The 2010 stakes winner Clubhouse Ride will return from a layoff of nearly 13 months in Saturday’s $200,000 Strub Stakes, a situation that trainer Craig Lewis admits is less than ideal.
“My options are somewhat limited with him,” he said. “It’s pretty demanding to go a mile and an eighth after his workouts.”
ARCADIA, Calif.- Willa B Awesome may have earned a start in the Grade 1 Las Virgenes Stakes on March 3 with her front-running win in Saturday’s $100,000 Santa Ysabel Stakes for 3-year-old fillies.
Willa Be Awesome won the Grade 3 Santa Ysabel over 1 1/16 miles by 3 1/2 lengths, earning her first graded stakes win. The victory left trainer Walther Solis thinking that Willa Be Awesome fits in the $250,000 Las Virgenes Stakes over a mile.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - The way Broadway’s Alibi worked one week prior to Sunday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Forward Gal Stakes, trainer Todd Pletcher was expecting a good performance from his 3-year-old filly in the sprint stakes.
He wasn’t expecting she would win by almost 17 lengths.
Taking the lead soon after the start under John Velazquez, Broadway’s Alibi splashed her way to a 16 3/4-length victory over Say a Novena in the Forward Gal run in the slop at Gulfstream Park.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Eclipse Award winner Hansen may have been the center of attention, but it was Algorithms who stole the show in Sunday’s $400,000 Holy Bull at Gulfstream Park, cruising to an easy five-length victory over the reigning 2-year-old champion in the first major local prep on the Kentucky Derby trail.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Add another horse, El Padrino, to trainer Todd Pletcher’s steadily growing list of Kentucky Derby prospects.
El Padrino may have actually moved to the top of that list following his extremely impressive two-length victory over Take Charge Indy on a good and sealed racetrack Sunday at Gulfstream Park. The entry-level allowance race was the first start for El Padrino since his third- place finish in the Grade 2 Remsen two months earlier.
BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. - It was a typically busy Sunday morning for trainer Todd Pletcher, who worked 28 horses at Palm Meadows, including Donn Handicap contender Mission Impazible and promising 3-year-olds Ecabroni, Spring Hill Farm, and Thunder Moccasin.
Mission Impazible, working in company with the 3-year-old Big Blue Nation, went five furlongs in 1:02.38, getting the last quarter in 24.16 seconds. He galloped out six furlongs in 1:14.95 and pulled up seven furlongs in 1:28.96.
Papaw Bodie became a stakes winner while winning his fourth consecutive race Saturday night in the Grade 3, $200,000 Connally Turf Cup at Sam Houston Race Park in Houston. He rallied for a 1 3/4-length win over Proceed Bee. It was another half-length back in third to Little Wagon.
The Connally Turf Cup was the richest race of the meet at Sam Houston.
ALBANY, Calif. - Favored Shudacudawudya got a patient, confident ride from Francisco Duran and parlayed a perfect stalking trip into a victory in the $65,260 Albany Stakes at Golden Gate Fields on Saturday.
Shudacudawudya ($4.60) sat third as Live Sundays controlled the pace in front of comebacking Gig Harbor in the six-furlong race. Duran angled Shudacudawudya three wide and kept him clear in the lane as he wore down a game Live Sundays to win by one-half length in 1:09.04. Reagan Republican finished third in a three-way photo another length back.
ARCADIA, Calif. - This much was clear after Home Sweet Aspen finished a neck in front of Sugarinthemorning in the $300,000 Santa Monica Stakes at Santa Anita. Both 4-year-old fillies ran the best races of their career to finish first and second.
Home Sweet Aspen ($13.60) led or disputed the pace throughout the Grade 1 race over seven furlongs and won narrowly after racing on the inside in the stretch-long duel. Winning jockey Joel Rosario said he was confident in early stretch that Home Sweet Aspen would prevail.
