STICKNEY, Ill. - Change seems firmly implanted in the jockey standings at Hawthorne Race Course, with Tanner Riggs well on his way to a second straight riding title here. Riggs, who won his first riding title at the meet that ended Jan. 2, is a relative Hawthorne newcomer, as are Inosencio Diego, Julio Felix, and Francisco Giles, all of whom currently inhabit top-10 positions in the local colony.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Rail Trip, the winner of the Hollywood Gold Cup last July, is nearing a comeback at the upcoming Hollywood Park spring-summer meeting, and trainer Ron Ellis is raving about his condition.
Unraced since finishing third in the $1 million Pacific Classic at Del Mar last September, Rail Trip has been working steadily at Hollywood Park and is being pointed for the $150,000 Mervyn LeRoy Handicap over 1 1/16 miles on May 8. Ellis hopes to use the race as a prep for the $500,000 Hollywood Gold Cup on July 10. Rail Trip won the in the best performance of his career.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Trainer Ken McPeek wanted a sharp work from Noble's Promise in his final prep for the Arkansas Derby and he got his wish on Saturday morning, when the horse breezed five furlongs in a bullet 1:00.80 at Oaklawn.
"It's ideal," McPeek said of the work. "It sets us up for the race."
LEXINGTON, Ky. - A handful of prospects for the Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland had their final pre-race workouts at various venues Saturday, including a pair of Kentucky Derby hopefuls trained by Todd Pletcher.
Interactif went five furlongs over a fast Churchill Downs surface in 1:00.80, while Aikenite went the same distance in 1:02 over a fast track at the Palm Meadows training center in Florida. Both colts went in company, and Pletcher said from New York that he is pleased with how both are coming up to the $750,000 Blue Grass, which is set for next Saturday.
ALBANY, Calif. - Russell Baze rode six winners at Golden Gate Fields on Friday, including the feature race with Bold Chieftain. Four of his winners were for trainer Steve Sherman.
Baze guided Bold Chieftain ($3.80) to a three-quarter-length victory over Monterey Jazz in the day's feature race at one mile. The final time of 1:36.21 is the fastest time of the meet at the distance. Bold Chieftain, 7, who may run next in the Grade 2 San Francisco Mile for trainer Bill Morey Jr.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Friday was a good day at the office for Blind Luck. She became a millionaire and established herself as the probable favorite for the Kentucky Oaks with a powerful, last-to-first win in the at Oaklawn.
The race was the second career dirt start for Blind Luck, a multiple Grade 1 winner in Southern California who had won her career debut on dirt at Calder in June 2009. Friday, Blind Luck rolled out her patented closing kick through the lane of the 1 1/16-mile Fantasy, winning by 2 1/2 lengths over Tidal Pool.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Huge youngish crowd throngs Keeneland on beautiful opening day. Christophe Clement wins with a promising turf horse. Dog bites man.
No surprises here, as favored Nordic Truce was able to get up in the final strides to win the featured when Keeneland opened its 15-day spring meet before a record crowd of 24,734.
Nordic Truce "put me in the race early and relaxed down the backstretch," said Julien Leparoux, who was aboard the 3-year-old Yes It's True colt for Clement and owner Ammerland Stud. "Then he came home strong for me."
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Grazettes Landing came from a stalking position under Patrick Husbands to land his first stakes Friday in the $102,400 Debut, the opening-day feature of the 167-day Woodbine meet.
Grazettes Landing ($11) ran four wide on the turn in the five-furlong dash, as Paso Doble and Bold Nurse dueled through an opening quarter in 21.99 seconds.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - They say that character is best revealed under trying circumstances, which says a lot about the smile that trainer Larry Demeritte managed to put on his face in the aftermath of the first race of the Keeneland spring meet Friday.
Demeritte had just seen Weekend Wildcat, a 2-year-old colt he trains for Mervin and Barbara McNamara, come up on the short end of a nose photo. With 100 yards to go, Weekend Wildcat appeared to have gotten the best of Wetzel after the pair had hooked up in early stretch, but Wetzel battled back along the rail to prevail in a head-bob.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Kinsale King has been sent back to California following his win in the $2 million Golden Shaheen in Dubai on March 27, and trainer Carl O'Callaghan is already finalizing details for another international trip - to England for the Golden Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot on June 19.
O'Callaghan, who won the biggest race of his career in the Shaheen, said Kinsale King will not start again until the Group 1 Golden Jubilee, which is run over a straight six furlongs on turf.
