ARCADIA, Calif. – Business figures for the first six days of the Santa Anita winter-spring meeting showed sharp gains over the start of the 2010-11 meeting.
Releasing limited data, the track said in a statement Wednesday that ontrack attendance has improved 21 percent, ontrack handle was up 11 percent, and all-sources handle, including simulcasting and account wagering nationwide, increased by 14 percent.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Secret Circle’s career may change after Saturday’s $100,000 Sham Stakes at Santa Anita.
The unbeaten winner of three races, including the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Sprint at Churchill Downs in November, Secret Circle makes his first start at a mile in the Grade 3 Sham Stakes for 3-year-olds. A brilliant sprinter, he must prove that he is not a one-dimensional colt and can carry that enthusiasm around two turns.
“It will be interesting,” trainer Bob Baffert said. “I think the jury is still out on the turn turns.”
[bc_video_id:241476:]OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Sweet Seventeen gets a chance to prove she’s more than just a sprint and synthetic-surface specialist when she stretches out around two turns in Saturday’s $100,000 Busanda Stakes at Aqueduct.
The Busanda, restricted to 3-year-old fillies, is run at a mile and 70 yards around two turns and is the co-feature on a nine-race program that includes the $150,000 Count Fleet Stakes for 3-year-old males.
ARCADIA, Calif. – In his last two starts, Tres Borrachos has proven to be dangerous from the front and off the pace. The style of racing that will be employed in Saturday’s $150,000 San Pasqual Stakes at Santa Anita rest solely in the hands of jockey Joel Rosario.
In the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Churchill Downs on Nov. 5, Tres Borrachos closed from last in a field of nine to finish third. In the Grade 3 Native Diver Handicap at Hollywood Park on Dec. 3, Tres Borrachos led to deep stretch, finishing a half-length behind Kettle Corn.
OLDSMAR, Fla. – Gibson has won his last two starts, including a stunning upset over a strong field of Florida-bred sprinters in the $125,000 Jack Dudley Sprint Stakes at Calder two races ago. He figures to be one of the favorites Saturday when a field of nine older sprinters meet in the $60,000 Pelican Stakes going six furlongs at Tampa Bay Downs.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom launched his 3-year-old campaign on the grass, and there is a good chance trainer Graham Motion may use the same strategy to get Animal Kingdom legged up for the first major goal of his 4-year-old season, the $10 million Dubai World Cup on March 31.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Everybody would like to think they get better with age. Daveron actually has. The 7-year-old mare is coming off her best season yet and will launch what could be her final campaign when headlining a full field of 14 fillies and mares set to go 1 1/16 miles on the turf in Saturday’s extremely competitive $100,000 Marshua’s River at Gulfstream Park.
Louisiana Downs in Bossier City, La., will jump into its Quarter Horse meet on Saturday with a stakes double. In the $20,000 Harrah’s Dash at 250 yards, Charal Kid, a seven-time stakes winner who has earned more than $330,000, will take on Endless Ocean, who has been chasing Grade 1 winners Cold Cash 123 and Llano Teller. The card also features the $20,000 Harrah’s Distaff.
PHOENIX – Snuggs and Kisses returns to defend her title in Saturday’s $35,000 Kachina Handicap at Turf Paradise, but the mare, a 5-year-old daughter of Soto, doesn’t figure to have an easy time of it. The mile event for fillies and mares drew a competitive field of eight.
Snuggs and Kisses, owned by L. Barrett Bernard and trained by Dennis Sowers, came here last winter off a big win at Churchill Downs. She stalked the pace in the Kachina, took over, and drew off to win impressively.
