Wed, 01/05/2022 - 11:30

I Got a Gal, Queen of Thorns give Eurton much to look forward to

ARCADIA, Calif. – Trainer Peter Eurton is off to a fast start at Santa Anita, with three wins in the first five days of racing, including impressive maiden winners I Got a Gal and Queen of Thorns. Both could make a splash in the 3-year-old filly division this winter.

I Got a Gal scored an improbable upset Dec. 27 in a turf mile, and Eurton was not exaggerating in his description: “She stumbled to her nose, grabbed her quarter off, first-time long on grass, gets to the backside, and just flies by everybody. It was amazing.”

Wed, 01/05/2022 - 11:26

Maglev's tough trip probably cost him win in Eddie Logan

ARCADIA, Calif. – Maglev’s runner-up finish as the favorite in the $100,200 Eddie Logan Stakes on Sunday received scant coverage. His nightmare trip cost the European import a clear victory in the mile turf race for 3-year-olds.

Maglev broke last, got rank, was blocked through the far turn and into the lane, squeezed through a narrow rail opening in the stretch, and missed by 1 1/2 lengths to perfect-trip winner Cabo Spirit. Maglev’s loss, and the colt’s behavior, frustrated trainer Mark Glatt, though he was aware of Maglev’s reputation as a rogue in Europe.

Wed, 01/05/2022 - 11:26

Kalookan Queen win has Edgeway ready to tackle Santa Monica

Benoit Photo
Edgeway wins the Kalookan Queen Stakes on Sunday at Santa Anita, her prep for the Grade 2 Santa Monica on Feb. 5.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Competition in the female sprint division will be tougher for Edgeway when she seeks her first Grade 2 in the Santa Monica Stakes on Feb. 5 at Santa Anita. She will not face Gamine, whose retirement was announced this week, but Edgeway will need to run faster than the 86 Beyer Speed Figure she earned winning the $77,028 Kalookan Queen Stakes on Sunday.

Wed, 01/05/2022 - 11:20

Secret Oath eyes Martha Washington after allowance romp

Coady Photography
Secret Oath wins an allowance race on Dec. 31 at Oaklawn Park by 8 1/4 lengths.

Secret Oath has announced herself as a 3-year-old filly to reckon with this meet at Oaklawn Park.

She won a no-conditions allowance by 8 1/4 lengths on Dec. 31 at the Hot Springs, Ark., track. Secret Oath covered a mile in 1:37.38, and the Beyer Speed Figure of 93 that she earned tied for fifth-highest among all 2-year-olds in 2021.

“Didn’t she look good?” said D. Wayne Lukas, who trains Secret Oath for her breeder, Briland Farm.

Wed, 01/05/2022 - 11:10

Offspring, Net a Bear tangle again at Fair Grounds

Hodges Photography/Lou Hodges Jr.
Offspring wins the Red Camelia in March 2021, defeating Net a Bear, his rival in Friday's feature at the Fair Grounds.

When last they met on the Fair Grounds grass course, in the Red Camelia Stakes last March, Offspring took the measure of Net a Bear. Bigger picture, Net a Bear has been the better racehorse, and if the Fair Grounds grass course plays Friday with the temporary turf rail set out at 26 feet like it did with the rail in a similar position earlier in the meet, Net a Bear will get her revenge.

Wed, 01/05/2022 - 11:06

Louisiana-bred stalwart Monte Man retired

Amanda Hodges Weir/Hodges Photography
Monte Man (2) wins the 2021 Louisiana Champions Day Sprint Stakes.

Monte Man, a fixture on the Louisiana circuit since 2017, came out of a Dec. 31 workout with an injury and has been retired, trainer Ron Faucheux said Tuesday.

Tue, 01/04/2022 - 13:52

Fair Grounds boosts purses 15 percent

Churchill Downs Inc. is raising purses at Fair Grounds Racecourse in New Orleans, according to a Fair Grounds press release. The release credited “strong handle” as the purse increase driver, but the release didn’t cite any handle figures, nor does CDI permit handle totals to appear in daily results charts at the racetracks it owns.

All purses will get a 15 percent boost beginning with the Jan. 13 race card, which will be drawn Jan. 6; maiden special weight races, for instance, are going up to $52,000 from $45,000. 

Tue, 01/04/2022 - 13:26

Apprentice jockey Giles expected to make full recovery

Apprentice jockey Emmanuel Giles is expected to make a full recovery from serious injuries sustained in a race on Dec. 26 at Hawthorne Racecourse.

Mon, 01/03/2022 - 13:56

Largent biggest name on Tropical Turf nominations list

Barbara D. Livingston
Largent has not raced since this second-place finish in the Pegasus World Cup Turf last January.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – What do Largent, Mutasaabeq, and Bemma’s Boy have in common? All three are finally ready to return to action after being given extended vacations following big stakes efforts, and all are among the 14 horses nominated for Saturday’s Grade 3 Tropical Turf, the lone stakes race to be offered here this week.

Mon, 01/03/2022 - 13:56

Jerome 1-2-3 finishers set for rematch in Withers

Chelsea Durand/NYRA
Courvoisier (No. 6) wins the Grade 3 Jerome Stakes on Jan. 1 at Aqueduct.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Led by Courvoisier, the top three finishers from Saturday’s $150,000 Jerome Stakes are expected to meet again in the Grade 3, $250,000 Withers Stakes on Feb. 5 at Aqueduct.

Courvoisier won the Jerome by 1 1/4 lengths over Smarten Up, who finished three-quarters of a length in front of Cooke Creek. The race was run over an extremely sloppy surface, and jockey Jose Ortiz, riding Courvoisier for the first time, hustled the horse into contention as per instructions from trainer Kelly Breen. It wasn’t until the final sixteenth when Courvoisier began to edge clear.