Tue, 02/15/2011 - 16:21

Put and Take can pounce on speed in Oaklawn feature

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – There appears to be a speed-fest brewing in Thursday’s ninth race at Oaklawn Park, and that might benefit the versatile Put and Take. She is capable of stalking the leaders in the $60,000 optional claiming sprint and draws a supportive post, to the outside of probable pacesetters Lady Giacamo, She’s Gonna Float, and Fast Flight Tonite.

Tue, 02/15/2011 - 15:50

Icabad Crane tops strong field in Aqueduct's G’Day Mate Stakes

Barbara D. Livingston
Icabad Crane heads a field of seven older New York-breds in Thursday's G’Day Mate Stakes at Aqueduct.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Inherit the Gold awaits the Kings Point on March 12, but Thursday’s $60,000 G’Day Mate overnight stakes still came up tough. Among seven older New York-breds entered are the last two Kings Point winners, Icabad Crane and Wishful Tomcat, and the last two runner-ups, Manteca and Mighty Morris.

Tue, 02/15/2011 - 15:49

Dominguez to ride Havre de Grace

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Eclipse Award-winning jockey Ramon Dominguez has been lined up to ride Havre de Grace, who is on schedule to make her seasonal debut March 19 in the Grade 3, $100,000 Azeri at Oaklawn Park. The race will be the filly’s first start since finishing third in the Breeder’s Cup Ladies' Classic at Churchill Downs on Nov. 5.

Dominguez replaces Jeremy Rose, who had been Havre de Grace’s regular rider last year when she was trained by Tony Dutrow. Since the Breeders’ Cup, the filly has been transferred to trainer Larry Jones.

Tue, 02/15/2011 - 14:19

Plenty of options for Silver Medallion after El Camino win

Marcel Langevin/Vassar Photography
Silver Medallion wins the El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate Fields.

Saturday’s runners in the Grade 3 El Camino Real Derby exited the race in good order.

Silver Medallion, the winner, vanned back to his Santa Anita barn Sunday.

“He came out of it great,” trainer Steve Asmussen said. “I was very pleased with his race. He’s a very nice horse.”

Asmussen and owner Michael Ryan will review “a tremendous amount of options” with the Badge of Silver colt, who scored his first main-track victory after winning the Eddie Logan on the turf at Santa Anita in his previous start.

Tue, 02/15/2011 - 13:22

J P's Gusto settling into new home at Oaklawn

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Joe Petalino has learned two things about J P’s Gusto since the 3-year-old arrived at his Oaklawn Park barn from Southern California last week. The first is that the horse is very territorial.

“He tried to eat us alive when we went to put his blanket on,” joked Petalino.

The second lesson came Monday, and it was much more important. Petalino said J P’s Gusto handled the Oaklawn surface quite well when he breezed six furlongs in an easy 1:15.60. The move was in preparation for Monday’s Grade 3, $250,000 Southwest.

Tue, 02/15/2011 - 13:02

De Price trying the unknown at Gulfstream

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – De Price has never run on grass and never raced beyond seven furlongs. But he does own the highest Beyer Speed Figure of any member of the starting lineup in Thursday’s $51,500 allowance feature at Gulfstream Park, making him a key factor when trying to solve the riddle of the wide-open one-mile turf event.

Tue, 02/15/2011 - 12:47

Rosario closing in on 1,000 wins

Benoit & Associates
Jockey Joel Rosario is two wins away from 1,000 career victories.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Jockey Joel Rosario is two victories away from the 1,000th win of his career, and may achieve the milestone on Thursday when he has five mounts on an eight-race program.

Rosario, 26, moved to within close range of the mark with six wins from Friday through Sunday, including a three-win day Saturday that featured stakes wins aboard Anthony’s Cross (Robert Lewis Stakes) and Vision in Gold (Santa Maria Stakes). Rosario had two wins on Sunday and finished third with his final mount of the day, Harmonious in the Grade 2 La Canada Stakes.

Tue, 02/15/2011 - 12:43

Garcia gets mount on The Factor in San Vicente

ARCADIA, Calif. – The Factor will be ridden by jockey Martin Garcia when the speedy colt makes his 3-year-old debut in Sunday’s $150,000 San Vicente Stakes, trainer Bob Baffert said late Monday.

Garcia will replace Rafael Bejarano, who was aboard The Factor for a 8 1/4-length victory in a six-furlong maiden race in track-record time of 1:06.98 at Santa Anita on Dec. 26, the colt’s most recent start.

Tue, 02/15/2011 - 12:31

Uh Oh Bango returns in allowance sprint at Santa Anita

Barbara D. Livingston
Un Oh Bango will make his first start in 10 months on Thursday at Santa Anita.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Uh Oh Bango started at five racetracks in seven races during his 2- and 3-year-old campaigns in 2009 and 2010, traveling the nation with trainer Kory Owens.

His list of venues visited will grow again Thursday when he starts in an allowance race over six furlongs at Santa Anita. Judging from his career record and ability to run well on a variety of tracks, Uh Oh Bango will play an important role in his first start in 10 months.

Tue, 02/15/2011 - 11:18

Santa Anita seeks to cut four Wednesday cards in March

ARCADIA, Calif. – Santa Anita is tentatively scheduled to eliminate racing on the first four Wednesdays of March and run three five-day weeks, on a Wednesday-through-Sunday basis, beginning March 30 through the end of the meeting on April 17, according to track president George Haines.

The plan is subject to further discussion among Santa Anita officials and the approval of the California Horse Racing Board, Haines emphasized.

“The question is what we will do in March,” Haines said. “We’re still talking. We have to talk to the racing board.”