ELMONT, N.Y. – Miss Brazil made a successful return to the races last Friday, going wire to wire in winning a third-level allowance by 1 1/4 lengths at Aqueduct. She ran six furlongs in 1:10.91 and earned a 90 Beyer Speed Figure.
Miss Brazil, who was making her first start since she ran fifth in the Grade 3 Victory Ride Stakes last July 9, will now target the Grade 3, $150,000 Vagrancy on May 14.
The battle for leading trainer at the Keeneland spring meet might well come down to the wire. Wesley Ward holds a 9-8 lead over Brad Cox into the final three-day stretch of the 15-day meet, with both trainers having a number of live chances through Friday, closing day.
Ward has entries in nine races, including several in which he has a stable coupling. Cox has entries in eight races, including two with a coupling. Chad Brown, who has seven wins, has a total of five entries Wednesday and Thursday but none on Friday.
War Like Goddess will make her 5-year-old debut Friday as a heavy favorite in the closing-day feature at Keeneland, the Grade 3 Bewitch, with a new jockey in Joel Rosario. The stretch-running mare is one of seven fillies and mares in the $300,000 Bewitch, which goes at 1 1/2 miles on the turf.
Fulsome, who has served as a workmate for Kentucky Derby-bound stablemate Zozos recently, will have his own date under the twin spires on the first weekend in May, as he targets the Grade 2, $500,000 Alysheba Stakes.
Fulsome won three stakes during his 2021 campaign, including the Grade 3 Matt Winn Stakes at Churchill Downs. In his first outing this season, he won the Oaklawn Mile by a neck over Cezanne on April 2.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Despite missing three days of the 15-day meet and riding only 62 horses, jockey Kendrick Carmouche won the Aqueduct spring riding title with 19 wins, one more than Dylan Davis.
Davis, who won the winter meet title, won 18 races from 104 mounts at the spring stand. Trevor McCarthy and Manny Franco finished in a tie for third with 15 wins, while apprentice Jose Gomez was fifth with 13 wins.
Franco, who won three stakes at the meet, led all riders in purse money won with $1,192,773, about $20,000 more than Davis.
Churchill Downs
Weather: Sunny
Track: Fast
Temperature: 66
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - It was “big” work day for trainer Steve Asmussen’s barn Sunday morning at Churchill Downs with Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks king and queen pins Epicenter and Echo Zulu each working a serious six furlongs in company well before dawn.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Original Intent is back at Oaklawn Park following a start at Aqueduct and is being pointed to the Trail’s End on the final day of the meet May 8, according to trainer Bentley Combs.
The Trail’s End is the traditional final race of the meet, and it is run at 1 3/4 miles. Original Intent dominated the race last year, winning by more than six lengths and earning a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 87.
In more recent times, Original Intent was fourth in the $75,000 Stud Muffin on March 26 at Aqueduct. The race was run over 1 3/8 miles.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Presidential was a notable allowance winner earlier this month at Oaklawn Park and the 3-year-old could see stakes action at Lone Star Park.
Trainer Steve Asmussen said Wednesday that Presidential is being considered for a start in the $300,000 Texas Derby at Lone Star. The horse is coming off a first-level allowance route win for which he earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 81 here April 16.
“Obviously, we were very pleased with his win the other day,” Asmussen said. “He did really well. The Texas Derby on May 30 is a strong possibility.”
Jockey Kevin Roman has had an outstanding weekend at Fonner Park.
He won six races at the Nebraska track on Friday and came back and won another five on Saturday.
Roman won with six of his seven mounts Friday, and of those wins five came for the owner-trainer combination of GSH Stable and Isai Gonzalez.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Early Voting, the Grade 2 Wood Memorial runner-up, worked a half-mile in 49.97 seconds Saturday morning over the Belmont Park training track, with a decision on his Kentucky Derby participation expected by the end of the weekend.
