Tue, 02/02/2010 - 00:00

Dublin has bullet workout for Southwest

Barbara D. Livingston
Dublin, winner of the Grade 1 Hopeful at Saratoga last year, worked six furlongs at Oaklawn on Tuesday.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Dublin had his major work for the Grade 3, $250,000 Southwest Stakes on Tuesday morning, going a bullet six furlongs under jockey Terry Thompson at Oaklawn. Thompson will have the mount in the Southwest, said D. Wayne Lukas, who trains Dublin.

Dublin is the most accomplished 3-year-old at Oaklawn, having won the last year at Saratoga. He will be making his first start of the year in the Southwest.

The one-mile race will be run on Feb. 15 as the first of two preps for the Grade 1, $1 million Arkansas Derby.

Tue, 02/02/2010 - 00:00

Gonzalez still on the mend after April spill

ALBANY, Calif. - Roberto Gonzalez made a rare afternoon visit to Golden Gate Fields on Saturday. The 55-year-old jockey is still recovering from major injuries suffered on April 29 when his mount lost action in her rear legs and went down. He suffered a broken C2 vertebrae in his neck and broken left heel.

Gonzalez, the dean of Bay Area riders and winner of 4,387 races, still undergoes physical therapy on his neck three times a week. Gonzalez says his legs bother him and his neck is still stiff.

"It's a slow recovery," he said. "I've done too much damage to my body."

Tue, 02/02/2010 - 00:00

Tampa exercise rider dies

Robert Shields, an exercise rider at Tampa Bay Downs, died from injuries suffered in an accident at the track on Monday morning. Shields was 60 years old.

According to track officials, Shields was aboard a 3-year-old gelding named Gael Lea who suddenly reared up and fell on him while in the gap area preparing to enter the racetrack for a routine gallop. Gael Lea has never started.

According to Margo Flynn, vice president of marketing and publicity at Tampa Bay Downs, no further details have been made available by the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office.

Mon, 02/01/2010 - 00:00

Tiger's Rock keeps Pletcher rolling

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - It has been a tremendous winter in New York for trainer Todd Pletcher, and it's not even half-over yet. Pletcher won his seventh stakes of the inner-track season Sunday when Tiger's Rock rallied past stablemate Nite Light in the final furlong to win the $60,000 Coyote Lakes Stakes by a half-length.

Mon, 02/01/2010 - 00:00

Gomez looks for big weekend

Barbara D. Livingston
Richard's Kid will be making his first start since the Breeders' Cup Classic in Sunday's San Antonio Handicap.

ARCADIA, Calif. - The stakes at Santa Anita on Saturday and Sunday may propel jockey Garrett Gomez to bigger prizes in coming months.

Gomez rides Viscount in Saturday's $200,000 Strub Stakes, and a win in that race would lead the 4-year-old to the $750,000 Santa Anita Handicap on March 6. On Sunday, Gomez and Richard's Kid start in the $150,000 San Antonio Handicap, a prep for the Dubai World Cup on March 27.

Mon, 02/01/2010 - 00:00

Drosselmeyer looks ready to step up

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Trainer Bill Mott got off to a bit of a slow start when the meet opened, but the Hall of Famer closed out January on a roll after sending out two of his top 3-year-old prospects, Drosselmeyer and Comic Marvel, to impressive allowance wins Sunday.

Drosselmeyer, a son of Distorted Humor, likely put himself on the Kentucky Derby trail by rallying to a 1 3/4-length entry-level allowance win . The victory was the second in a row for Drosselmeyer, who was an even easier maiden winner in his 2-year-old finale 10 weeks earlier at Churchill Downs.

Mon, 02/01/2010 - 00:00

Goncalves leads Tampa's successful newcomers

OLDSMAR, Fla. - Several jockeys riding here at Tampa Bay Downs for the first time this meet have made an impact, topped by Leandro Goncalves.

Goncalves, a 27-year-old native of Sao Paulo, Brazil, graduated from a jockey school there at age 15 and rode in his native country from 1998 until 2004. He went to England then to California before settling in the Midwest.

Mon, 02/01/2010 - 00:00

Garcia listens, and 'Gabby' wins

Benoit & Associates
Jockey Martin Garcia took trainer Bob Baffert's advice and kept Gabby's Golden Gal from going too fast early before going on to win Sunday's Santa Monica.

ARCADIA, Calif. - The conversation between trainer Bob Baffert and jockey Martin Garcia before Sunday's at Santa Anita was like a halftime chat between a coach and player.

Baffert scolded Garcia for going too fast on Underground in the seventh race, when that filly finished second. Baffert did not want to see the same result aboard Gabby's Golden Gal in the Grade 1 Santa Monica.

Mon, 02/01/2010 - 00:00

Rachel has first work back

NEW ORLEANS - Rachel Alexandra worked Sunday morning for the first time since her Sept. 5 victory in the Woodward, going a half-mile in 52 seconds at Fair Grounds.

The 2009 Horse of the Year emerged from her barn at 6:25 a.m., with regular exercise rider Dominic Terry aboard and accompanied on pony by Scott Blasi, assistant to trainer Steve Asmussen.

Accompanied by the pony, she walked the wrong way until past the finish line, where Blasi turned her around and accompanied her before turning her loose on the backstretch.

Sun, 01/31/2010 - 00:00

Bickersons all alone in Forward Gal

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Sunday's at Gulfstream Park drew one of the strongest and most competitive fields in the 30-year history of the event, a group that included recently named Eclipse Award winner She Be Wild. But in the end, the seven-furlong fixture for 3-year-old fillies proved no contest as Bickersons ran her 10 rivals off their feet en route to a convincing seven- length triumph over the 51-1 Joanie's Catch.