OZONE PARK, N.Y. – It’s not Todd Pletcher’s modus operandi to run horses back in 17 days, but when it came to Sky Music he felt he didn’t have much of a choice.
Thus, Sky Music, who has won his first two starts, will head a field of eight entered to run in Sunday’s $65,000 Damon Runyon Stakes for New York-bred juvenile males. The Damon Runyon, at 1 1/16 miles, shares billing with the $65,000 East View Stakes for New York-bred juvenile fillies, also at 1 1/16 miles.
Jonathan Sheppard has sent out 14,649 starters during his Hall of Fame career and won with 2,248 of them, according to records compiled by The Jockey Club. Only two of those starters came at Fair Grounds, and neither so much as hit the board: It is high time Sheppard made a dent in the New Orleans scene, and Kitty Love may be just the horse to do it.
Gran Estreno, the $20,000 claim who keeps on giving, has run well over Polytrack at Keeneland and Arlington, and on turf courses at various venues. But so far, his mastery has not extended to Fair Grounds, where Gran Estreno will try to win the $60,000 Buddy Diliberto Memorial Handicap on Saturday.
STICKNEY, Ill. – The only stakes win of trainer Lisa Merritt’s career came in the 2009 Pat Whitworth Illinois Debutante. Lo and behold, Merritt looks live again in the 2010 Whitworth, which Seans Silverdancer will try to win in just her second career start.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Hollywood Park has eliminated the final two Wednesday programs of the current autumn meeting – Dec. 8 and 15 – because of disappointing field sizes, the track announced on Thursday.
The track intended to run five days per week for the final three weeks of the autumn meeting, which ends on Dec. 19, but drew only 47 starters on an eight-race program on Wednesday. There were 50 horses scheduled to start on Thursday’s eight-race program as of late morning. Neither program had a race with 10 or more starters.
A speedy synthetic specialist, Waccamaw has accomplished much on all-weather surfaces, compiling a record of 3 wins, 5 seconds, and a third in 12 starts on such tracks. Pretty much just one thing has eluded her: a stakes victory.
That missing accomplishment could soon be added to her r é sum é Saturday if she runs to her potential and wins against an overflow cast in the $50,000 Holiday Inaugural Stakes at Turfway Park.
Jls Mr Bigtime went big-time this past summer. He was the fastest qualifier for the prestigious All American Futurity for Quarter Horses back in August, then finished second by a nose in the Grade 1, $2 million finale run each Labor Day in New Mexico.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Dakota Phone showed what he can do on his best day with a 37-1 upset in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Churchill Downs on Nov. 6. The problem is Dakota Phone does not string those performances together very often.
When the 5-year-old gelding starts in Saturday’s $100,000 Native Diver Handicap at Hollywood Park, he will be attempting to win consecutive races for the first time in two years, since wins in an optional claimer at Hollywood Park and the Forty Niner Stakes at Golden Gate Fields in November 2008.
Stachys has been lagging farther off the pace than usual in his last couple of races, but that could change Saturday when he starts as the probable favorite in the $150,000 Zia Park Derby.
Trainer Mike Biehler said there are a couple of reasons he is hopeful that Stachys will be a little closer to the action in the 1 1/16-mile race. Stachys will face eight others, including Saratoga Yankee, winner of back-to-back allowances over older horses at Remington Park, and Stephen’s Got Hope, a recent maiden special weight winner at Hollywood Park.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Mike Hushion was impressed enough by what he saw from Nicole H in a first-level allowance win at Belmont in September to believe she was “a real contender” for the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint. The selection committee for the Breeders’ Cup was not as impressed, placing Nicole H at the bottom of the list of 22 of pre-entered horses, and she did not get into the race.
