Fri, 03/05/2010 - 00:00

Bickersons back on short rest

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Last fall, Bickersons finished 10th of 12 in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at Santa Anita, but came back 16 days later to win the Moccasin Stakes at Hollywood Park.

Trainer Kelly Breen is hoping a similar quick turnaround will result in another stakes victory as he plans to start Bickersons in next Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 Cicada Stakes at Aqueduct. The Cicada, for 3-year-old fillies, comes just two weeks after Bickersons finished fourth as the favorite in the Grade 2 Davona Dale at Gulfstream Park.

Fri, 03/05/2010 - 00:00

Mixed emotions after sale of colt

There are mixed feelings, understandably. Allen Crupper grew up in Kentucky horse country and dreams of winning the Kentucky Derby someday. But for now, he is satisfied with having sold a Derby prospect for a huge windfall. In partnership with his brother Keith, Crupper bought Tiz Chrome as a yearling for $5,000 in September 2008, then raised and trained the colt for 14 months before selling him to clients of Bob Baffert.

Fri, 03/05/2010 - 00:00

B.C. Derby tops Hastings stakes schedule

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - The Grade 3, $200,000 British Columbia Derby will cap a weekend featuring eight stakes races totaling $650,000 at the 2010 Hastings meet. The B.C. Derby, the most important race at Hastings, is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 26. Also on the card is the $75,000 Ascot Graduation for 2-year-olds, plus a couple of $50,000 stakes for 3-year-olds and up: the six-furlong Derby Bar & Grill Express and the 1 1/8-mile Sir Winston Churchill.

Leading up to the B.C. Derby are four Saturday stakes, including the $100,000 British Columbia Oaks.

Fri, 03/05/2010 - 00:00

Noble's Promise puts in workout for Rebel

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - There is no shortage of big name 3-year-olds stabled at Gulfstream Park this winter. Three of them - stablemates Noble's Promise and Beautician and Eclipse Award winner She Be Wild - worked here on a frigid Friday morning.

Noble's Promise and Beautician worked in company for trainer Ken McPeek about 20 minutes after the first renovation break. After breaking a length behind Beautician, Noble's Promise drew even inside the eighth pole and hit the wire about a half-length ahead. He galloped out nearly two lengths clear into the clubhouse turn.

Fri, 03/05/2010 - 00:00

Zenyatta tunes up for Santa Margarita

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Zenyatta had just completed a six-furlong workout at Hollywood Park on Friday morning when trainer John Shirreffs looked at his stopwatch and grinned.

"I had her in 11 and change," he said. "I don't think I had it right. The poles are kind of tough."

As he said that, Shirreffs reached for a telephone to confer with Hollywood Park clocker Russ Hudak. It turns out that Shirreffs's watch was spot on. Zenyatta had an official time of six furlongs in 1:11.80, with a final quarter-mile in 23.60 seconds.

Thu, 03/04/2010 - 00:00

Gonzalez coming into his own

Family connections helped Carlos Gonzalez build a Quarter Horse stable at Los Alamitos. Horses such as Brooklyn Boy are helping to show he belongs.

Gonzalez, 24, won the richest race of his two-year training career on Saturday in the $134,000 Los Alamitos Maiden Stakes. He trains Brooklyn Boy for his uncle Felix. Another of Carlos Gonzalez s uncles, Enrique Gonzalez, operates EG High Desert Farm and has been one of the more prominent owners at Los Alamitos in recent years.

Thu, 03/04/2010 - 00:00

New York bans Autrey for 30 days

The New York stewards have suspended trainer Cody Autrey 30 days and fined him $1,000 for the finding of a banned substance in one of his horses who raced at Aqueduct in December. Autrey has appealed the suspension and was granted a stay.

Geno Green, who finished second in the first race at Aqueduct on Dec. 26, was found to have the bronchial dilator clenbuterol in his system.

Thu, 03/04/2010 - 00:00

Lara barred from Oaklawn races

The Oaklawn Park board of stewards has suspended trainer Jorge Lara pending adjudication of a second-degree felony charge for domestic battery that happened offtrack Feb. 27. Lara was arrested and released, and has a court date in the case April 6.

Thu, 03/04/2010 - 00:00

Oaklawn raises purses $10K daily

Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., has increased overnight purses $10,000 a day in a move that began with Thursday's 10-race card. Purses will now average approximately about $310,000 a program, according to David Longinotti, the track's assistant general manager of racing.

The distribution level is a record for the track. The increase is attributed in part to the success of Oaklawn's expanded gaming center, which opened this winter. In addition, handle and attendance levels are contributing to the increase, which comes at the halfway point of the meet.

Thu, 03/04/2010 - 00:00

NYRA cuts Belmont/Saratoga stakes schedule

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - As part of its objective to cut $4.3 million in stakes purses from last year, the New York Racing Association trimmed a total of approximately $1.4 million from its stakes program for the Belmont spring/summer and Saratoga meetings, according to a schedule that was released Thursday.