In the wake of Wednesday's snowstorm, Laurel Park announced it has canceled live racing for Friday and moved two stakes scheduled for Saturday's card to the Monday Presidents Day card.
The Grade 2, $150,000 Barbara Fritchie Handicap and the $75,000 John B. Campbell Handicap were moved to a Monday card that also includes the Grade 2, $150,000 General George Handicap and the $75,000 Marshua Stakes.
Stay Put, 2 for 2 at the Fair Grounds meet and a leading candidate for the Risen Star Stakes later this month, has not posted a timed workout since Feb. 1, but trainer Steve Margolis said that "everything is going great" with the 3-year-old Broken Vow colt.
"I'm not a have-to-work-every-seven-days kind of guy," Margolis said Tuesday, noting that Stay Put was scheduled to work three-quarters Thursday with rider Jamie Theriot, "and that should set him up pretty well for the Risen Star."
Blame has returned to the work tab for the first time since he captured the Clark Handicap last Nov. 27 at Churchill Downs, but do not expect Blame to return to the races until trainer Al Stall's stable heads north for the spring.
Four-year-old Blame worked an easy three furlongs in 38.20 seconds on Saturday at Fair Grounds, and he may breeze again as soon as Thursday, Stall said.
"He'll work five days into six days," said Stall.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Conveyance, Cardiff Giant, and Domonation, the first three finishers from last month's Grade 3 San Rafael at Santa Anita, arrived at Oaklawn Park late Wednesday morning for the Grade 3, $250,000 Southwest Stakes. The one-mile race, which will be run Monday, is the first of two graded preps for the Grade 1, $1 million Arkansas Derby.
The three horses arrived aboard a flight from Los Angeles at 10:45 a.m. They will be part of a projected field of 10 for the Southwest, which also will draw Florida shipper Mission Impazible for trainer Todd Pletcher.
If it appears that trainer Bennie Stutts has a little extra bounce to his step these days, the explanation is simple: Smooth Air is back in the barn.
Smooth Air began his career with Stutts before being transferred to Chad Brown last spring following his second-place finish in the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap. Following a pair of disappointing efforts that included a sixth-place finish as the 2-1 favorite in the Grade 1 Whitney last summer at Saratoga, Smooth Air was sent to the farm with a hairline fracture of the pelvis. He returned to Stutts at his Calder base two weeks ago.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Trainer Steve Klesaris brought Tempted to Tapit down to Florida to see if his recent maiden winner belonged on the Kentucky Derby trail, although it might be in Louisiana where Klesaris ultimately finds out if he's got a true Derby colt on his hands.
The undefeated Uptowncharlybrown and Delta Jackpot winner Rule top a field of only seven 3-year-olds entered for Saturday's Grade 3 Sam Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs. The 1 1/16-mile Sam Davis serves as a prep for the track's marquee race, the Tampa Bay Derby, on March 13.
Rule will break from the rail in the Sam Davis with John Velazquez making the trip north for trainer Todd Pletcher. Uptowncharlybrown drew post 6 with regular rider Daniel Centeno aboard.
Training a stable of nearly 200 Quarter Horses keeps Paul Jones on the road more than he would like.
It also puts Jones in some odd situations, such as Wednesday morning when he worked 50 2-year-olds 220 yards at his ranch in Tularosa, N.M. Many of those 2-year-olds will race at the Ruidoso Downs meeting that begins in May.
Because of Wednesday's slow-moving winter storm that was expected to leave a foot of snow or more in the New York Metropolitan area while being accompanied by high winds, Aqueduct canceled Thursday's nine-race card.
Aqueduct was to be open for simulcasting on Thursday.
As a way of making up for some of the lost races, Aqueduct will card 10 races Saturday, Sunday, and for Monday's Presidents Day card.
