Rebel Stakes winner Un Ojo has been transferred to trainer Robertino Diodoro and remains based at Churchill Downs, said Ricky Courville, who has trained the horse this spring.
Both Courville and Diodoro train for Cypress Creek Equine, the co-owner of Un Ojo. Courville is based at Copper Crowne, a training center in Opelousas, La., while Diodoro has a division at Churchill and also will have about 12 horses this summer at Saratoga. Un Ojo was bred in New York.
Julien Leparoux became just the fifth jockey to win 1,000 races at Churchill Downs when he guided Walkathon to victory Saturday in the Grade 3 Regret. Leparoux said afterward “there are just too many” special moments he has enjoyed at Churchill to single out one in particular.
The top four on the Churchill wins list are Pat Day (2,482), Calvin Borel (1,232), Robby Albarado (1,192), and Corey Lanerie (1,169).
Nafzger still in the game
War Like Goddess, who made a successful 5-year-old debut in the Grade 3 Bewitch Stakes at Keeneland on April 29, was kept out of Friday’s Grade 1, $750,000 New York Stakes at Belmont due to a minor physical issue, trainer Bill Mott said.
She returned to the work tab on Monday at Saratoga, going three furlongs in 36.85 seconds over the Oklahoma training track, the fastest of 28 breezes at the distance. It was her first work since the Bewitch.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Zandon, the third-place finisher in the Kentucky Derby, returned to the work tab Sunday at Belmont Park, breezing a half-mile in 49.98 seconds over the main track as he begins preparations for a summer campaign.
Trainer Chad Brown said Zandon “went outstanding” and is being pointed to the Grade 2, $600,000 Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga on July 30.
ELMONT, N.Y. – The imposing presence of reigning sprint champion Jackie’s Warrior in the Grade 2 True North and perhaps equally daunting quartet of filly and mare grass specialists that trainer Chad Brown has amassed a race later for the Grade 1 New York Stakes are just two of the highlights on Friday’s outstanding 11-race program at Belmont Park that also features the Grade 2 Belmont Gold Cup to be decided at two miles on the turf.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Trainer Eric Reed walked through the Belmont Park paddock on Monday, shortly after his Kentucky Derby-winning colt, Rich Strike, had a routine gallop of one lap around the track, at the same 1 1/2-mile distance he’ll run in the Belmont Stakes on Saturday. He looked at the surroundings in awe.
“It’s like heaven,” he said.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Santa Anita has scheduled 26 stakes for its autumn meeting, which runs from Sept. 30 to Nov. 6, with the first two weekends dominated by preps for Breeders’ Cup races. There are purse increases for six stakes.
The track has made minor revisions to the schedule from 2021. This year, the autumn schedule includes the $100,000 Tokyo City Cup at 1 1/2 miles on dirt, a race run in past years in early spring.
The schedule includes five Grade 1 or Grade 2 races that offer fees-paid berths to Breeders’ Cup races at Keeneland on Nov. 4-5.
ARCADIA, Calif. – It still surprises owner and breeder Nick Alexander that his 4-year-old filly Becca Taylor is not unbeaten after nine starts.
Running in her first graded stakes, Becca Taylor won Saturday’s Grade 3 Desert Stormer Stakes for fillies and mares at six furlongs at Santa Anita, her first start here since a nose loss in the Irish O’Brien Stakes on the hillside turf course in March.
“I’d like to see the photo,” Alexander said with a smile.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Ethereal Road, winner of the Sir Barton Stakes at Pimlico on the Preakness undercard May 21, will not compete in the Belmont Stakes on Saturday after developing a quarter crack in his right front hoof, trainer D. Wayne Lukas said Monday.
Ethereal Road has been training at Churchill Downs since traveling to Pimlico.
At Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., Howling Time was withdrawn from Belmont consideration by trainer Dale Romans early Monday, two days after the Not This Time colt breezed a half-mile in 48.80 seconds.
Romans said he “talked over our options” with Jason Loutsch, racing manager for the Albaugh Family Stables, before settling on the Grade 3 Matt Winn at Churchill the day after the Belmont.
