OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Though none of Flat Bold’s three career victories have come at six furlongs, trainer Tom Albertrani believes that may ultimately prove to his best distance.
“I think he may be better going shorter than going longer,” Albertrani said. “He’s got a lot of speed, but when you stretch him out sometimes it looks like he just barely gets there. We think sprinting him he could be a little better going shorter.”
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Boys At Tosconova, who was expected to start as the favorite in Sunday's Grade 3 Holy Bull Stakes, will not start, Gulfstream Park's racing secretary, Dan Bork, confirmed on Wednesday.
Bork said that trainer Rick Dutrow had informed the track's stakes coordinator, Duano Christo, that Boys at Tosconova was not running in the Holy Bull.
"It's a shame he's not going to run," said Bork, " but I think we'll still have a solid field of seven or eight horses in the race."
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - In anticipation of a snowstorm that could bring 6 to 10 inches of snow to the New York Metropolitan area overnight, Aqueduct has canceled its Thursday card, officials announced Wednesday.
NYRA plans to open Aqueduct and Belmont Park for simulcasting.
Jacob Radosevich, the youngest of a long line of horsemen spanning three generations of the Radosevich family, won his first race as a jockey at Beulah Park on Tuesday when he guided Double Why to a five-length victory in the fourth race. Double Why is owned and trained by Jacob’s father, Jake Radosevich.
Jacob visited the winners’ circle again two races later when he won with Fair ‘n Warmer, who is trained by his father and owned by Desperado Stables Inc. He kept his roll going Wednesday by winning the first race at Beulah Park on another horse owned and trained by his father.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Tapizar, winner of the Grade 3 Sham Stakes in his stakes debut at Santa Anita on Jan. 15, will make his next start in the $250,000 Robert Lewis Stakes over 1 1/8 miles on Feb. 12, trainer Steve Asmussen said Wednesday.
Tapizar won the Sham Stakes over 1 1/16 miles by 4 1/4 lengths, leading throughout. Owned by Winchell Thoroughbreds, Tapizar won a maiden race at Churchill Downs by 10 1/2 lengths on Nov. 27, his fourth career start.
Blue Grass winner Stately Victor will return to racing on turf in Saturday night’s Grade 3, $200,000 Connally Cup at Sam Houston Race Park in Houston. He drew post 5 in a field of nine older horses when entries for the mile and an eighth handicap were taken on Wednesday.
Stately Victor was assigned high weight of 120 pounds. Alan Garcia has the mount for trainer Mike Maker.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Dublin, who has not raced since finishing fifth in last year’s Preakness Stakes, is on pace to make his return to the races in March, trainer D. Wayne Lukas said. He is part of a strong contingent of older horses that Lukas has on hand at Oaklawn Park, where he is tied atop the trainer standings two weeks into the meet.
“Dublin’s doing well,” Lukas said. “We’re going to let him dictate his schedule, but he’s on a regular work pattern. He’ll be going out this next weekend to five-eighths. I’d say he’d be ready early March.”
When Eagle Putt ran a creditable fourth in her recent return to the races, it was with 10 workouts behind her. Jeff Thornbury is among those who believe the one race might be worth more than all those works stacked together.
“Nothing is more beneficial than having a race,” said Thornbury, who trains Eagle Putt for Woodview Farm.
West Coast Hawk and First Down Illusion won the first two futurities at Los Alamitos in 2010 – the Kindergarten in May and Ed Burke Million in June. They spent the rest of the year trying to duplicate those performances, with limited results.
West Coast Hawk lost his next two starts, in October and November. First Down Illusion won a minor stakes in July but lost his final four starts of the year, ending with a third in the Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity trials in November.
ARCADIA, Calif. – The excitement that followed Makoma’s maiden race win at Hollywood Park in October was diminished to an extent by a fifth-place finish in her debut against winners in December.
Nearly two months later, Makoma makes her third career start in an optional claimer over 1 1/16 miles for fillies and mares at Santa Anita on Friday. Trainer John Shirreffs remains enthusiastic about the filly’s potential.
“She’s filled out a little bit, and I like the way she’s coming into the race,” Shirreffs said.