WORKOUT OF THE WEEK
Just Jenda tuned up for a possible start in the Grade 1 Apple Blossom with a flashy five-furlong move Monday morning at Oaklawn. She went the distance in 58.80 seconds, with clockers catching her galloping out six furlongs in 1:12. If she goes in the Apple Blossom, a 1 1/8-mile race for fillies and mares, she is expected to meet undefeated champion Zenyatta.
Average daily handle on Fair Grounds races fell nearly 20 percent from the previous racing season during the track's 2009-2010 race meet, which ended Sunday. But the rate of decline slowed considerably in March, and the New Orleans racetrack hopes changes to its racing schedule in 2010-2011 will at least bring business back in line with 2008-2009 levels.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Trainer Bruce Levine will have two horses to run on Saturday's 11-race card at Aqueduct, but neither is the one he wanted to run.
As the trainer of Buddy's Saint, Levine was hoping he would be using Saturday's Grade 1, $750,000 Wood Memorial here as a stepping-stone to the Kentucky Derby. Instead, Buddy's Saint is on a farm in Ocala, Fla., recuperating from surgery March 23 to remove a chip from his right front ankle.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Noble's Promise could have his final work for the Grade 1, $1 million Arkansas Derby on Saturday, depending on the weather at Oaklawn, trainer Ken McPeek said. Noble's Promise has been based here since finishing second by a head to champion Lookin At Lucky in the Grade 2, $300,000 Rebel on March 13. Noble's Promise could go favored in the Arkansas Derby on April 10.
ARCADIA, Calif. - A move to turf has redefined the career of City to City, who won a maiden claimer on the Northern California fair circuit in 2009.
Since moving to turf at the start of this year, City to City has won 2 of 3 starts, including the minor China Doll Stakes over a mile Feb. 20. Her next start will be more serious, Saturday's Grade 2, $150,000 Providencia Stakes for 3-year-old fillies.
The Providencia, run at 1 1/8 miles, will be City to City's first graded stakes appearance, and expectations are high at trainer Jerry Hollendorfer's stable.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Unlike most of the 3-year-olds that will race next Saturday at Keeneland in the $750,000 Blue Grass Stakes, Codoy is very unlikely to run back in the Kentucky Derby, regardless of result.
Or so says Mark Hubley, who trains Codoy for the Bred to Win Partners LLC of brothers Jimmy and Larry Doyle and Frank Costa and his daughter Kitty.
"I'm pretty convinced that he cannot run on dirt," said Hubley. "He likes Poly, and he's probably better on grass. I see a lot of purse and a Grade 1" in the Blue Grass.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - As March turned to April last spring, apprentice rider Omar Moreno was headed for Edmonton's Northlands Park, where he would gallop horses in preparation for his 2009 campaign.
Now, heading into the opening days of the 2010 Woodbine meeting, Moreno has been gearing up here for a defense of his title as Canada's outstanding apprentice and a meeting that many believe could put him among the top local riders.
WHO'S HOT
Nobody in this or perhaps any other jockey colony has been hotter than Paco Lopez, who won 10 races last week, including four wins in a row Thursday, March 25. A former Eclipse Award-winning apprentice, Lopez followed that performance with riding doubles Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. He spread the wealth, winning for nine trainers.
BREAKING DOWN THE BABIES
The biggest challenge for most handicappers each year at Keeneland's spring meet is deciding how to deal with the 4 1/2-furlong maiden races for 2-year-olds. At the beginning of the meet, the runners in these races usually are first-time starters, so there are no past performances to analyze. As the meet progresses, some of those horses will race again and a few others who have raced elsewhere will join them, but most often you are handicapping unraced horses. Should these races be ignored? If not, how can they be handicapped?
WHO'S HOT
Ramon Dominguez wrapped up his third consecutive inner-track title, finishing with 109 wins. He also surpassed the 4,000-win milestone March 19.
David Cohen, riding in New York for the first time, was a clear second with 87 victories. Anna Napravnik (42), C.C. Lopez (39), and apprentice Angel Serpa (36) rounded out the top five.