ARCADIA, Calif. – In his 17th start, Express Train won the most prestigious race of his career in Saturday’s Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap. It was a victory easy to predict.
Express Train was the 11-10 favorite on the strength of consecutive wins in Grade 2 prep races in December and January. When he held off a sustained threat from Louisiana shipper Warrant to win the Big Cap by a head, Express Train showed trainer John Shirreffs that the 5-year-old horse is in peak form.
Classic Causeway is all set for his role as the favorite in the Tampa Bay Derby after having his final prerace breeze Saturday at the Palm Meadows training center on the Atlantic Coast.
Classic Causeway was a dominant winner of the Feb. 12 Sam F. Davis at Tampa Bay Downs. The chestnut colt went five furlongs in 59.80 seconds in preparing for the Grade 2, $350,000 Tampa Bay Derby, to be run Saturday as the annual Festival Day showcase at Tampa in Oldsmar, Fla.
ARCADIA, Calif. - There was a simple reason why Forbidden Kingdom was a comfortable winner from the front in the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes at 1 1/16 miles at Santa Anita on Saturday in his first start around two turns.
“I cut the brake wires,” trainer Richard Mandella said Sunday.
Owned by the MyRacehorse partnership and Spendthrift Farm, Forbidden Kingdom has led or disputed the pace in each of his races. Mandella said that is unlikely to change anytime soon.
“I think he’ll improve as we go,” Mandella said Sunday. “We don’t want to change too much all at once.
ARCADIA, Calif. - For two guys about to split town, Sunday started as a normal day for jockeys Flavien Prat and Umberto Rispoli.
Both are scheduled to relocate to New York in coming weeks, but were at Santa Anita early Sunday for workouts. After all, there are still mounts to be ridden in coming weeks before departure.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - His one-sided victory in the Grade 3 Holy Bull flattered the previous afternoon by Simplification’s easy win in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth, White Abarrio got back to serious work Sunday morning at Gulfstream Park, breezing a swift half-mile punctuated by a lengthy gallop out as he stepped up his preparations for the $1 million Florida Derby on April 2.
OZONE PARK, N.Y - Morello, a horse named for a guitarist, is rising up the charts in the 3-year-old division. If he can play just a little longer, he may have an engagement on racing’s biggest stage come the first Saturday in May.
Brad Cox is contemplating pulling the old stakes switcheroo with a couple 3-year-olds.
The Cox-trained Cyberknife took a sizeable step forward winning a first-level dirt-route allowance race Feb. 19 at Fair Grounds. Meanwhile, Zozos, who won his sprint debut in January at Fair Grounds, crushed first-level allowance rivals in a two-turn dirt race Feb. 11 at Oaklawn, winning off by 10 1/4 lengths.
Sunland Park has increased overnight purses by 25 percent in a boost that went into effect Friday, the track announced. The increase translates to an additional $50,000 in purse money each card, according to the press release.
Sunland has experienced strong business over the first two-thirds of its meet, which runs 55 dates through April 3.
Sunland also has started putting on 10-race cards. First post daily is 12:25 p.m. Mountain.
Catalog out for Texas sale
Straight Up G has returned to Santa Anita following his win in last Sunday’s $100,000 Mine That Bird Derby at Sunland Park, but he could be returning to New Mexico.
Trainer Richard Baltas said Thursday that the Grade 3, $500,000 Sunland Derby is a consideration for the horse. The Kentucky Derby points race will be run over 1 1/8 miles March 27.
Strong handle last year has pushed purses to record levels at the 31-day summer meeting at Del Mar, which runs from July 22 to Sept. 11.
In a statement released Thursday, the track announced that daily purse distribution will surpass $800,000 for the first time, with increases to several stakes, overnight races and bonus programs designed to lure runners to Southern California.
