Having won at a distance her connections feared might be a tad short for her, Correction Stakes winner Kid Kate will most likely stretch out to seven furlongs in the Grade 2, $150,000 Barbara Fritchie Handicap at Laurel Park for her next start, trainer Chad Brown said.
“That race is 23 days from the day she ran, and it looks like she had kind of a hard race, but I’m leaning toward going to the Fritchie,” Brown said Monday by phone from Florida.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Six years ago, Bellamy Road thrust himself into the role of Kentucky Derby favorite with a dazzling 17 1/2-length victory in the Wood Memorial over Aqueduct’s main track. On Saturday, one of his sons will attempt to take an initial step onto the Triple Crown trail when he runs in the $100,000 Whirlaway Stakes over Aqueduct’s inner track.
J P’s Gusto, a four-time stakes winner as a 2-year-old last year, is likely to make his 2010 debut in the $150,000 San Vicente Stakes over seven furlongs on Feb. 20, trainer David Hofmans said.
Hofmans said he is considering the Grade 2 San Vicente or the $250,000 Southwest Stakes over a mile at Oaklawn Park on Feb. 21, but is leaning toward the San Vicente. Sunday, J P’s Gusto worked three furlongs in 36.40 seconds, although Hofmans timed him in 1:13.40 for six furlongs.
Kinsale King works half-mile
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Doubles Partner could have launched his comeback last weekend in the Sunshine Millions Turf at Santa Anita or this coming Saturday in the Grade 1 Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap. Instead, trainer Todd Pletcher has opted to take the more conservative route, bringing Double Partners back instead under high-priced optional claiming and allowance conditions in Wednesday’s $57,000 feature at Gulfstream Park.
OLDSMAR, Fla. – It’s no surprise to see Jamie Ness winning races, but last week Ness runners at Tampa Bay Downs were simply on fire.
In a five-day span beginning Jan. 26, horses from the Ness barn won 9 races from 14 starts for a staggering 64 percent hit rate.
There’s no secret that making good claims and keeping fresh stock is one of the keys to maintaining a high level of success for an operation like Ness’s and Saturday the trainer showed he has a pretty good eye for potential with the runners he claims.
ARCADIA, Calif.- A little more than a month into the Santa Anita winter-spring meeting, Switch has become the undisputed leader of California’s older female sprint division.
She won the Grade 1 La Brea Stakes for 3-year-old fillies over seven furlongs by four lengths on Dec. 26, and essentially repeated the effort against older fillies and mares in Sunday’s $250,000 Santa Monica Stakes.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Things didn’t go exactly as trainer Nick Zito had planned for his top 3-year-old prospect Dialed In. But they turned out even better than he could have expected Sunday at Gulfstream Park after Dialed In rallied from far back to register an impressive 1 1/2-length victory over Sweet Ducky in the $400,000 Holy Bull Stakes.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Dancinginherdreams and R Heat Lightning had attracted all the pre-race publicity coming into Sunday’s $200,000 Forward Gal Stakes at Gulfstream Park, but Pomeroys Pistol had a race over the track.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Trainer Blake Heap, who works as an outrider during morning training at Santa Anita, suffered facial injuries and a broken arm in an accident during training hours early Sunday, according to friends.
Heap, 54, was taken to Huntington Hospital in Pasadena, where he was diagnosed with a fractured bone near his left eye socket and a fractured right arm near his shoulder, according to Rich Bassett, a friend of Heap’s. Bassett owns horses in Heap’s stable.
