FLORENCE, Ky. – Positive Response was assigned post 2 as the lukewarm morning-line favorite in a full field of 12 3-year-olds entered Wednesday night in the Grade 3, $500,000 Vinery Racing Spiral Stakes, to be run Saturday at Turfway Park.
Positive Response, based in Northern California with trainer Billy Morey, was a seven-length winner of the John Battaglia Memorial at Turfway and remained here afterward. He will be ridden back by Julien Couton.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Trainer D. Wayne Lukas can keep his strong Oaklawn Park meet rolling in the ninth race Friday, when he sends out Derivative in the $50,000 optional claimer for 3-year-olds. The race, which has first-level allowance conditions, is to be run over six furlongs. It drew a field of nine, including impressive debut winner Fudgesicle.
ARCADIA, Calif. – When the filly Lady Sweetness first arrived at the racetrack, trainer Mike Mitchell knew her career debut would not happen any time soon.
“She looked like a Clydesdale, she was so fat,” Mitchell said. “It took forever to get all that weight off her. She was so big and heavy.”
The weight eventually came off. Two starts into her career, it appears Lady Sweetness was worth the wait.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – It has taken longer than her connections had probably hoped, but State Treasure is starting to live up to her royal pedigree. If she continues to progress as she has, State Treasure could be a factor in Saturday’s $100,000 Ladies Handicap at Aqueduct.
The Grade 2, $500,000 Super Derby will be run about two weeks earlier than usual this year, on Sept. 10, in the most significant change made to the $2.6 million Louisiana Downs stakes schedule released Wednesday. The 84-date meet opens May 6 and continues through Sept. 25.
The Super Derby, at 1 1/8 miles, is the richest of 28 stakes to be run at the Bossier City, La., track. Its date was repositioned for a couple of different reasons, said Trent McIntosh, director of operations for Louisiana Downs.
Trainer Jinks Fires already has one 3-year-old in a good position to make the Kentucky Derby in Archarcharch. After the Grade 3, $800,000 Sunland Park Derby on Sunday, he hopes to have another. Fires will send out Supreme Ruler in the 1 1/8-mile race, which drew a field of 11 when entries were taken on Wednesday.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Pace handicappers will have little trouble settling on their choice in Friday’s $59,300 feature at Gulfstream Park. With all the speed signed on for the six-furlong, second-level optional $62,500 claimer, the clear pick is Mia’s Angel, a late-running and vastly improved colt who should benefit from what on paper, at least, figures to be a hot and contested pace.
Bind, who got a Beyer Speed Figure of 105 when scoring a 9 1/2-length victory in his debut going six furlongs on Feb. 19, stretches out to a mile and 70 yards in a first-level allowance Saturday at Fair Grounds.
“We’ve always thought the world of him,” Bind’s trainer, Al Stall Jr., said Wednesday morning. “I’m very happy this race filled. It’s been a tough race to fill all meet, plus it’s closing weekend.”
Snow Fall, one of the 3-year-old fillies entered in the Grade 2, $500,000 Fair Grounds Oaks on Saturday, will be scratched from the race after seeing her temperature spike to 104 degrees a few days ago, trainer Mike Stidham said Wednesday morning.
“She worked five furlongs in 59 and 3 on Sunday morning, we entered her, and that afternoon she had a temperature of 104,” Stidham said. “She’s responding. It looks like it was just a virus. She’s doing better, but we could never run her Saturday.”
Garrett Gomez will ride Silver Medallion in the Grade 1, $1 million Santa Anita Derby on April 9, trainer Steve Asmussen said Wednesday.
Silver Medallion won the El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate Fields in his last start, with Russell Baze aboard. Since then, a majority interest in Silver Medallion was sold, but Asmussen has remained his trainer.
Should Silver Medallion win the Santa Anita Derby, he would be in line for a $5.5 million bonus if he could also capture the Preakness Stakes.
