With a purse of up to $1 million, the inaugural Charles Town Classic on April 18 is certain to lure some major talent from out of town, including graded stakes winners Commentator and Macho Again. But there s also a locally based horse who merits serious respect.
Researcher, a 5-year-old gelding trained by Jeff Runco, tuned up for a possible start in the Classic by breaking the track record for 1 1/8 miles last Saturday night.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Who says blondes have more fun?
Rachel Alexandra, a dark bay - or brunette - had a blast Wednesday morning at Oaklawn in her final prep for Sunday's Grade 2, $250,000 Fantasy. Looking every bit the part of one of the nation's top 3-year-old fillies, she took to the track at 7:15 a.m. on a 45 degree morning and breezed a half-mile in an effortless 47.60 seconds.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - While the 8 1/2-length romp by I Want Revenge in last month's Grade 3 Gotham Stakes was a bit of a surprise to his connections, a similar result in Saturday's $750,000 Wood Memorial won't be.
"It's almost scary for us; we think he's better now than he was going into the Gotham," co-owner David Lanzman said during a national conference call this week.
ARCADIA, Calif. - The Pamplemousse, the morning-line favorite in the Grade 1, $750,000 Santa Anita Derby on Saturday, drew the outside post on Wednesday when a field of 10 was entered in the 1 1/8-mile race. Pioneerof the Nile, his primary rival, landed post 4.
Jeff Tufts, Santa Anita's morning-line maker, made The Pamplemousse the 9-5 choice, with Pioneerof the Nile slightly higher at 2-1.
ARCADIA, Calif. - The Pamplemousse threw down the gauntlet Tuesday morning at Santa Anita, where a blazing three-furlong work by the dark gray front-runner left no doubt regarding his weekend intentions.
The Pamplemousse and jockey Alex Solis will go straight to the front Saturday in the $750,000 Santa Anita Derby, a nine-furlong race they will try to steal from Pioneerof the Nile and Chocolate Candy. All three worked Tuesday, and The Pamplemousse was fastest.
The Ohio Derby, a Grade 2, $300,000 race at Thistledown, will not be run this year, the track announced Tuesday.
"For the 2009 season, we agreed with the Thistledown horsemen to suspend the Ohio Derby for one year," said Brent Reitz, vice president and general manager of Thistledown, which is owned by Magna Entertainment Corp. "It's a decision that will help secure a solid purse structure and maintain a good, full season of racing opportunities to benefit the horseman who will race with us the entire season."
All four major national account-wagering companies will be able to offer their customers the ability to wager on the races from Keeneland Racecourse for the first time during the spring meet, which starts on Friday, Keeneland officials said Tuesday.
ARCADIA, Calif. - The wickedly fast victory Sunday by undefeated 3-year-old filly Carlsbad in the Grade 3 Santa Paula Stakes did not go unnoticed by potential buyers. The questions now - how high will the offers go, and how far will the filly run?
Owned by Dennis Weir and trained by Jeff Mullins, Carlsbad raced gate to wire in 1:14.65, the second-fastest time of the meet for 6 1/2 furlongs, and earned a huge 103 Beyer Speed Figure.
"They're getting pretty strong offers on her," Mullins said. "There are people trying to buy her thinking they'll run in the Kentucky Oaks."
ARCADIA, Calif. - Frank Lucarelli was watching a national telecast of a Major League Baseball game in the 1980s when he suddenly sat up. Dale Mohorcic, one of Lucarelli's old teammates from a minor league team in Victoria, British Columbia, was entering the game as a relief pitcher.
"I couldn't believe it," Lucarelli said. "He had made it to the major leagues."
This spring could produce Lucarelli's appearance in racing's major leagues. Lucarelli trains Gallant Son, a starter in Saturday's Santa Anita Derby, and a colt with an outside chance of making the Kentucky Derby.
STICKNEY, Ill. - If Perfect Song comes anywhere close to duplicating the performance of trainer Mike Trombetta's last Illinois Derby winner, Sweetnorthernsaint, the colt's stakes debut on Saturday at Hawthorne will almost certainly be a success.