OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Coming off major graded stakes victories on successive weekends in South Florida, Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott will try to expand his reach when he runs Jungfrau in Saturday’s Grade 3, $250,000 Withers Stakes at Aqueduct.
Jungfrau is likely to be the only new entrant to the Withers, a race for 3-year-olds that was originally scheduled for Feb. 4 but was postponed when that day’s card was canceled due to extreme cold.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Among the bigger surprises during training hours here Monday was seeing Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies runner-up and Grade 1 winner Leave No Trace come out on the Tapeta course to breeze a very impressive five furlongs in 59.37 seconds under regular exercise rider Lisa Bartkowski. She completed her final quarter in 23.40 while just cruising throughout before easing up after six furlongs in 1:12.94.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Jockey Frankie Dettori moved to Santa Anita this winter with the hope of finding a leading contender for the Kentucky Derby in the final year of his illustrious career. On Saturday at Santa Anita, Dettori won the Grade 3 Robert Lewis Stakes on Newgate, who is a candidate to reach the historic race at Churchill Downs on May 6.
A handful of Atlantic Coast shippers led by Dubyuhnell and Litigate are expected this Saturday for the Sam F. Davis Stakes, the first of two Kentucky Derby points qualifiers to be run this winter at Tampa Bay Downs in Oldsmar, Fla.
Dubyuhnell, winner of the Grade 2 Remsen at Aqueduct in his last start Dec. 3, is the likely favorite in the Grade 3, $200,000 Sam Davis, a 40-point race (20-8-6-4-2) toward the Kentucky Derby on May 6. Trained by Danny Gargan, the Good Magic colt will be ridden by Jose Ortiz in the 1 1/16-mile race.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Country Grammer and Taiba are on schedule for the $20 million Saudi Cup in Saudi Arabia on Feb. 25 after working seven furlongs in 1:25.60 at Santa Anita on Sunday.
Country Grammer, second in the Saudi Cup last year, and Taiba, a three-time Grade 1 winner in 2022, were stakes winners at Santa Anita on Dec. 26. Country Grammer won the Grade 2 San Antonio Stakes at 1 1/16 miles under jockey Frankie Dettori, while Taiba won the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes at seven furlongs for 3-year-olds under jockey Mike Smith.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Trainer Phil D’Amato has such a deep team of turf milers that Earls Rock may not be part of the Grade 1 Frank Kilroe Mile on March 4 despite a win in Saturday’s Grade 3 Thunder Road Stakes at Santa Anita.
D’Amato plans to run Hong Kong Harry and Balnikhov in the $500,000 Kilroe Mile, the track’s leading wintertime turf race.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Superstar jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. equaled a long-standing riding record Friday at Gulfstream Park when booting home seven winners on a nine-race card.
Jockeys have won seven on a Gulfstream card on five prior occasions, but Ortiz is the first to win that many races in a row on the same program. Jerry Bailey, in 1996, was the first to win seven here. He was followed by Tyler Gaffalione (2017), Luis Saez (twice in 2018), and Paco Lopez (2020).
Hong Kong Harry, unraced since winning the Grade 2 Seabiscuit Handicap at Del Mar on Nov. 26, is on schedule for his first start of the year in the Grade 1 Frank Kilroe Mile on turf at Santa Anita on March 4.
Hong Kong Harry has had three works since mid-January and is scheduled to have his next workout at Santa Anita on Sunday, trainer Phil D’Amato said.
“We’ll steadily pick it up,” D’Amato said. “The master plan is to run in Grade 1’s and have a horse left for the Breeders’ Cup. We’ll run him five times through the year.”
Geaux Rocket Ride, the easy winner of a maiden race at Santa Anita on Jan. 29 in his debut, will have his second start in the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes on March 4, a key prep for the Kentucky Derby.
The $400,000 San Felipe Stakes is run at 1 1/16 miles and is a stepping-stone to the Grade1 Santa Anita Derby at 1 1/8 miles on April 8.
Jockey Kendrick Carmouche will be out three to four weeks due to a hairline fracture in his right leg, his agent, Jimmy Riccio Jr., said late Friday afternoon.
According to Riccio, Carmouche got stepped on by a horse he had worked Thursday morning at Belmont Park.
Carmouche rode his first two mounts on Thursday before going to first aid, where he was taken off his remaining three mounts on the card, two of which won.
