Even if Pat Devereux Jr. sends out Private Prayer to a mild upset of the Friday feature at Fair Grounds in New Orleans, the Kentucky native probably won’t be in the win photo.
“I’m only in the picture if we have no other representation,” said Devereux, an old-school private trainer for the Coteau Grove Farms of Keith and Ginger Myers. “That’s the way the trainers did it back in the day.”
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Secret Circle and Longview Drive were among four Southern California-based 3-year-olds who flew into Arkansas on Tuesday in advance of the Grade 3, $250,000 Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn on Monday. The shippers, along with local stakes winner Junebugred, who breezed a bullet half-mile Tuesday, top a list of 21 probables for the one-mile Southwest, which has a good chance of being split into two divisions. If it is, each division will be a Grade 3, and each will have a purse of $250,000, said David Longinotti, the assistant general manager for racing at Oaklawn.
The Feb. 25 Risen Star has picked up another likely local runner in Afford, who won a first-level route allowance race by a nose Feb. 9. Afford, a Jim Tafel homebred by Street Sense, is a half-brother to Fast Alex, who is scheduled to start in the Mineshaft Handicap on the same day. Greg Geier trains both horses.
Bourbon Courage, who earned the second-highest 2012 Beyer Speed Figure for a 3-year-old, a 102, in his debut victory Feb. 3, is likely to make his next start in a first-level allowance race, trainer Kellyn Gorder said.
“We’re not quite sure what we’ll do yet, but we’re thinking about just taking the next logical step and running him in a one-other-than allowance race, and then go from there,” Gorder said.
Cease basically came out of nowhere last year, going from a being maiden few had ever heard of in August to a legitimate contender in graded stakes races in the fall. Everything happened quickly, while nothing was totally and satisfactorily answered during 2011, and Cease’s 2012 debut in the featured eighth race on Thursday at Fair Grounds should help to start filling in the blanks.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Slim Shadey won the first stakes of his career in the Grade 2 San Marcos Stakes over 1 1/4 miles on turf last Saturday. The 4-year-old gelding will try for another milestone in the $150,000 San Luis Rey Stakes on March 18 – his first win over 1 1/2 miles in his initial attempt at the distance.
Trained by Simon Callaghan, Slim Shadey raced primarily over a mile last year, finishing fourth in the English 2000 Guineas behind the unbeaten Frankel. The San Marcos was the gelding’s third start in the United States.
ARCADIA, Calif. – A rebuilding year has also become a season of firsts for Southern California trainer Jack Carava.
In the last three months, Carava’s stable has been halved from approximately 40 horses to 20 following the abrupt departure from racing of Ron Valenta’s La Canada Stable last November. In the wake of that development, Carava reassembled a list of clients, some old and some new.
ARCADIA, Calif. – An impressive maiden race win by Bodemeister at Santa Anita last Saturday will result in a stakes appearance in March. The race and date have yet to be finalized, trainer Bob Baffert said Tuesday.
Baffert is loaded with Triple Crown hopefuls and is likely to use stakes at Santa Anita and other tracks such as Oaklawn Park to avoid running too many of his horses in the same race.
“I’ll have to give extra time and run him back in March somewhere,” Baffert said. “I’ll have to find a spot.”
ARCADIA, Calif. – The expansion of the California-bred stakes program commences March 31 at Santa Anita with a pair of $200,000 sprints for statebred 3-year-olds – the Evening Jewel Stakes for fillies, and the Echo Eddie Stakes for either gender.
Though now is only the middle of February, it is appropriate to consider both 6 1/2-half furlong sprint stakes next month. That is because key prep races for the Evening Jewel and Echo Eddie will be run this week at Santa Anita.
