Fri, 04/29/2011 - 14:08

Hastings: Fast pace should help Victory With Class, Pigtails in Boulevard Casino

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Victory With Class and Pigtails should appreciate what figures to be a lively pace in the $50,000 Boulevard Casino for 3-year-old fillies at Hastings on Sunday. The 6 1/2-furlong sprint drew seven horses and goes as race 7.

Victory With Class has never been worse than second in six career starts and is coming off of a solid effort behind Nuj Nuj Wink Wink, who had things her own way inn optional $75,000 claiming race April 17. The pace scenario will be completely different with the speedy Overvalued in the field.

Fri, 04/29/2011 - 14:01

Woodbine: Something Extra back quickly, without blinkers, for Wando

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Something Extra will shed the blinkers for the stretch-out to 1 1/16 miles Sunday at Woodbine in the $100,000 Wando Stakes.

Something Extra, owned by trainer Gail Cox and John Menary, graduated second-time out last July, and went on to finish second in an allowance and the seven-furlong Swynford Stakes.

In his first venture around two turns, Something Extra battled for the lead before fading in the stretch in the Grade 3 Grey Stakes in October. He completed his 2-year-old campaign by dead-heating for fourth in an allowance route Nov. 5.

Fri, 04/29/2011 - 13:38

Woodbine: Irishman Moran joins jockey colony

Michael Burns
Jockey David Moran celebrates his win aboard Roan Inish in the 2010 Woodbine Oaks.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – The already deep Woodbine jockey colony has gained an interesting new member in David Moran, who arrived from Ireland on Wednesday evening.

Moran can hardly be called a stranger to Woodbine, however, as the 28-year-old Irishman has ridden here six times, all in stakes races, for trainer Carolyn Costigan.

And those overseas trips have yielded wins with Roan Inish in the $250,000 Princess Elizabeth and $500,000 Woodbine Oaks, plus a third-place finish in the $1 million Queen’s Plate.

Fri, 04/29/2011 - 13:18

Finger Lakes cuts nine stakes from schedule

Faced with the loss of $700,000 in purse supplements from the New York Thoroughbred Breeding and Development Fund, Finger Lakes Casino and Racetrack has slashed nine of 13 stakes from its 2011 schedule.

Fri, 04/29/2011 - 13:08

Emerald Downs: Stakes runners tune up in allowance ranks

AUBURN, Wash. – With the start of the 2011 stakes schedule still two weeks away, a handful of horses with stakes credentials will make their season debuts in allowance races Sunday at Emerald Downs.

In the eighth race, a $50,000 optional claimer for older horses at 5 1/2 furlongs, 2009 stakes winners Hollywood Harbor and Peaceful Reign are scheduled to return from lengthy layoffs.

Hollywood Harbor, Emerald’s champion 2-year-old in 2009, hasn’t raced since April 2010, when he was ninth of 10 in the Harry Henson Stakes on the turf at Hollywood Park.

Fri, 04/29/2011 - 10:17

Kentucky Derby workouts: Archarcharch dusts workmate at Churchill Downs

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LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The sun finally broke through for the first time in more than a week Friday at Churchill Downs, but the racetrack still had some moisture in it and was rated good when opening at 5:45 a.m. before ultimately being upgraded to fast by the time the special 15 minute Derby-Oaks training session began nearly three hours later.

Fri, 04/29/2011 - 07:51

Kentucky Derby: Mr. Commons works, just in case

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Mr. Commons, third in the Santa Anita Derby and all but ruled out of the Kentucky Derby due to insufficient graded stakes earnings, would have worked shorter than seven furlongs Thursday at Hollywood Park. But when Churchill Downs officials phoned trainer John Shirreffs earlier that morning to inquire about Mr. Commons’s status, Shirreffs called an audible.

“I wasn’t planning on going long with him,” Shirreffs said. “But when I heard how close it’s getting, I decided to work him long just on the off chance [he gets in].”

Thu, 04/28/2011 - 18:31

Keeneland: Keertana takes charge in Bewitch

LEXINGTON, Ky. - The betting public had trouble separating the contenders in Thursday's Grade 3, $150,000 Bewitch Stakes at Keeneland - sending La Luna de Miel, Keertana, and Endless Expanse all off at 2-1.

Keertana had little trouble separating herself in the race itself, however, taking command in midstretch under jockey Jose Lezcano and coasting to a 1 1/4-length score over late-running My Baby Baby before a crowd of 10,957.

Thu, 04/28/2011 - 16:41

Hawthorne: Ace Rich comes alive with two turns

STICKNEY, Ill. – Saturday marks closing day of the Hawthorne winter-spring meet, the 10-race card looking much like the rest of a claimer-dominated season. Featured on the program is a first-level allowance, race 7, carded at 1 1/16 miles on the main track.