Thu, 06/07/2012 - 14:23

Arlington Park: Mr. Vegas a player in Sea O Erin, if he starts

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – A horse named Mr. Vegas, by all rights, should be game for about anything. One pictures an animal with a wild streak, a martini held casually in one hoof, a predilection for expensive sunglasses.

Alas, this is not the case. Mr. Vegas is a fine racehorse, but a flamboyant playboy he is not. The gelding tends to pace anxiously about his stall. He thrives on a boring homebody’s routine. And these characteristics could land Mr. Vegas in the $65,000 Sea O' Erin Stakes, Arlington’s featured race on Belmont Stakes Day.

Thu, 06/07/2012 - 14:16

Hollywood Park: Acclamation returns in bid for Whittingham three-peat

Shigeki Kikkawa
Acclamation will make his first start since last fall in Saturday's Grade 1 Charles Whittingham Handicap.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Six weeks later than intended, Acclamation makes his 2012 debut in Saturday’s $250,000 Charles Whittingham Handicap at Betfair Hollywood Park.

The champion older male of 2011, Acclamation will be a strong favorite to extend his winning streak to six races in the Grade 1 turf race over 1 1/4 miles.

A 6-year-old, Acclamation won the Whittingham in 2010 and 2011, leading throughout both times. It is easy to envision him using the same tactics successfully in Saturday’s race.

Thu, 06/07/2012 - 14:00

Calder: Summit of Speed Preview's four stakes attract big fields

If the turnout at the entry box for Saturday’s Summit of Speed Preview card at Calder is any indication, this year’s Summit on July 7 could turn out to be the most successful yet.

Full fields abound in the four Preview Stakes, topped by the dozen fillies and mares set to go six furlongs in the $75,000 U Can Do It Handicap, the final local prep for Calder’s only Grade 1 race, the Princess Rooney Handicap.

Thu, 06/07/2012 - 13:56

Belmont Stakes 2012 workout reports: Dullahan stands out

Tom Keyser
Dullahan impressed with his training ahead of Saturday's Belmont Stakes.

ELMONT, N.Y. – A dozen horses will line up for Saturday’s Belmont Stakes, but of that group, there are less than a handful with a legitimate chance of actually winning the race. Some of the field, including I’ll Have Another, have been training here regularly for the past several weeks. Others, like top contender Union Rags and longshot My Adonis, did not arrive on the grounds until Wednesday.

The following (listed in post position order) are the impressions the Belmont dozen have made during training hours over the past week.

Thu, 06/07/2012 - 13:24

Hastings: Stormy Canuck may be the one to catch

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – The second-best place to be to watch the Belmont Stakes on Saturday is at Hastings, where a huge crowd is expected to gather with hopes of seeing former local jockey Mario Gutierrez complete his quest to win the Triple Crown aboard I’ll Have Another. To accommodate the expected size of the crowd, Hastings has moved post time for the first race up an hour to 12:50 p.m. Pacific.

Thu, 06/07/2012 - 13:15

Belmont Park: Winter Memories renews rivalry with Hungry Island in Just a Game

Barbara D. Livingston
Winter Memories comes into the Grade 1 Just a Game off a victory in the Beaugay Stakes.

ELMONT, N.Y. – A rivalry between Winter Memories and Hungry Island that began in 2010 but heated up last summer gets renewed Saturday when the two 4-year-old fillies head a seven-horse field entered in the Grade 1, $500,000 Just a Game Stakes at Belmont Park.

The Just a Game, run at one mile over the Widener turf course, goes as race 8 and is the first leg of a pick-four wager that has a guaranteed pool of $1 million.

Thu, 06/07/2012 - 13:02

Belmont Park: Giant Ryan back for True North

Barbara D. Livingston
Giant Ryan had his most important victory in the Vosburgh last fall at Belmont.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Giant Ryan, the New York-bred horse of the year in 2011, will return to the scene of his finest hour on Saturday when he starts as the 120-pound highweight in the $400,000 True North Handicap at Belmont Park.

Giant Ryan registered the most important victory of his career over a sloppy track at Belmont in October, leading throughout to post a half-length victory over Force Freeze in the Grade 1 Vosburgh. The win was the sixth of the season for Giant Ryan, a son of Freud who also captured the Grade 2 Smile Sprint Handicap over his home base at Calder last summer.

Thu, 06/07/2012 - 12:51

Finger Lakes: Two sharp workers clash in Susan B. Anthony

Bob’s Dylan and Nicole’s Miss El, both of whom have been firing a string of bullet workouts all spring at Finger Lakes, will clash for the first time in the $50,000 Susan B. Anthony Handicap, a six-furlong race for New York-bred fillies and mares.

Bob’s Dylan, a 7-year-old trained by Michael Ferraro, won the 2009 running of the Susan B. Anthony and is 13 for 27 locally. In preparation for her first start since November, Bob’s Dylan posted four bullet works between May 5 and June 3, including five furlongs in 1:01 and a half-mile in 47.60 seconds on May 27.

Thu, 06/07/2012 - 12:41

Woodbine: Solis fined $6,000 for whip violation

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Jockey Alex Solis has been fined $6,000 for excessive use of the whip aboard Irish Mission in last Sunday’s Woodbine Oaks.

Irish Mission won the Woodbine Oaks by three-quarters of a length, earning $300,000. Under Ontario Racing Commission rules, the fine for a whip violation in races worth $100,000 or more is calculated on the basis of 20 percent of the jockey’s 10 percent share.

The stewards ruled that Solis had struck Irish Mission more than three times in succession.

Thu, 06/07/2012 - 12:40

I'll Have Another one lap away from Triple Crown immortality

Tom Keyser
I'll Have Another would become the 12th Triple Crown winner with a victory in Saturday's Belmont Stakes.

ELMONT, N.Y. – I’ll Have Another was born in Kentucky, received his early training in Florida, began his racing career in California, and has flown to Kentucky, Maryland, and twice to New York in the past nine months.