The connections of Swale Stakes winner Trinniberg are more likely to point to the Preakness Stakes than the Kentucky Derby, owner Shivananda Parbhoo said Monday. Toward that end, Parbhoo chose to run his 3-year-old in Saturday’s $250,000 Bay Shore at seven furlongs as opposed to the Illinois Derby at 1 1/8 miles.
“I don’t think he’s ready to go a mile and an eighth right now,” Parbhoo said Monday.
Caleb’s Posse appeared to simply run out of ground when beaten a neck by Calibrachoa in last month’s Grade 3 Tom Fool Handicap at six furlongs over the inner track.
The rematch is set for Saturday in the Grade 1, $400,000 Carter, which will be run at seven furlongs over the outer track. Caleb’s Posse is 2 for 2 at seven furlongs, with one of those victories coming in the Grade 1 King’s Bishop last summer at Saratoga.
“It’s pretty apparent that that’s better for us,” trainer Donnie Von Hemel said Monday from Oaklawn. “The seven-eighths is a good distance for us.”
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Watching Millionreasonswhy work Monday morning at Pimlico in preparation for Saturday’s Grade 3, $250,000 Comely Stakes at Aqueduct left her trainer, Ignacio Correas IV, at a loss for words.
“There’s no way to describe the way she worked today,” said Correas, whose filly worked four furlongs in 48 seconds under jockey Hector Karamanos with a final eighth in 11.60. “It was one of the most impressive works I saw in my life. Karamanos got off the filly and told me she was way, way better than when she came back.”
Turfway Park ended its winter-spring meet Sunday with double-digit decreases in gross all-sources and ontrack handle.
Officials at the Florence, Ky., track reported all sources handle of $81.8 million during the 44-day meet that began Jan. 1, a decrease of 11 percent from the total amount bet during the corresponding 2011 dates, when 47 dates were run. The average daily all-sources handle of $1,860,501 was down 5 percent.
Ontrack handle grossed $4.7 million, down 16 percent from last year, with the average handle of $107,192 down nearly 11 percent.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Joan’s Choice, who came within a nose of posting his fourth consecutive victory last time out, returns from a freshening of nearly eight weeks in Wednesday’s featured eighth race at Aqueduct.
Joan’s Choice will shoulder 123 pounds in the $55,000 starter handicap, conceding anywhere from three to eight pounds to Black N Beauty, Roman Invasion, Saginaw, True Heaven, and Writingonthewall in the one-mile race.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The connections of Tiger Walk could have shipped their 3-year-old to Hawthorne this weekend if they were looking for an easier spot in which to try to accrue enough graded stakes earnings to qualify for the Kentucky Derby.
But in opting to take on the undefeated Gemologist and the highly regarded Alpha in Saturday’s $1 million Wood Memorial at Aqueduct, trainer Ignacio Correas IV thought it better to find out sooner than later if he should make a run for the roses on May 5.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Bob Baffert will have three runners in Saturday’s $750,000 Santa Anita Derby, but his roster may not be known until entries are taken on Wednesday.
[SANTA ANITA DERBY: Early look video, news updates, watch the race live]
Evidently, the siren call of the Kentucky Derby has become more alluring than ever. The prospective field for the Grade 2, $500,000 Illinois Derby this Saturday is bursting at the seams as the connections of 3-year-olds with even a hint of ability scramble for last-second graded earnings that might secure a Derby berth.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Woodbine has earned re-accreditation from the National Thoroughbred Racing Association’s Safety and Integrity Alliance, the alliance announced on Monday.
The re-accreditation followed a complete review of all racing operations at the facility, including prerace examination procedures and participation in programs for retired racehorses.
The $35,000 Portland Mile on Labor Day highlights the stakes schedule for the inaugural summer and fall meets at Portland Meadows. The summer meet begins on July 15 and runs through Sept. 30, and the fall meet picks up on Oct. 3 and ends on Dec. 8.
The Portland Mile tops the biggest card of the season at Portland Meadows. Six stakes will be run on Labor Day, Sept. 3.
Oregon Championship Day will be conducted on Nov. 17 and will feature five stakes for Oregon-breds, including the $20,000 Oregon Futurity for 2-year-olds at a mile.
