Mark Valeski seemed just to be getting good late last spring when injury cut short his 3-year-old campaign, and a more mature 4-year-old version of the colt is ready for a comeback in the $100,000 Louisiana Handicap on Saturday at Fair Grounds.
“He’s a lot bigger and stronger, and just working much better now,” trainer Larry Jones said. “We have some pretty high hopes for him this year.”
There are, as usual, more questions than answers in the Grade 3, $200,000 Lecomte Stakes, the first local step toward the $1 million Louisiana Derby. Can quick horses like Circle Unbroken, Malibu High, and Oxbow go two turns? How will two-turn maiden winners Golden Soul and Hawaakom stack up against stronger competition? But probably the most important question the Lecomte can answer is whether Avie’s Quality runs as well on dirt as on synthetic, because if he does, Avie’s Quality might be good enough to factor in races more important than a Grade 3 in mid-January.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Private Zone has been second in three consecutive sprint stakes in Southern California since early November, leading into the stretch in each start before getting caught.
The losses have not deterred trainer Doug O’Neill, who hopes to run Private Zone in the $2 million Golden Shaheen at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai on March 30. A win in Saturday’s $150,000 Palos Verdes Stakes at Santa Anita by Private Zone would make that a more attractive adventure.
“He’s going to run big,” O’Neill said.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Hooh Why upset favored Romacaca in last year’s running of the $150,000 Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf, but for that to happen again, they will have to reverse their most recent form, as Romacaca comes off a win over Hooh Why in last month’s South Beach here.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Trainer Eddie Plesa Jr. is hoping Successful Song has saved the best for last. A winner of 7 of 26 starts and more than $400,000, Successful Song will be bred this spring, but not before running in the richest race of her career on Saturday, the $300,000 Sunshine Millions Distaff.
“Money-wise, this is the biggest race she’s run in,” Plesa said.
Executiveprivilege, a finalist for the Eclipse Award as the nation’s outstanding 2-year-old filly of 2012, worked three furlongs in 36 seconds at Santa Anita on Thursday, her first workout since early December.
Trained by Bob Baffert, Executiveprivilege worked alone under jockey Julien Leparoux. Baffert timed Executiveprivilege in 35.80, galloping out a half-mile in “48 and change.”
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Trainer Bret Calhoun snatched up the first stakes of the Oaklawn Park meet last week and will attempt to make it two in a row Saturday when he sends out Jemima’s Pearl and Minesave in the $75,000 Pippin.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – After running against graded-stakes company in his last seven starts, with four of his last six in Grade 1 races, Doubles Partner dips into restricted company on Saturday at Gulfstream Park for the $150,000 Sunshine Millions Turf, a race in which he should be heavily favored to score his third win in four starts over his favorite course.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Groupie Doll, the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint winner and the odds-on favorite to walk away with an Eclipse Award as champion female sprinter here Saturday night, went to the track Wednesday for the first time since arriving more than two weeks ago.
Fresh off wrapping up 2012 Texas-bred horse of the year honors, Coyote Legend will launch his 6-year-old season in Saturday night’s $100,000 Star of Texas at Sam Houston Race Park. He is the defending champ in the mile and a sixteenth race for older horses, which is the richest of four Texas-bred stakes on the card. The program is part of the opening weekend festivities at the Houston track.
