Lacking so much as an allowance, the Thursday card at Fair Grounds will unfold with a pair of $30,000 starter-allowances as the co-featured attractions when the first of nine races leaves the starting gate at the usual 12:40 p.m. Central.
Golden Gate Fields’s representative in last weekend’s Daily Racing Form/National Thoroughbred Racing Association National Handicapping Championship in Las Vegas, Donna Labriola of Richmond, finished fifth, earning $37,000. She missed fourth place and a $50,000 payoff by 10 cents.
Labriola was the highest-placing woman in the tournament.
Bold Chieftain has settled nicely into a corner stall in his new home at Victory Rose Thoroughbreds in Vacaville, Calif., according to farm owner Ellen Jackson. A 9-year-old son of Chief Seattle, Bold Chieftain earned more than $1 million on the racetrack and begins a new career as a stallion this week.
“We’re thinking we should get 40 mares to him,” said Jackson. “We’ve done a lot of pedigree research, and we’ve already had more calls about him than any other stallion.”
Shudacudawudya evened his four-race rivalry with Sourdough Sam in Saturday’s Albany Stakes at Golden Gate Fields. The two split decisions at age 2 and Sourdough Sam beat Shudacudawudya in the Oakland Stakes last fall to take a 2-1 lead in their series.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Union Rags, runner-up to Hansen in both the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and in the Eclipse Award voting, continues to progress towards his 3-year-old debut, which is scheduled to come in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth on Feb. 26. Union Rags worked five furlongs in 1:02.60 at Palm Meadows on Tuesday, posting splits of 25.40 and 37.80 before galloping out six furlongs in 1:15.40.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Cajun Breeze nearly pulled off the biggest upset on Saturday’s Florida Sunshine Millions program when he finished second, a half-length behind Soaring Stocks, at odds of 18-1 in the Sprint. Cajun Breeze came into the race off a maiden win and with just three starts under his belt.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Mucho Macho Man went back to the track on Tuesday for an easy jog, obviously none the worse for wear from his extremely impressive 1 1/2-length victory over Ron the Greek in Saturday’s Florida Sunshine Millions Classic.
“He came out of the race fine and trained well this morning,” trainer Kathy Ritvo said on Tuesday. “He’s doing great.”
Portland Meadows, in a concerted effort to reward its grittiest competitors and their connections, have created the inaugural 2012 Route Claiming Series, a three-race event culminating March 14 in the final, a $25,000 race over 1 1/4 miles. Following on the heels of the track's successful McFadden Memorial Sprint Claiming Series, which crowned the hard-knocking 12-year-old Colonel Courtney as its champ last Dec. 7, the Route Claiming Series has attracted 27 entrants for Wednesday's first leg, a three-division split of mile-and-70-yard races.
Trainer Todd Pletcher said Sunday that he is likely to run both Calibrachoa and Caixa Eletronica in Saturday’s Grade 3, $150,000 Toboggan Stakes at six furlongs at Aqeduct.
Initially, Pletcher was thinking of running just Calibrachoa – last year’s Toboggan winner – and holding Caixa Eletronica out until the General George on Feb. 20 at Laurel Park.
“They’re both doing well, they both like Aqueduct. I think in Caixa Eletronica’s case I don’t think running him necessarily means that he cannot run back in the General George – 16 days for him might be enough,” Pletcher said.
Judicial Leader, who has won three in a row and four of her last five races, heads a field of six entered at Aqueduct in Wednesday's $40,000 starter handicap for horses who have started for a claiming price of $10,000 or less in the last 37 months. The race will be run at a mile and 70 yards over the inner track.
Judicial Leader was claimed by Chris Englehart for $10,000 last September at Belmont. Since then she has four wins and a third in five starts, with the last two wins having come in two-turn races over the inner track.
