HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Racing on the south Florida circuit switches to Gulfstream Park on Wednesday, two days later than usual but none too soon for horseplayers eager to sink their teeth into another championship-caliber meeting this winter.
Gulfstream Park officials opted to push back the traditional Jan. 3 opening, which would have fallen on Monday, because Mondays and Tuesdays will be dark throughout the season. The 2011 meet runs through April 24.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Silver Medallion, a colt known for being a too playful at times in the morning, gave a glimpse of his ability with a win in Friday’s
at Santa Anita.
The victory was the colt’s first stakes win, and was the first career win at Santa Anita for trainer Steve Asmussen. Asmussen, 45, has a 30-horse stable here this winter.
A wet day in New Orleans turned the final turf stakes of the year for 3-year-olds into the final dirt stakes of the year for 3-year-olds, and that worked just fine for Max Me Out. Max Me Out had failed even to finish third in four turf tries, but he skipped over the muddy Fair Grounds surface and won an off-the-grass edition of the $60,000 Woodchopper Stakes late Friday afternoon.
Apparently moving to a route was what the doctor ordered for 3-year-old gelding Relatorre.
After romping over maidens going a mile at Turf Paradise on Nov. 26, Relatorre ($33.20) validated it with a handy victory in Friday’s $25,000 Luke Kruytbosch Stakes at the Phoenix track.
No Advantage, winless in 10 previous starts in 2010, closed out the calendar year with a bang by shipping into Parx Racing to upset Friday’s $75,000 Auld Lang Syne Stakes.
Based at Penn National with trainer Stephanie Beattie, No Advantage ($17.60) drew clear by 1 1/2 lengths under jockey Manuel Chaves despite drifting out in the first turn of the mile-and-70-yard race and drifting again during the stretch run. He completed the distance in 1:42.45 for his first victory since Dec. 15, 2009, ending a season in which he won 6 of 9 starts.
The Sunshine Millions Turf could be the next start for Caracortado, who was third in the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes for 3-year-olds here at Santa Anita on Dec. 26. Caracortado finished 3 1/2 lengths behind race winner Twirling Candy despite racing in traffic on the turn of the seven-furlong race.
Trainer Mike Machowsky said that Caracortado would have made the race “more interesting” with a better trip.
“I think he would have been a lot closer,” Machowsky said.
A last-place finish by 2009 Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner Dancing in Silks in an allowance race for statebreds on Thursday has left trainer Carla Gaines and owner Ken Kinakin puzzled.
“The horse is fine,” Gaines said. “I wish I had a crystal ball.”
Dancing in Silks ended his 2010 campaign winless in five starts, and failed to finish in the first three in his last four starts of the year.
Gaines said that she and Kinakin have discussed options such as retiring the 6-year-old Dancing in Silks to trying him on turf for the first time since the summer of 2009.
It’s fair to say that Daisy Devine went overlooked in Thursday’s entry-level allowance feature for 2-year-old fillies. The third-time starter had gotten drummed at Keeneland racing on Polytrack in her career debut, and a second-out dirt-sprint maiden win at Fair Grounds had come for a $30,000 claiming price.
“I knew she was doing really well, but I couldn’t make a case for her,” said trainer Andrew McKeever.
Few others could, either, and when Daisy Devine came home one length to the good, she paid $82.20 to win, and that in just a six-horse field.
Fair Grounds will boost overnight purses 5 percent across the board beginning with Thursday’s card, the track announced Friday. Stakes purses, many of which were trimmed during the 2009-2010 meeting, will remain at current levels.
Fair Grounds suffered steep handle declines last season, and structured its purse payments conservatively for this meet. Fair Grounds, as per Churchill Downs Inc. policy, doesn’t publicize handle figures, but Eric Halstrom, general manager and vice president for racing, said business is up this season.
