HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Archarcharch showed talent to win his maiden in a stakes race back in December, and his abilities were evident again on Monday when he overcame trouble and put in a sustained, four-wide bid to win the Grade 3, $250,000 Southwest by a length over favorite J P’s Gusto.
It was another 1 1/4 lengths back in third to Elite Alex in what was Oaklawn Park’s first major prep for the Grade 1, $1 million Arkansas Derby on April 16.
Archarcharch pulled a 14-1 upset Monday over favored J P’s Gusto in the 46th running of the Grade 3, $250,000 Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park.
Archarcharch, with Jon Court riding for his father-in-law, trainer Jinks Fires, looped the field before holding off an inside run by J P’s Gusto to prevail by about a length. Elite Alex ran on late to be third in a field of 11 3-year-olds, most of them Triple Crown nominees.
PORTLAND, Ore. - Shamundi ($7.60), making his first start around two turns, sat in a perfect stalking position before pulling clear in the lane to with the $39,750 Oregon Thoroughbred Breeders Derby on Monday at Portland Meadows.
When No Advantage drew the outside post in the 14-horse field for Monday's Grade 2, $150,000 General George Handicap at Laurel Park, trainer Stephanie Beattie was surprisingly happy.
"He actually runs his best races from the outside," Beattie said after the draw.
In nearly one-third of his lifetime starts, Be Bullish had been second to one. In Monday's $65,000 Hollie Hughes Stakes at Aqueduct, he was second to none.
Dry Martini, who earned more than $1.3 million and won three graded stakes during his racing career, has been retired, trainer Barclay Tagg reported over the weekend.
Tagg trained Dry Martini for owner Carol Nyren. A son of Slew Gin, Dry Martini began his career at Calder and ran his last race here on Jan. 29 when finishing fifth in the Sunshine Millions Classic. The most important of his nine victories was also his last, the Grade 2 Suburban Handicap at Belmont Park on July 4.
Trainer Bill Mott reports that 2010 Belmont Stakes winner Drosselmeyer is back at the track after missing nearly a week’s training and a prospective start in last weekend’s Mineshaft at Fair Grounds after contracting a virus earlier this month.
Drosselmeyer has not started since beating Fly Down by three-quarters of a length in the Belmont. He started five times at 3. Drosselmeyer was also second in the Grade 2 Dwyer and third in the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby. Mott had hoped to use the Mineshaft as a springboard to next month’s Dubai World Cup.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Every winter, trainer Christophe Clement seems to have one or more European-bred fillies to ship down from Payson Park to make their U.S. debuts over the Gulfstream Park turf course. One of those fillies, the Irish-bred Blue Angel, should give Clement a strong hand in Wednesday’s feature, an entry-level allowance carded at a mile on the grass.
Indian Winter, who was scratched from the San Vicente a little more than an hour before the race on Sunday because Jerry Hollendorfer, his trainer and co-owner, thought the speed-favoring nature of the Santa Anita main trackwould compromise Indian Winter’s chances, is headed out of town. Indian Winter will run Saturday in the $50,000 Turf Paradise Derby in Phoenix.
KENTUCKY DERBY NEWS: Track all the 3-year-olds on the Triple Crown trail
Uncle Mo has continued training forwardly for his 3-year-old debut, which could come in the $100,000 Timely Writer, a one-turn mile race on March 12 at Gulfstream Park. The undefeated 2-year-old champion had his first five-furlong breeze this winter early Sunday morning at Palm Meadows, completing the distance in 1:01.40 before galloping out six furlongs in 1:14 under jockey John Velazquez.
“He went well and galloped out strong,” trainer Todd Pletcher said.
