ARCADIA, Calif. – It’s a good thing the 3-year-old colt Chips All In is a better racehorse than he is work horse.
The two-time stakes winner worked seven furlongs in 1:29 at Santa Anita on Saturday, a slow time that would send some trainers into a panic. Not Jeff Mullins, who timed the colt in 1:30.80. Mullins considers Chips All In to be a candidate for Saturday’s $200,000 Robert Lewis Stakes over 1 1/16 miles, and was not concerned about the slow workout time.
As a yearling, Norte Grande brought a mere $1,450 when he went through the sales ring at the Mountain Springs horse sale in Shartlesville, Pa., about 30 mile east of Penn National Race Course. Anybody could have claimed Norte Grande for a mere $9,000 out of his career debut as a 2-year-old in December 2010 or $25,000 three weeks later.
On the day the Sunshine Millions Classic was run for the 10th time – albeit under a slightly different format – last year’s Classic winner Tackleberry took another step toward his return.
Tackleberry worked four furlongs in 48 seconds at Calder Saturday morning, the fastest of 86 works at the distance. A week ago, Tackleberry worked three furlongs in a bullet 36 seconds.
“He’s coming along pretty fast,” said Luis Olivares, trainer and owner of Tackleberry. “He’s three weeks to a month away from running. He’s doing very well. So far, so good.”
Currency Swap, winner of the Grade 1 Hopeful Stakes, worked three furlongs in 36.60 seconds Saturday at Gulfstream, his first breeze since being sidelined with an ankle chip last fall that required surgery.
Under exercise rider and assistant trainer Luis Canrera, Currency Swap went his first eighth in 12.32 seconds, his final quarter in 24.28 seconds and he galloped out four furlongs in 50.33.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – While not as eye-catching as his in-company workout a week ago, Preakness winner Shackleford continued preparations for his 4-year-old debut on Saturday by working six furlongs in 1:12.21 over Gulfstream Park’s main track.
It was Shackleford’s fourth work at Gulfstream since his arrival last month and he’ll have one more move next weekend in advance of his start in the Grade 1, $500,000 Donn Handicap here on Feb. 11.
Last week, Shackleford went five furlongs in 58.63 seconds, working behind two stablemates and splitting the pair at the wire.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Breeders’ Cup Sprint runner-up Force Freeze will launch his 2012 campaign in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Sprint Championship on Feb. 18. The way he worked here Saturday morning, trainer Peter Walder wishes the race was next week.
ARCADIA, Calif. - There is a two-day carryover of $239,519 after Friday’s card at Santa Anita, but the gigantic pool will not be up for grabs until Sunday.
As a special promotion on Saturday, Santa Anita is joining with Gulfstream Park in Florida for a $1 pick six combining three races in the Sunshine Millions series at each venue. As a result, the pick six solely on Santa Anita’s races has been suspended on Saturday and will resume on Sunday.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Sidelined jockey Eibar Coa had plans to leave Florida on Saturday for Panama, where he will undergo stem cell treatment for the next four weeks.
“I’m still slow on my right side, have trouble with my bowel and bladder and have neck pain,” said Coa, who has made a miraculous recovery after being left temporarily paralyzed in a riding mishap here one year ago. “I’m going to receive a series of 16 injections in my spinal cord that are supposed to regenerate and reconnect some of my damaged cells.”
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - It would appear as though Flat Out’s dull turf debut took little out of the Grade 1 dirt stakes winners.
In his first workout since finishing last in the Ft. Lauderdale Stakes on Jan. 14, Flat Out worked five furlongs in 59.20 seconds Friday morning over Gulfstream’s main track.
The work, with Alex Solis up, was from the half-mile pole to a furlong past the wire. The time was the fastest of 26 at the distance.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Trainer Richard Dutrow Jr. was all smiles in the winner’s circle after his Boys At Tosconova survived a war with the filly Groupie Doll before coming out three-quarters of a length the best in Friday’s $64,000 allowance feature at Gulfstream Park. The victory was the third in a row for Boys At Tosconova, winner of the Grade 1 Hopeful at 2.
“He’s shown up the last three times,” said Dutrow. “It’s time to go into stakes with him now.”
