PHOENIX, Ariz. – There’s a common theme running through Turf Paradise’s two big races for 3-year-olds Saturday: Can the local contingent in the $75,000 Turf Paradise Derby and $35,000 Arizona Oaks keep the Southern Californian barbarians at the gate? That’s the question as 10 males line up in the 1 1/16-mile Derby (race 8) while six fillies go at it in the mile Oaks (race 6).
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DRF Past Performances
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Sweet Seventeen might have been her own worst enemy when she blew a two-length lead in the final furlong of last month’s Busanda Stakes at Aqueduct, a race she lost by a neck to Captivating Lass.
In what was her first start around two turns, Sweet Seventeen – the 4-5 favorite – had a little difficulty negotiating the first turn. In the stretch, she never switched to her correct lead, resulting in a bit of leg weariness that stopped her from offering any resistance when Captivating Lass came to her.
The Fair Grounds barn office of trainer Tom Amoss sits just a few yards from the clocker’s stand, a hub of morning activity. Horsemen parade to the stand to watch their stock train and to communicate with the clockers. It’s a place to do a little business and pass a bit of gossip, a focal point of the backstretch community. Amoss chats and verbally jousts with some of the visitors. Others keep a distance, cast a cold eye. And even those on superficially friendly terms with Amoss realize their horses could wind up in his stable.
The stewards at Golden Gate Fields allowed a claim made last Friday to stand, even though there were two errors on the claiming slip. Typically, a claim is disallowed if there are any mistakes on the claiming slip.
Powers Lilsis was claimed from Billy Morey after winning a $12,500 claimer on Friday. There were several claims put in for the 7-year-old mare, and Jerry Hollendorfer and his client George Todaro won the shake over Andy Mathis.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Trainer Peter Walder reports that Force Freeze came out of his impressive victory in Saturday’s Gulfstream Park Sprint Championship in good fashion and will now be pointed for the seven-furlong Churchill Downs Handicap on Kentucky Derby day. Force Freeze earned the highest Beyer Speed Figure of the year, 108, for his effort in the GP Sprint.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Musical Romance is currently the biggest name on the Calder backstretch but trainer Eddie Plesa Jr. certainly appears to have a potential star on his hands in Scatter Joy, who raised a few eyebrows with his 7 1/2-length debut victory in a 6 1/2-furlong maiden special weight event at Gulfstream Park on Sunday.
Scatter Joy, a son of Scat Daddy, is a homebred owned by Marion Montanari. He earned an 85 Beyer Speed Figure of 85 in his unveiling.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - The Grade 2, $250,000 Davona Dale is the highlight on Saturday’s card but it will be a pair of “hundred-granders," the Grade 3 Sabin and The Very One stakes, that may command the most attention, with each featuring the 2012 debuts of a Breeders’ Cup winner.
Fed Biz, winner of a maiden race and an optional claimer at this meeting, will make his stakes debut in the $300,000 San Felipe Stakes over 1 1/16 miles on March 10, trainer Bob Baffert said Wednesday.
Owned by Kaleem Shah, Fed Biz won an optional claimer over a mile by 5 3/4 lengths on Feb. 9. On Wednesday, the colt by Giant’s Causeway worked six furlongs in 1:16.
“He was just cruising around,” Bafffert said. “He switched leads and did everything right.”
In his Feb. 9 race, Fed Biz did not switch leads until deep stretch.
Santa Anita has received permission from the California Horse Racing Board to eliminate seven days of racing on Wednesdays in March and April from the current meeting, track officials said.
The track is currently running four days a week – from Thursdays through Sundays – and originally planned to expand to a five-day racing week beginning the week of March 7.
In a letter sent to racing board chairman Keith Brackpool on Monday, Santa Anita requested to stay with a four-day format through the end of the meeting on April 22. Brackpool approved the request.
