Wed, 02/23/2022 - 12:50

Letruska expected to face few rivals in Royal Delta

Barbara D. Livingston
Eclipse Awards winner Letruska may have a lighter campaign this year than in 2021.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Letruska, the 2021 Eclipse champion as top older dirt female runner, will make her 6-year-old debut and be heavily favored Saturday in the Grade 3, $150,000 Royal Delta, the highlight of the coming weekend at Gulfstream.

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Wed, 02/23/2022 - 12:46

Regal Glory's retirement put on hold as she trains for Jenny Wiley

Debra A. Roma
Regal Glory was being considered for retirement after this win in the Pegasus Filly and Mare Turf, but will continue to race.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Chad Brown said this week that Regal Glory is being pointed to the Grade 1 Jenny Wiley on April 16 at Keeneland after it was decided by owner Peter Brant that the 6-year-old mare will continue to race rather than be retired.

Regal Glory breezed a half-mile in 50 seconds Saturday at Payson Park in her first work since she earned a third straight triple-digit Beyer Speed Figure with a flashy 2 1/2-length victory as the odds-on favorite in the inaugural Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf here Jan. 29.

Wed, 02/23/2022 - 12:46

Drexler's long-awaited Florida trip paying off big

Submitted photo
Marty Drexler is running horses at Gulfstream for the first time. He has won six races and 20 of his first 31 starters finished third or better.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Marty Drexler is living the dream. The 51-year-old native of Slovakia is running horses at Gulfstream Park for the first time – and doing pretty good at it, too – while fulfilling an ambition that began in his teens.

“I remember coming down here and watching Cigar when I was a groom and still mostly a fan,” Drexler said between races on a recent weekday at Gulfstream. “It was a place I’d wanted to go for a long, long time.”

Wed, 02/23/2022 - 12:20

Santin knocked the rust off in Fair Grounds Stakes

Benoit Photo
Santin (left) comes up just short of front-running Beyond Brilliant in the Hollywood Derby at Del Mar in November.

Santin might have finished fourth as the favorite this past Saturday in the Fair Grounds Stakes, but it was far from a disappointing fourth, nor was the colt an obvious favorite.

Priced at 12-1 on the track’s morning line, Santin went off the 5-2 favorite in the Grade 3, $150,000 Fair Grounds Stakes, with bettors recognizing the merit of his three-race 2021 campaign, which ended with a tough second-place finish in the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby.

Wed, 02/23/2022 - 12:16

Olympiad brings his best stuff in Mineshaft

Jan Brubaker/Hodges Photography
Olympiad wins the Mineshaft Stakes on Saturday at Fair Grounds, earning a Beyer Speed Figure of 102.

Olympiad’s second stakes start was far less confusing than his first.

The talented 4-year-old colt did everything right this past Saturday at Fair Grounds, shipping from South Florida to win the Grade 3, $250,000 Mineshaft Stakes by 2 1/4 lengths, and clocking a track-record 1:42.01 for 1 1/16 miles.

“He’s a nice little horse,” trainer Bill Mott said. “It looks like he came out if it well enough. He ran fast. We’ll let him get over this race and talk about another one.”

Wed, 02/23/2022 - 12:06

Call Me Midnight still on track for Louisiana Derby

Lou Hodges Jr./Hodges Photography
Call Me Midnight wins the Lecomte Stakes over Epicenter, who returned to win the Risen Star last Saturday.

Call Me Midnight didn’t work this past weekend at Fair Grounds but remains on target for the $1 million Louisiana Derby on March 26.

Call Me Midnight rallied from 12 lengths back into a hot, contested pace and nipped Epicenter at the wire of the Lecomte Stakes on Jan. 22 at Fair Grounds, but while Call Me Midnight benefited from the race dynamics, Epicenter’s facile Risen Star Stakes win last Saturday did flatter him.

Wed, 02/23/2022 - 11:10

Necker Island has choice between Oaklawn Mile, Whitmore Stakes

Coady Photography
Necker Island wins an allowance race Monday at Oaklawn Park, earning a Beyer Speed Figure of 93.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Necker Island won a stakes-quality allowance at a mile Monday at Oaklawn, and trainer Chris Hartman said Tuesday he’s not sure whether Necker Island will continue to run at two turns or turn back to a sprint. He won the $300,000 Bet On Sunshine at six furlongs in November at Churchill with a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 93 and equaled that number at two turns Monday.

Necker Island came into the feature off a fourth-place finish in the $150,000 Fifth Season at a mile at Oaklawn.

Wed, 02/23/2022 - 11:06

Barber Road gets final tune-up for Rebel Stakes

Coady Photography
Barber Road worked a half-mile in 48 seconds on Monday at Oaklawn Park.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Barber Road had his final work for the Grade 2, $1 million Rebel on Monday, breezing a half-mile in company at Oaklawn Park. He is the probable second choice to Newgrange after finishing second to that one in last month’s Southwest Stakes.

Barber Road worked in 48 seconds under jockey Reylu Gutierrez, who will be aboard in the Rebel.

“It was nothing but a maintenance workout, just for him to stretch his legs,” trainer John Ortiz said Monday. “He broke off behind his company and he stayed behind up until the eighth pole, when he joined him.”

Wed, 02/23/2022 - 11:00

Fields set for Rebel, Honeybee stakes

Coady Photography
Newgrange wins the Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park in his last start.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – The $1 million Rebel Stakes will go as the 11th-race on a 12-race card Saturday that has special first post of noon Central.

The field from the rail with riders is: Kavod, Francisco Arrieta; Newgrange, John Velazquez; Cairama, Geovanni Franco; Un Ojo, Ramon Vazquez; Texas Red Hot, Ricardo Santana Jr.; Stellar Tap, Cristian Torres; Ben Diesel, Jon Court; Chasing Time, Tyler Gaffalione; Barber Road, Reylu Gutierrez; Ethereal Road, Luis Contreras; and Dash Attack, David Cohen.

Oaklawn officials said Newgrange was supplemented to the Rebel.

Wed, 02/23/2022 - 10:50

Horton in search of third Rebel Stakes win with Ben Diesel

Coady Photography
Ben Diesel trains Feb. 19 at Oaklawn ahead of a start in Saturday's Grade 2 Rebel Stakes.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Willis Horton is not your typical 82-year-old.

The owner has about 25 horses in training. He’s hands on with a sizable cattle operation at his farm in Arkansas. And’s he’s looking to win the Grade 2 Rebel for the third time since 2013 on Saturday at Oaklawn Park.

Horton will be represented in the $1 million race by Ben Diesel, who is a son of his 2013 winner Will Take Charge. Horton also won the Rebel with Long Range Toddy in 2019.