Mon, 09/10/2012 - 18:29

Belmont Park: Effie Trinket may try Miss Grillo

Tom Keyser
Effie Trinket worked four furlongs in 50.03 seconds over yielding turf at Belmont on Monday.

ELMONT, N.Y. - Though Effie Trinket has won both of her starts on dirt, trainer Rick Violette has an inkling the New York-bred juvenile filly may like the turf even better. At first glance, Violette may be right.

On Monday, Violette vanned Effie Trinket from Aqueduct to Belmont, where she worked four furlongs in 50.03 seconds over the yielding ground. Effie Trinket, a daughter of Freud, worked in company with Lenderoflastresort, pulling away from that horse by four lengths at the wire under urging from exercise rider Rodney Paine. She got her last quarter in 23.32.

Mon, 09/10/2012 - 17:42

Belmont Park notes: Dreaming of Julia points to Frizette

Tom Keyser
Dreaming of Julia has dominated her rivals in both of her starts.

ELMONT, N.Y. - Dreaming of Julia, attempting to follow in the hoofprints of her champion stablemate My Miss Aurelia, will make her next start in the Grade 1, $400,000 Frizette here Oct. 6, owner Barbara Banke said.

Banke is the head of Stonestreet Stables, which last year campaigned My Miss Aurelia to the juvenile filly championship. My Miss Aurelia made the third start of her career in the Frizette before polishing off her Eclipse Award with a victory in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies.

Mon, 09/10/2012 - 17:25

Belmont Park: Hessonite possible for Flower Bowl

Barbara D. Livingston
Trainer David Donk thinks the distance of the Flower Bowl will suit Hessonite.

ELMONT, N.Y. - After winning her third consecutive stakes restricted to New York-breds, Hessonite could step up in class in the Grade 1 Flower Bowl on Sept. 29 for her next start, trainer David Donk said Monday.

Donk said the distance of the Flower Bowl would suit Hessonite, and she has run very well at Belmont, especially over less-than-firm ground.

"The mile and a quarter, I always thought that's what she wanted, and especially if the ground is soft," Donk said. "It's something I need to look at. It's in the thought process."

Mon, 09/10/2012 - 16:47

Woodbine: Nice score for Tiller in La Prevoyante

Michael Burns
Nikkis Bold Gelato earned $75,000 as the La Prevoyante winner, It’s Gail collected $25,000 as runner-up, and Princess Pick got $6,250 for fourth.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Trainer Bob Tiller unleashed a four-pronged attack on last Saturday’s La Prevoyante Stakes, a one-mile turf stakes for Ontario-sired 3-year-old fillies.

And Tiller was rewarded with the lion’s share of the $125,000 purse as Nikkis Bold Gelato earned $75,000 as the winner, It’s Gail collected $25,000 as the runner-up, and Princess Pick picked up $6,250 as the fourth-place finisher.

“Obviously, we were very pleased with the results,” Tiller said.

Mon, 09/10/2012 - 16:46

Belmont Park: Brown well stocked for female turf stakes

Tom Keyser
Dream Peace, runner-up to Winter Memories in the Grade 1 Diana, is being pointed to the Grade 1 Flower Bowl.

ELMONT, N.Y. – There are a trio of graded stakes for fillies and mares on the turf over the next three weekends at Belmont Park, and it appears trainer Chad Brown will be well represented in all of them.

Though Brown was at the yearling sales in Kentucky on Monday, four of his stakes fillies took to Belmont’s yielding inner turf course and put in solid workouts for upcoming stakes. First, Samitar and Kya One went four furlongs together in 50.99 seconds, around a triple set of orange cones, referred to as dogs, which kept the works on the outside part of the course.

Mon, 09/10/2012 - 16:40

Woodbine: Uncaptured flawless so far

Michael Burns
Uncaptured now is 4 for 4 after his victory in the Swynford.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Uncaptured kept his perfect record intact here in last Sunday’s $168,900 Swynford, scoring by 3 1/4 lengths in the seven-furlong stakes under his regular rider, Patrick Husbands.

“He does it in the morning, and he does it in the afternoon,” said Mark Casse, who trains the 2-year-old colt for owner John Oxley. “He’s a beautiful-moving horse. He’s just all class.”

Uncaptured now is 4 for 4 and was recording his third stakes victory in the Swynford after defeating Ontario-breds in the 5 1/2-furlong Clarendon and six-furlong Vandal.

Mon, 09/10/2012 - 16:35

Fairplex Park notes: Apprentice jockey Bednar ends long win drought

Shigeki Kikkawa
Apprentice jockey Vinnie Bednar ended a 99-race losing streak Sunday at Fairplex Park.

POMONA, Calif. – Apprentice jockey Vinnie Bednar found himself in an unfamiliar place Sunday at Fairplex Park – the winner’s circle at a California racetrack. It was a long time coming.

Bednar ended a 99-race losing streak by riding Negra Tomasa ($34.40) to victory in the sixth race, a route for $12,500 claiming fillies and mares. Though it was Bednar’s first win since June 30 at Betfair Hollywood Park and his first at Fairplex, the likeable rider was not crying the blues. Instead, the enthusiastic 20-year-old was planning his future.

Mon, 09/10/2012 - 16:24

Northlands Park: Maegans Princesses goes for three in a row in Wednesday optional claimer

Maegans Princesses will be looking for her third win in a row Wednesday when she runs in a third-level, $30,000 optional claiming race at Norhtlands Park. The one-mile race for fillies and mares drew six horses and goes as the fourth race.

Mon, 09/10/2012 - 16:19

Illinois Racing Board finds 26 corticosteroid positives

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – Twenty-six horses tested positive for prednisone, a corticosteroid, during late spring and early summer in Chicago. All the positive tests revealed minute traces of a drug permitted to be used therapeutically but forbidden on race day, and trainers whose horses tested positive said they followed the same procedures for administering prednisone that they’ve used for years. The sheer number of rulings issued by Arlington Park stewards on Sept. 2, however, figures to draw attention.

Mon, 09/10/2012 - 16:03

Woodbine: Silent Serenity will try to go all the way in Wednesday sprint

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – The speedy Silent Serenity may have found a field that she can wire in Wednesday’s second race at Woodbine, a $62,500-$60,000 claimer over six furlongs for 3-year-old fillies.

Silent Serenity crushed $32,000 maidens over five furlongs in her season opener April 13, when she was awarded a solid 77 Beyer Speed Figure. She was claimed that day by Trinity Racing Stable and trainer Clint Abraham, who sent her out for a third-place finish in a first-level allowance April 27.