HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - S.S. Stone began the Gulfstream meet a low-level claiming horse. He ended it a graded stakes winner.
S.S. Stone won his fourth consecutive race of the meet when he persevered past Colizeo in upper stretch and then held off Jackson Bend to take the Grade 3, $100,000 Skip Away Stakes by two lengths at Gulfstream Park. It was one-length back to Colizeo in third. Drosselmeyer, last year’s Belmont Stakes winner, finished fifth, beaten seven lengths.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla - Little Mike ran them off their feet again Sunday at Gulfstream Park, leading throughout to add the Grade 3 Appleton to his previous victories here this season in the Grade 3 Ft. Lauderdale and Canadian Turf stakes.
There was one workout from a Santa Anita Derby probable starter on Sunday with Mr. Commons working five furlongs in 1:00.60 for trainer John Shirreffs at Hollywood Park.
Mr. Commons will make his stakes debut in the Santa Anita Derby, having won a maiden race on turf on Jan. 15 and an allowance race over a mile on the main track on Feb. 26 in his last two starts.
KENTUCKY DERBY NEWS: Track all the 3-year-olds on the Triple Crown trail
ARCADIA, Calif.- Not all of trainer Bob Baffert’s horses work fast.
Sunday at Santa Anita, Misremembered, one of Baffert’s leading older horses, worked five furlongs in 1:02.80, his final workout before the $350,000 Oaklawn Handicap in Arkansas next Saturday.
“I wanted him to go a little quicker,” Baffert said. “He’s ready for the race. The way he worked the other day, he was pretty impressive.”
On March 29 at Santa Anita, Misremembered worked six furlongs in 1:09.60.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - The Todd Pletcher/Joyce Robsham juggernaut continued its magical weekend run at Gulfstream Park when Travelin Man cruised to a two-length victory in Sunday’s Grade 2, $150,000 Swale Stakes.
The win came one day after Pletcher and Robsham combined to win both the Grade 2 Gulfstream Oaks and Grade 3 Rampart with R Heat Lightning and Awesome Maria, respectively. The trainer Pletcher won five races on Saturday’s card.
Blushing Dixie notched her first career stakes victory Saturday night when finally getting the best of favored Miss Luann following a lengthy stretch duel in the $50,000 Fairway Fun Stakes at Turfway Park in Florence, Ky.
With Shaun Bridgmohan riding for trainer Steve Margolis, Blushing Dixie prevailed by a neck, returning $9.80 as third choice in a field of five fillies and mares. Miss Luann, the race-long leader at even money, had another 1 1/2 lengths on La Gran Bailadora, the 9-5 second choice.
BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. - Early Kentucky Derby favorite Uncle Mo completed his major preparation for Saturday’s $1 million Wood Memorial at Aqueduct by working four furlongs in 48.20 seconds Sunday morning at the Palm Meadows training center in Florida. The time was the second fastest of 36 at the distance.
All Saint pretty much put a bow around his horse of the meet title as the 5-year-old gelding not only dominated Saturday’s $25,000 Wildcat Handicap on the grass at Turf Paradise, but set a course record in the process.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark.- Comedero established himself as a 3-year-old sprinter of note last year when he won five stakes, including the Grade 3 Chick Lang at Pimlico. Saturday, he looked as good as ever when he made his first start in six months in the $50,000 Nodouble at Oaklawn Park.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - R Heat Lightning may have established herself as the favorite for next month’s Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs with a dominant 8 1/4-length victory in Saturday’s Grade 2, $300,000 Gulfstream Oaks at Gulfstream Park.
Island School finished second, by four lengths over Salary Drive. It was another 10 lengths back to Its Tricky, the 8-5 second choice, who was followed in the order of finish by Kindersley, Triune, and Beso Grande.
