HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Trainers Brad Cox and Steve Asmussen on Monday entered a combined five of the 11 horses set to start in the Grade 2, $1 million Rebel on Saturday at Oaklawn Park.
The first five finishers in the 1 1/16-mile stakes will earn Kentucky Derby points on a scale of 50-20-15-10-5.
The Asmussen and Cox entrants will occupy the first five spots in the starting gate for the Rebel.
Ocean Atlantique’s career has taken him across the Atlantic Ocean and back to the state of his birth. The well-traveled gelding earned his first U.S. stakes win, and first for his current connections, on Saturday night in the Dust Commander Stakes at Turfway Park.
His dominant performance earned one of the top Beyer Speed Figures of this season at the track and has stamped him as a candidate for the $300,000 Kentucky Cup Classic, part of Turfway’s stakes-heavy program on March 25.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Chase the Chaos, winner of the El Camino Real Derby on Feb. 11 at Golden Gate Fields, will have his graded stakes debut in the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes on March 4 at Santa Anita.
The $400,000 San Felipe Stakes for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles is a key prep for the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby on April 8.
Chase the Chaos won his first stakes in the El Camino Real Derby at 1 1/8 miles on a synthetic track, closing from fifth in a field of eight to win by 1 1/2 lengths.
ARCADIA, Calif. – With a forecast for significant rain from Thursday to Saturday, Santa Anita has canceled racing on Friday, the track announced Monday. An assessment on Saturday’s program will be made Wednesday.
“I think we can make a better decision then,” said Jason Egan, the track’s director of racing.
The Los Angeles area could receive three inches of rain later this week, with the prospect for considerably more, according to a private weather forecast used by the track.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Repo Rocks, whose 111 Beyer Speed Figure earned winning the Grade 3 Toboggan at Aqueduct on Jan. 28 is the highest recorded by any horse so far in 2023, was one of six horses entered Monday for Saturday’s $125,000 Stymie Stakes at Aqueduct.
The $47,000 purse of a starter allowance at Del Mar last August has been ordered redistributed after race winner Inch tested positive for the banned bronchodilator clenbuterol, according to a ruling issued by Santa Anita stewards on Friday. The positive was found in a post-race urine sample, the ruling stated.
Santa Anita has banned the transport of all horses from Turf Paradise in Phoenix after a pony horse at that track was diagnosed with equine herpesvirus, according to Santa Anita director of racing Jason Egan. The ban, until further notice, was put into immediate effect Sunday afternoon.
Egan said that five horses recently arrived at Santa Anita from Turf Paradise. The trainers of those horses have been asked to closely monitor the conditions of those horses.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Following his fourth consecutive victory – and first against open company – the New York-bred Today’s Flavor is headed for stakes company for his next start. One of his options could be the Grade 1 Carter on April 8 at Aqueduct.
“Nominations close two weeks out, if the horse is doing well, he will be nominated and we will consider it,” trainer George Weaver said Sunday.
Kerri Raven is the owner, trainer, exercise rider, and chief bottle washer for Chess Master, whose 4 3/4-length romp Saturday in the $98,750 Tampa Turf Dash scarcely could have been more dominant.
“Oh my god, he just crushed them,” Raven said. “I’m going to watch this replay a lot.”
The gate-to-wire score under Antonio Gallardo graded out to a 100 Beyer Speed Figure, matching the number he earned in winning the 2022 Tampa Turf Dash. As a Florida-bred eligible for additional bonuses, the 7-year-old gelding earned $60,000.
