Fri, 12/16/2011 - 13:50

Aqueduct: Pletcher looms tough in pair of stakes

Barbara D. Livingston
Love and Pride figures to face pressure for the lead in Sunday's Let Me Linger Stakes at Aqueduct.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – A pair of $60,000 overnight stakes are on tap Sunday, and Todd Pletcher-trained sophomores loom the ones to catch in both.

In the Let Me Linger for fillies, Love and Pride drops out of a pacesetting third in the Grade 1 Gazelle. She drew favorably in post 2, but will likely face pressure from several rivals, including Marion Ravenwood, who comes off a wire-to-wire win in the off-the-turf Capades for Graham Motion; and My Dreamy Mimi, who is first-time Rudy Rodriguez after maiden and first-level allowance wins at Monmouth and Delaware.

Fri, 12/16/2011 - 13:17

Kentucky Derby to allow also-eligibles for first time in 2012

Four also-eligibles will be able to draw into the field for the Kentucky Derby for the first time in 2012 under a new policy announced Friday by Churchill Downs.

The policy, which also will apply to the Kentucky Oaks, will allow as many as four horses to draw into the Derby in the event of any scratches prior to 9 a.m. the day before the race. The also-eligibles will be ranked in preference by career graded stakes earnings, under the same system that is used to determine the 20-horse Derby field.

Fri, 12/16/2011 - 11:04

How to bet Saturday's CashCall Futurity Pick 4 at Hollywood Park

Here's my race-by-race rundown of Saturday's Pick 4 at Hollywood Park. I'm building my wager with TicketMaker, found exclusively on DRF.com.

Fri, 12/16/2011 - 10:39

How to bet Saturday's Gravesend Stakes $250K guaranteed Aqueduct Pick 4

Here's my race-by-race rundown of Saturday's Guaranteed $250K Pick 4 at Aqueduct. I'm building my wager with TicketMaker, found exclusively on DRF.com.

Thu, 12/15/2011 - 17:11

Hollywood: Krigger coming south

Marcel Langevin/Vassar Photography
Kevin Krigger

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Kevin Krigger, currently second in the jockey standings at the Golden Gate Fields meeting, will ride at Santa Anita when that meeting opens on Dec. 26, according to his agent, Tom Knust.

Krigger, 27, has ridden in Southern California in the past, but has been based in northern California in recent years. Knust represented Patrick Valenzuela for the last 18 months until that 49-year-old rider announced his retirement on Dec. 9.

Thu, 12/15/2011 - 17:01

Fair Grounds: Bonapaw no easy spot for Country Day

Country Day raced for a seven-figure purse last month at Churchill Downs, finishing second of 14 in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint. But seven-figure purses for short grass races come around just about never, and it is back to reality for Country Day on Saturday at Fair Grounds, where he’s scheduled to face eight rivals in the $75,000 Bonapaw Stakes. If Country Day’s class drop matched up with the $925,000 purse drop, he’d be a mortal lock, but Strike Impact, Great Mills, and aging Chamberlain Bridge can make Country Day work for his money.

Thu, 12/15/2011 - 16:46

Oaklawn Park lowers minimums on pick three, pick four, and pick six

Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., will reduce the minimum on three of its wagers for the upcoming meet that opens Jan. 13. The track plans to offer a 50-cent minimum on both the pick three and pick four, which had a previous minimum of $1.

The new minimum for the pick six will be $1.

The changes were made at the request of customers.

Thu, 12/15/2011 - 16:39

Charles Town: Navy Chapel targets win No. 4

Navy Chapel will be trying for her fourth win of the year when she faces eight other 2-year-old West Virginia-accredited fillies in the $50,000 Eleanor Casey Memorial at Charles Town on Saturday evening.

Thu, 12/15/2011 - 16:38

Laurel Park: Jack's in the Deck tops Maryland Juvenile Championship

Barbara D. Livingston
Jack's in the Deck will add blinkers for Saturday's Maryland Juvenile Championship at Laurel Park.

Maryland 2-year-olds take center stage Saturday at Laurel Park when a pair of $75,000 events highlight the nine-race card. The Maryland Juvenile Championships will be contested as the sixth and eighth races, with a division for fillies and a division for colts and geldings, respectively. Both events will be run at a one-turn 7 1/2 furlongs.

Thu, 12/15/2011 - 16:34

Laurel Park: Plum goes for three in a row in fillies division of Maryland Juvenile Championship

Plum will try to make it three in a row, all for trainer Rodney Jenkins, when she squares off against six others in the filly division of the Maryland Juvenile Championship. Plum won her maiden Nov. 2 at Laurel going 1 1/16 miles. She came back Nov. 25 and won an optional claimer going a mile. Plum signaled her readiness with a bullet work Monday. Regular rider Travis Dunkelberger retains the mount.