Walkin Bac starts in his third major stakes final of 2011 in Sunday’s $171,750 Southern California Derby at Los Alamitos, a last chance to end a frustrating season of losses for the gelding and his trainer, Jose Antonio Flores.
Walkin Bac has made nine starts in his career and has been second six times, including the Holiday Handicap last January, the Governor’s Cup Derby in July, and a division of the Southern California Derby trials on Nov. 27. He was fifth in the Los Alamitos Winter Derby in February.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Mensa Heat’s last-place finish in the California Cup Sprint at Santa Anita on Oct. 29 left bettors puzzled and trainer Ted H. West searching for answers.
Within a week, an illness that contributed to the defeat was detected. Mensa Heat was suffering from stomach ulcers, according to Ted West, father of trainer Ted H. West. Six weeks of treatment followed, and Mensa Heat quickly rebounded, the senior West said.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
