Courtney Heeney
Trainer Todd Pletcher says his 3-year-old Verrazano, ridden by John Velazquez, will run next in a graded stakes after easily winning a first-level allowance Saturday.

Verrazano wowed not only the crowd but his trainer, Todd Pletcher, as well when cruising to as easy-as-can-be 16 1/4-length victory over Eton Blue in Saturday’s fifth race at Gulfstream Park, carded at a mile under first-level optional $75,000 claiming conditions. Verrazano was never asked to run by jockey John Velazquez in what proved to be little more than a paid workout. It was the second one-sided win in as many starts for Verrazano.

[ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY: Prep races, point standings, replays]

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.”