ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Alec Fehr endured some lean times last year, recording just two wins here and another two at Fort Erie, and his barn continued to have a quiet time in the early months of this meeting. But things of been looking up of late, with Fehr having greeted 11 of his last 39 starters in the winner’s circle and 15 in total this meet heading into Thursday’s program.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Trainer Ralph Biamonte will take two shots at Saturday’s $125,000 Kingarvie Stakes, when he runs favorites Jenna’s Wabbit and Run in Aruba in the 1 1/16-mile event for Ontario-sired 2-year-olds at Woodbine.
Jenna’s Wabbit performed well in all three of his races early in the meet, but has really put it all together since returning from a layoff.
MIAMI – Trainer Phil Gleaves entered Mambo Meister in both the Grade 3 Fred W. Hooper Handicap and the Grade 2 W.L. McKnight just to keep his options open. But in the end, the decision where to run his multiple Grade 3 stakes winner Saturday afternoon at Calder was really a no-brainer.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – For all the terrific performances by 2-year-olds so far at the Churchill Downs fall meet, none was more eye-catching than the maiden victory by an Indian Charlie colt named Ever So Lucky on Nov. 11. Even his normally hard-to-impress trainer, Jonathan Sheppard, had to agree that, yes, it was pretty awesome.
“There’s a lot of talent there,” Sheppard said the morning afterward. “I’d say I only had him maybe 90 percent ready. Once we start cranking down on him, well, that should be interesting to see.”
PHOENIX – Page Springs, unbeaten and untested in five career starts, looks to continue her domination as she leads a field of 12 Arizona-bred 2-year-old fillies in the $35,000 fillies division of the Arizona Breeders Futurity Saturday at Turf Paradise. About an hour later, A Political Time tries to cement his status atop the 2-year-old Arizona-bred male class as he leads a field of 12 in the $35,000 male division of the Arizona Breeders Futurity. Each event is at six furlongs on the main track.
Hayley’s Halo has dominated New Mexico’s filly and mare division all year long, with five stakes wins since February. She will attempt to continue her reign Saturday, when she faces eight others, including Southern California invader Chalula One, in the $55,000 Zia Park Distaff.
The field for the six-furlong race for fillies and mares also includes Queen Greeley, the winner of the $40,000 Columbine this past summer at Arapahoe Park.
Ravalo held on gamely under jockey Jeffrey Sanchez to prevail by a neck over Immortal Eyes in the $200,000 Six Bits at Penn National Wednesday evening. The Six Bits was one of four stakes on the card.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Jersey Town, who upset last year’s Cigar Mile at odds of 34-1, was not entered in Saturday’s renewal and instead will be pointed to 2012 campaign.
Trainer Barclay Tagg said that Jersey Town had a hard race when he finished sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, and with some inclement weather afterward, Jersey Town was not able to train as he would have liked.
Tagg said that he would ship Jersey Town to south Florida next week and most likely point him to the Gulfstream Park Sprint, a seven-furlong race on Feb. 18.
