Currency Swap and Gemologist, two of the nation’s elite 2-year-olds from last year, are entered to make their first starts of the year on Friday at Gulfstream Park in a one-mile $80,000 allowance race, which attracted a field of five.
Currency Swap, the winner of the Hopeful Stakes, is in post 3, while Gemologist, the winner of the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes, drew the rail.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Izzy Rules, who could have been claimed for $20,000 in December, continued her dramatic rise up the class ladder on Sunday at Santa Anita by speeding to a front-running, 4 1/4-length victory in the Grade 3, $100,000 Las Flores Stakes for older female sprinters.
With the victory, Izzy Rules became the first three-time winner at the meet. It was her fourth straight victory, dating back to that $20,000 claimer at Hollywood Park three months ago.
Sunday’s Bryan G Stakes at Aqueduct may have lost its marquee name when I Want Revenge was scratched at the gate, but it did not lose its competitiveness.
Seniors Pride and Spa City Fever were inseparable from the three-furlong pole to the wire with Seniors Pride prevailing by a head in the $71,250 Bryan G over Aqueduct’s inner track. Spa City Fever finished one length in front of Goombada Guska. Linebacker was last.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Dayatthespa was a little reluctant to load into the starting gate but certainly wasn’t reluctant to run once she finally got under way in Sunday’s $150,000 Herecomesthebride Stakes at Gulfstream Park. Dayatthespa posted her second stakes win of the meet and first graded stakes winner of her career when she rallied to a hard-fought neck victory over Regalo Mia in the Grade 3 Herecomesthebride for 3-year-old fillies.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Howe Great took another step towards following in the footsteps of stablemate and 2011 Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom by registering a very professional one-length victory over fellow Derby prospect Dullahan in Sunday’s $150,000 Palm Beach Stakes at Gulfstream Park.
The Grade 3 Palm Beach was the fourth win in a row for Howe Great, a son of Hat Trick who captured the Kitten’s Joy seven weeks ago. He is undefeated in three starts on grass but won his maiden on dirt last fall at Parx.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Creative Cause and Bodemeister, the one-two finishers in the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes on Saturday at Santa Anita, are expected to meet again in the Grade 1, $750,000 Santa Anita Derby, with the trainers of both colts saying that’s where they are headed.
“This horse will run back in the Santa Anita Derby,” said Mike Harrington, the trainer of Creative Cause.
Brother Francis, stakes-placed twice last fall, will be pointed to the $750,000 Santa Anita Derby on April 7, after finishing third in a one-mile maiden race on turf in his 3-year-old debut on Saturday at Santa Anita.
Ridden by Victor Espinoza, Brother Francis finished a head and a nose behind Achilles ($14.80) and No Silent. Brother Francis led briefly in the stretch before being caught. The maiden race was his first start since a third in the Grade 1 CashCall Futurity at Hollywood Park last December.
Slamit drew clear by 1 1/2 lengths over King Coral to win the $50,000 Spring Dodge for 3-year-olds in his stakes debut Saturday night at Sam Houston Race Park. The race was his first against winners, following a maiden special weight score at Oaklawn Park.
Slamit ($11.20) settled off the pace set by Isharuler, who led the field through fractions of 23.60 for the opening quarter and 46.80 for the half-mile. Slamit overtook that one in the stretch, and won the one-mile race run on a muddy main track in 1:38.93.
Jockey Martin Pedroza has been suspended seven days by Santa Anita stewards for “willfully riding to cause interference” in the seventh race on March 4.
Pedroza was cited for his ride aboard Oh Righty, who finished sixth in a field of seven over six furlongs. Through the stretch, Oh Righty bumped repeatedly with eventual fifth-place finisher Put It There.
Our Choice won his third consecutive race of the Sunland Park meet on Saturday, when he rallied to take the $110,000 Mt. Cristo Rey Handicap by 2 3/4 lengths over Doms Flash. It was another half-length back in third to Lester’s Echo.
The Mt. Cristo, at 4 1/2 furlongs, was for 3-year-olds and up bred in New Mexico.
