Thu, 02/10/2011 - 12:15

El Camino Real all about Comma to the Top

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Grade 3 El Camino Real - Golden Gate Fields - Race 8
Est. Post Time: 7:15 p.m. Eastern - Feb. 12, 2010

Seven 3-year-olds are entered in Saturday’s 30th running of the Grade 3 El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate Fields, but all the attention will be on one horse: Comma to the Top.

Thu, 02/10/2011 - 09:54

J P's Gusto arrives at Oaklawn, joins Petalino's stable

Benoit & Associates
J P's Gusto is scheduled to make his 3-year-old debut in the Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - J P’s Gusto arrived at his new base of Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., in the early evening hours Wednesday after a full day of travel from Southern California. One of the nation’s top 3-year-olds, he has been transferred from trainer David Hofmans to trainer Joe Petalino and is scheduled to run Feb. 21 in the Grade 3, $250,000 Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn.

KENTUCKY DERBY NEWS: Track all the 3-year-olds on the Triple Crown trail

Thu, 02/10/2011 - 08:07

Author of book on Earl Sande to appear at Turf Paradise

Richard Maturi will be at Turf Paradise Feb. 18-20 to sign copies of his book "Triple Crown Winner: The Earl Sande Saga." Maturi has spent the past few years traveling to numerous racetracks in the U.S. and Canada to tell the story about Sande.

Wed, 02/09/2011 - 18:55

Delaware Park assigned 106 race dates for 2011

The Delaware Thoroughbred Racing Commission on Wednesday assigned Delaware Park 106 racing dates for the 2011 calendar year, serving to break a logjam in negotiations between the track and its horsemen, according to the commission’s executive director.

Delaware and its horsemen had an existing agreement to run 116 live race dates in 2011, but the two groups began negotiating over a new arrangement this winter when the track asked the horsemen for permission to run fewer live racing days in response to horse shortages affecting racetracks nationwide.

Wed, 02/09/2011 - 16:44

Soaring Empire, Tackleberry head strong field for Gulfstream Sprint

Adam Coglianese
Soaring Empire, winning the Grade 3 Hal's Hope, will be pointed to the Westchester and the Metropolitan Handicap, both at Belmont Park.

A field of eight, led by Hal’s Hope winner Soaring Empire and Sunshine Millions Classic winner Tackleberry, was drawn for Saturday’s Grade 2, $150,000 Gulfstream Park Sprint Championship.

Soaring Empire drew the rail while Tackleberry will break from post 7 in the seven-furlong Gulfstream Sprint. The remainder of the field consists of the Marty Wolfson-trained duo of Gaucho and Coffee Boy, Mannington, Caixa Eletronica, Mad for Smarty, and Guam Typhoon.

Wed, 02/09/2011 - 16:38

Kirk Ziadie quietly returns to south Florida

Trainer Kirk Ziadie, who has not raced in south Florida since August 2009, has been given one stall at Gulfstream Park with the hopes of rebuilding his business as the meet progresses.

Wed, 02/09/2011 - 16:28

Rumor finds a spot against the boys at Santa Anita

Benoit & Associates
Bench Points will make his first start in open company and first start since September on Friday at Santa Anita.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Rumor won so impressively in her debut Dec. 31 that just about every trainer and jockey agent who might have had to run against her in a first-level allowance for fillies has avoided her, the result being that female races for which she was eligible have not been carded. So when a first-level allowance for 3-year-olds came up on Friday at Santa Anita, trainer Richard Mandella decided to stop waiting around.

Wed, 02/09/2011 - 16:24

Hawthorne reopens admidst cold weather, chilly economic landscape

STICKNEY, Ill. – Almost two feet of snow fell around Chicago last week. The wind chill factor Wednesday morning was about 15-below zero. Believe it or not, it’s time for the Chicago racing season to get underway, with Hawthorne Race Course launching its winter-spring meeting – emphasis, winter – on Friday.

Wed, 02/09/2011 - 16:20

The Factor on target for San Vicente

Shigeki Kikkawa
The Factor is going back to California after winning the Rebel, but is likely to return to Oaklawn Park for the Arkansas Derby.

ARCADIA, Calif. -  The Factor, who set a track record for six furlongs of 1:06.98 on Dec. 26, had his first workout since that race at Hollywood Park on Tuesday and is scheduled to make his 3-year-old debut in the $150,000 San Vicente Stakes over seven furlongs on Feb. 20.

Officially, The Factor worked a half-mile in 48.20 seconds, but trainer Bob Baffert said the workout was six furlongs in 1:11.80.

“He’ll have one more work on Monday,” Baffert said. “If he works well, he can make” the San Vicente.

Wed, 02/09/2011 - 15:57

Ten Devils to try main track in Robert Lewis

ARCADIA, Calif. – Ten Devils faces a potentially career-altering race in Saturday’s $250,000 Robert Lewis Stakes at Santa Anita.

After racing on turf in his first three starts, Ten Devils makes his debut on the main track in the Grade 2 Lewis, a key prep for the $1 million Santa Anita Derby on April 9.

“I’ll see whether he handles it,” trainer Richard Mandella said. “He’s got plenty of races underneath him. It’s time to find out.”