OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Two days after the March 5 Gotham Stakes, the connections of the runner-up, Norman Asbjornson, and third-place finisher, Toby’s Corner, indicated they would look more at the Illinois Derby than the Wood Memorial for their horses’ next starts.
Two weeks later, there appears to be a change of heart.
OLDSMAR, Fla. – The last time Ronnie Allen Jr. was leading rider at Tampa Bay Downs, Ronald Reagan was president, “Walk Like an Egyptian” by the Bangles was the top tune of the year and gas was selling for around a dollar a gallon.
But should Allen continue to win at the rate he has maintained for the last month or so, the 46-year-old has an excellent chance to be leading rider here for the first time in 23 years.
In 2007, trainer Al Stall Jr. sent out the lightly raced Ketchikan to a second-place finish in the Louisiana Derby. Same time, next year, Stall again finished second in the Louisiana Derby with another lightly raced colt, My Pal Charlie. Stall will be at it again this Saturday, sending out the unbeaten Left in only his third start in the Grade 2, $1 million Louisiana Derby, highlight of a sensational card at Fair Grounds.
Blame it on Paddy O’Prado.
Three-year-olds lacking any semblance of dirt form can still run in the Kentucky Derby, provided they amass the sufficient amount of graded stakes earnings to make the 20-horse cutoff. Last year, Donegal Racing and trainer Dale Romans used a combination of grass and Polytrack to get Paddy O’Prado into the Derby field, and the colt responded with a huge effort, finishing third while barely missing second.
ARCADIA, Calif. – The participation of Frigid Bridget in Wednesday’s seventh race at Santa Anita is contingent on the weather.
As rain fell on Sunday morning, and was expected to continue until late Monday, trainer Dan Hendricks was hopeful that the one-mile allowance race for California-bred fillies and mares would eventually be transferred from the turf to the main track.
Wednesday’s program is the start of a five-day racing week. Santa Anita plans five-day racing weeks through the end of the meeting on April 17.
ARCADIA, Calif. – This could be a big week for jockey Joe Talamo, or Alonso Quinonez, Patrick Valenzuela, David Flores, or Martin Pedroza among several riders in Southern California.
With leading jockey Joel Rosario, and top 10 jockeys Rafael Bejarano, Victor Espinoza, and Mike Smith spending the week in the Middle East for Saturday’s rich races in Dubai, there is likely to be added opportunities for the jockeys who stay home.
Turning Top, who slipped on the turn of Saturday’s Grade 2 Santa Ana Stakes and recovered to run second to Malibu Pier, emerged from the incident without injury, trainer Simon Callaghan said on Sunday.
Turning Top slipped nearing the quarter pole and missed winning by a length.
“It’s a testament to her that she was coming on after the bad slip,” Callaghan said. “It could have been a lot worse.”
Turning Top was one of two horses who slipped on the turn of the Santa Ana. Eclair de Lune, who eventually finished fifth, lost her footing on the turn.
Maclean’s Music, who won a maiden race in his debut on Saturday at Santa Anita with astonishing ease, could make one more start before the end of the meeting.
Trained by Steve Asmussen for breeder Jess Jackson, Maclean’s Music ran six furlongs in 1:07.44, drawing off through the stretch to win by 7 1/4 lengths under jockey Mike Smith. He earned a 114 Beyer Speed Figure, the highest number for a debut race since the figures were first published in 1991. [Watch Replay]
Fifty-one percent of trainer Jerry Hollendorfer’s entrants have won races at the current Portland Meadows meeting, with an astounding 85 percent of them hitting the board.
It’s no surprise that he has entrants in Wednesday’s $50,000 Portland Meadows Mile and $30,000 Portland Meadows Derby.
What is surprising is that Hollendorfer, who is less than 100 wins from becoming the fourth trainer in history to saddle 6,000 winners, is sending out a pair of females to run against males.
