Animal Kingdom, the Kentucky Derby winner, will definitely run in the $1 million Belmont Stakes on June 11, trainer Graham Motion confirmed on Friday.
"We feel like we're definitely going as long as the horse is good," Motion said Friday. "We want to be there. The horse seems to be doing really good. I'm so pleased with how he bounced out of it the last couple of days. All systems go."
CINCINNATI – Trophy Boy will try to remain undefeated when he faces six other Ohio bred 3-year-old colts and geldings in the $50,000 Green Carpet at River Downs on Sunday. The Green carpet is scheduled to be run at 1 1/16 miles on turf.
Trophy Boy won at first asking at Beulah Park on March 14 in gate-to-wire fashion in a statebred maiden event. In his second and most recent start, Trophy Boy won the H.B. Noonan at Beulah on April 16 by five lengths, again having led every step of the way.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Raging Star entered his 2010 campaign as a winner of one race and less than $25,000 but exploded with a solid season, compiling a record of 4-3-0 from 12 starts for earnings of $86,298. Those accomplishments will be recognized on June 19 when Raging Star is honored as the claimer of the year at the Toronto Thoroughbred Racing Club’s annual awards day here at Woodbine.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Trainer Craig MacPherson is pleased with the way Inhisglory is developing and is looking forward to running the 3-year-old Kentucky-bred in the $50,000 River Rock Casino next Sunday at Hastings.
Undefeated Striking Time dominated his 2-year-old rivals at Marquis Downs last year and he will get a real class test when he tackles a solid field of allowance horses running in a $32,000 optional claiming race at Northlands Park Sunday. The six-furlong race for 3-year-olds drew six horses and goes as the seventh race.
AUBURN, Wash. – Elusive Noise and Awesome Woman, speedy newcomers in the 3-year-old filly division at Emerald Downs, will put unbeaten records on the line Sunday in the $50,000 Seattle Handicap. A total of seven horses were entered for the 6 1/2-furlong Seattle, a preliminary step on the road to the nine-furlong Washington Oaks in August. The Seattle is race 6 on a nice-race card that begins at 2 p.m. Pacific.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Pop Artist and Arkhill look like the main players in a $25,000 claiming race for 3-year-olds and up that will serve as Sunday’s feature at Hastings. The 6 1/2-furlong sprint drew five horses and goes as the third race.
Pop Artist will be looking to make it three wins in a row for the same price and he easily handled Arkhill in their last two meetings. Nonetheless, Arkhill is taking the blinkers off for the first time in his 21-race career and he looked very sharp when he worked three furlongs in a rapid 34 seconds May 19.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Last year’s Connaught Cup featured the revival of Grand Adventure, who was eventually crowned the champion male grass runner in Canada for 2010. He will try to win that Grade 2 stakes for the second year in a row Sunday at Woodbine, and should be tough to beat in the seven-furlong turf sprint.
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – Alternation, winner of Peter Pan Stakes at Belmont, worked a solid six furlongs on Friday morning at Arlington Park, trainer Donnie Von Hemel’s summer base. Von Hemel said later in the morning that he and Alternation’s owner, Josephine Abercrombie’s Pin Oak Stable, won’t firm up plans for the colt’s next race until sometime this weekend. Alternation is being considered for a return trip to New York for the Belmont Stakes.
Trainer Jeff Mullins was granted a stay by a San Diego Superior Court on Thursday, allowing him to avoid thestart of 70-day suspension for a medication violation that was scheduled to begin on Wednesday until further hearings are conducted.
The stay, issued by Superior Court judge Lisa Foster, will allow Mullins to continue operating his Hollywood Park stable.
