Quiet Acceleration will be returning to one of his favorite turf courses Saturday night to lead the $35,000 Wounded Warrior Mile at Retama Park. The one-mile race for Texas-breds who have never won a stakes drew a field of 11.
The Wounded Warrior Mile was created to complement an anonymous donation that is to be made to the Wounded Warrior Project that supports injured members of the armed services. The race closes out the meet at Retama.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Jimmy Creed’s win in the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes over seven furlongs Wednesday will be his last start in a sprint in coming months.
Trainer Richard Mandella said Thursday that Jimmy Creed will be pointed to the $200,000 Strub Stakes over 1 1/8 miles for 4-year-olds on Feb. 2, a key prep race for the $750,000 Santa Anita Handicap against older horses over 1 1/4 miles on March 2.
The undefeated Attila’s Hurricane will be taking on four stakes winners Saturday when he tries two turns for the first time in the $85,000 Red Hedeman Mile at Sunland Park. He is part of a 10-horse field for the race restricted to 2-year-olds bred in New Mexico. Other set to start include stakes winners Storms Surprise, Jenson’s Miracle, Thermal, and Indication N M.
Over the course of three months, expectations have shifted dramatically for a 2-year-old filly named Silver Strike.
When Silver Strike debuted Oct. 5 in a Keeneland sprint race, she went off at odds of almost 40-1 and rallied to win by a head. Three races later, Silver Strike is the 5-2 morning-line favorite in a first-level allowance race also open to $50,000 claimers and co-featured on an 11-race, stakes-less program Saturday at Fair Grounds.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Like all trainers fortunate to have Kentucky Derby prospects in their barn this winter, Josie Carroll will spend plenty of time over the next few months plotting the best course to get her top 3-year-olds – Tesseron and Avie’s Quality – to the big dance. That task becomes even more daunting this season due to the new points system being employed to determine the top 20 qualifiers for the Derby field.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – In somewhat of a rarity, there is no stakes at Aqueduct on Saturday, but the field assembled for the second-level allowance-optional claiming feature is as solid as any black-type event run here this winter.
Be Bullish, Rigby, and Wee Freudian are scheduled to renew acquaintances for the third time in six weeks in this $66,000 sprint. Six of the nine horses – including Be Bullish – are in for the $50,000 claiming price.
Rigby and Be Bullish have been popular at the claim box throughout their careers, their consistency being the primary reason.
OLDSMAR, Fla. – Nakano, who finished third in the Grade 3 Sugar Swirl Stakes at Gulfstream Park in her most recent outing, tries slightly softer company Saturday at Tampa Bay Downs when she tops a field of nine fillies and mares in the $50,000 Minaret Stakes at six furlongs.
Trained by Marty Wolfson, Nakano raced off the pace through the opening half-mile of the six-furlong Sugar Swirl, then swung outside in the stretch. She couldn’t gain much ground late and finished third, beaten four lengths. The Sugar Swirl winner, Dust and Diamonds, was timed in 1:08.66.
ARCADIA, Calif. – The short-term career path of the 2-year-old colt Gabriel Charles will be determined in Saturday’s $75,000 Eddie Logan Stakes at Santa Anita.
The Logan is run over a mile on turf and will be the second start around two turns for Gabriel Charles, who was seventh in the Grade 1 FrontRunner Stakes over 1 1/16 miles on dirt here Sept. 29. In his next start, he won his turf debut in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint Preview over about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course Nov. 3.
Tommy Drury was a perfect 4 for 4 at the Turfway Park meeting through Thursday. He will try to add a stakes win to his holiday meet record Saturday when he runs the 3-year-old filly Yankee Union in the $50,000 Holiday Cheer.
“We’re not doing anything we don’t normally do,” said Drury. “Things have just gone our way. It’s me and the staff and the jocks all doing our part. We’ve had some horses with conditions and some racing luck.”
ARCADIA, Calif. – Great Mills has won the Grindstone Stakes, the Quick Call Stakes, and the Champion Energy Service Stakes in his 19-race career.
What is missing is a win in a graded stakes, though not for a lack of trying. Great Mills has started in nine graded stakes, and finished second three times and third once.
“He’s looked like a winner about two jumps from the wire about four times,” trainer Steve Asmussen said.
