Mon, 01/07/2013 - 16:20

Aqueduct: Two more fatal injuries bring meet total to three

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Following the fatal injuries suffered Sunday by Wildcat’s Smile and Bomber Boy, there have been three racing-related fatalities in the first 14 cards of racing over the inner track since the meet began on Dec. 12.

Last winter, when there were 21 fatalities during the inner-track season, the third fatality occurred on Jan. 8, 2012, the 25th day of the meet.

Wildcat’s Smile suffered a condylar fracture and a sesamoid fracture in her right foreleg while racing on the lead of Sunday’s Cat Cay Stakes. She had to be euthanized on track.

Mon, 01/07/2013 - 16:16

Aqueduct: Benzel to winter in Dubai

Michael Burns
Maritimer finished 11th in the UAE Derby last year and will try to earn a spot in the Dubai World Cup this year.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Trainer Seth Benzel was scheduled to leave New York on Tuesday for Dubai, where he will prepare a handful of horses for the Dubai Racing Carnival, culminating in what he hopes will be several runners on the rich Dubai World Cup card on March 30.

Mon, 01/07/2013 - 16:06

Aqueduct: McLaughlin has two possible for Withers

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin said that Jerome fourth-place finisher Long River and recent maiden winner Valid are both possible for the Withers.

In his first start against winners, Long River raced inside of horses for a good part of the trip, but only showed modest acceleration when he got in the clear in the stretch.

“He ran well for just breaking his maiden,” McLaughlin said. “His best race he was out in the clear; this race he was opposite.”

Mon, 01/07/2013 - 14:58

Gulfstream Park: Dullahan set to rejoin Romans stable at track

Emily Shields
Dullahan was delayed in his return to the track by a cut that needed three stitches.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Trainer Dale Romans said Dullahan is now scheduled to rejoin his stable here later this week. The Blue Grass and Pacific Classic winner had originally been scheduled to return to training just after the first of the year.

“He was coming last week but got a little cut on his leg while out in the field that we had to put three stitches in,” Romans said. “He’ll be down in a few days. It set him back a week maybe.”

Mon, 01/07/2013 - 14:51

Gulfstream Park: Csaba, El Padrino to meet in Hal’s Hope

Kenny Martin
Csaba runs in the Hal's Hope on Saturday off an easy win in the Harlan's Holiday.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - A field of six or seven older handicap runners is lining up for Saturday’s Grade 3 Hal’s Hope, a group led by the red-hot Csaba and El Padrino.

Trainer Phil Gleaves confirmed Sunday that Csaba, who has cruised to three straight stakes wins including an easy victory here last month in the Harlan’s Holiday, is a definite for the one-mile Hal’s Hope. Csaba tuned up for the assignment by breezing an easy half-mile in 50.40 seconds at Calder on Monday.

Mon, 01/07/2013 - 14:32

Aqueduct: Royal Currier stays home for True and Blue Stakes

Bill Denver/Equi-Photo
Royal Currier will make his 5-year-old debut in Wednesday's $75,000 True and Blue Stakes at Aqueduct.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – After briefly considering shipping eight-time stakes winner Royal Currier to south Florida for the $150,000 Sunshine Millions Sprint – a race in which he finished third last year – his connections opted for a more conservative route. Thus, Royal Currier will make his 5-year-old debut in Wednesday’s $75,000 True and Blue Stakes at Aqueduct.

Mon, 01/07/2013 - 13:49

Tampa Bay Downs: Jason DaCosta emulating his father

Tom Keyser
After a stirrup broke when he was aboard D K Edge, jockey Ricardo Mejias thought quickly and wound up with second-place money.

OLDSMAR, Fla. – It was almost preordained that Jason DaCosta would become a horse trainer. After all, DaCostas’s father, Wayne DaCosta, is a 10-time leading trainer in Jamaica, a member of the Jamaican Racing Hall of Fame, and has saddled more than 1,600 winners.

Mon, 01/07/2013 - 13:30

Gulfstream Park: Zito-trained Eton Blue possible Kentucky Derby material

Barbara D. Livingston
Nick Zito trains the 3-year-old recent maiden winner Eton Blue, a Marylou Whitney homebred. “It would certainly be nice to have a Derby horse for Marylou," he said.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Nick Zito picked up three more victories over the weekend and may have found himself a potential Kentucky Derby contender or two in the process.

Eton Blue rallied from just off the pace to a half-length victory over stablemate Dyker Beach to win his maiden at second asking in the second division of a one-mile maiden special weight race for 3-year-olds Saturday. Zito came back the following afternoon to capture two more races, with Tuvia’s Force and Tiz Yankee.

Mon, 01/07/2013 - 13:12

Gulfstream Park: Recent maiden winners meet in Wednesday allowance

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – A pair of recent maiden winners, Tapicat and Dancing for Glory, along with the graded-stakes-tested Fly Again top a field of seven 3-year-old fillies entered to go a mile on the grass in Wednesday’s $54,500 allowance feature at Gulfstream Park.

Tapicat, a $725,000 yearling purchase trained by Bill Mott, won his turf debut going 1 1/16 miles here Dec. 2, while Dancing for Glory followed suit at a mile on the grass 12 days later. Fly Again finished fourth in the Grade 3 Miss Grillo Stakes at Belmont in her second start at 2.

Sun, 01/06/2013 - 19:46

Santa Anita: Mizdirection runs down Kindle late to capture Monrovia

ARCADIA, Calif.- Mizdirection closed from 10th in a field of 14 to beat males in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Santa Anita back in November. She ran an equally thrilling race to win Sunday’s $150,000 Monrovia Stakes.

Of course, there was a vast difference in the purse – the BC Turf Sprint was worth $1 million - but Mizdirection was fully extended to catch a stubborn leader in Kindle to win the Grade 2 Monrovia Stakes, run for fillies and mares over about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course.