Wed, 04/07/2010 - 00:00

Sulis seeks winning flair of her debut

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Winter-raced Sulis will meet several salty 3-year-old fillies in Friday's Woodbine feature, a first-level allowance over five furlongs on the Polytrack.

Sulis was a rare first-out winner for trainer Mike Doyle in a five-furlong maiden special last Nov. 26. Bet down to 7-2 from a 10-1 morning line, she mounted a wide rally to prevail by three-quarters of a length, and was awarded a Beyer Speed Figure of 69.

In her only other outing, Feb. 24 at Gulfstream, Sulis never reached contention in a tough allowance sprint while racing wide over a sloppy track.

Wed, 04/07/2010 - 00:00

Blind Luck to keep usual routine

ARCADIA, Calif. - The familiarity of training in Southern California will keep the star 3-year-old filly Blind Luck at Santa Anita until the days approaching the Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs on April 30.

Dan Ward, assistant to trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, said Blind Luck will follow a schedule on Kentucky Oaks week similar to that of last week, when she was shipped to Oaklawn Park on Tuesday, was galloped there on Wednesday and Thursday, and raced on Friday, winning the Grade 2 Fantasy Stakes.

Wed, 04/07/2010 - 00:00

New approach pays off for Casse

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Trainer Mark Casse took a new approach during the winter months heading into the 2010 meeting at Woodbine. And the early returns have been encouraging as Casse fashioned a record of 2-3-1 from his first nine starters, highlighted by a score in the $102,400 Debut Stakes with Grazettes Landing.

Wed, 04/07/2010 - 00:00

Rest served Duke of Mischief well

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Duke of Mischief is back at his Calder base after Saturday's impressive 2 1/2-length victory over Win Willy in the . The victory came in Duke of Mischief's first start since he finished eighth, 20 lengths behind Quality Road, in the Grade 1 Donn here two months earlier.

Wed, 04/07/2010 - 00:00

Ice hopes history repeats itself in Arkansas Derby

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - About a year ago at this time, few had ever heard of trainer Tim Ice. But he certainly made a name for himself the rest of 2009 with Summer Bird, who won the Belmont Stakes, Travers Stakes, and Jockey Club Gold Cup, and the Eclipse Award as champion 3-year-old male.

It was here in the Arkansas Derby, though, that Summer Bird first showed the quality that would later put him and Ice on the national stage. Summer Bird finished third in the Arkansas Derby in only his third lifetime start. Two races later, he won the Belmont.

Wed, 04/07/2010 - 00:00

Evenly matched crew aboard for Blue Grass

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Seeking validation within the 3-year-old division - not to mention sufficient graded earnings to make the cut for the May 1 Kentucky Derby - a field of nine has been entered in the Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes, which will be run Saturday for the 86th time at Keeneland Race Course.

Wed, 04/07/2010 - 00:00

Zenyatta takes a spin on Oaklawn oval

Barbara D. Livingston
Steve Willard, Zenyatta's regular exercise rider, was aboard for the work.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Zenyatta on Wednesday morning took her first tour of the Oaklawn Park main track since her arrival 24 hours earlier, making one lap around the one-mile dirt oval with her regular exercise rider, Steve Willard.

Zenyatta went out shortly before the 8:30 a.m. renovation break, earlier than she usually trains at home at Hollywood Park. Both Willard and Zenyatta's trainer, John Shirreffs, said they went early because of threatening weather in the area on Wednesday morning, which was forecast to worsen as the day went on.

Tue, 04/06/2010 - 00:00

Business as usual for last meet under Magna

Pending anticipated approval of the Texas Racing Commission this summer or early fall, Global Gaming Solutions LLC, a subsidiary of the Chickasaw Nation tribe of Oklahoma, will officially become the new operator of Lone Star Park. In the meantime, the track remains part of Magna Entertainment Corp., and the 60-day Thoroughbred meet that begins Thursday night is expected to differ very little from those of years past.

Management is again focused on promoting racing, supplemented by entertainment, largely in the form of concerts and similar activities.

Tue, 04/06/2010 - 00:00

Paddy O'Prado's dirt ability unknown

LEXINGTON, Ky. - The synthetic era has altered the Kentucky Derby landscape in recent years, for better or worse, with big-money races at California and Kentucky tracks affording virtually automatic entry into the Derby to horses whose dirt form is questionable at best.

Tue, 04/06/2010 - 00:00

Plenty of familiar faces are back

AUBURN, Wash. - Most of the prominent players from the 2009 meeting will be front and center again Friday when Emerald Downs opens its 15th season of Thoroughbred racing.

Ricky Frazier, runaway winner of the 2009 riding title, is set to defend his crown after a winter campaign in Pennsylvania, where he primarily rode at Penn National. Tim McCanna begins the 89-day meeting with designs on his 10th Emerald training title. And Doris Harwood, whose horses earned an Emerald season record $931,916 last year, will attempt to top the trainer money list for the third consecutive season.