Wed, 03/04/2009 - 00:00

Ponce enjoys strong weekend

Jockey Jesus Ponce enjoyed a career weekend at Fonner Park. Following a $41.20 upset in the Ogataul Stakes aboard Skwhirl on Saturday, Ponce booted home five winners on Sunday's card to trail Damon Leeds by a 14-13 margin after three weekends of racing. Leeds posted a four-win day on Friday.

Wed, 03/04/2009 - 00:00

Scorewithcater shall return

Scorewithcater, a game winner over last year's Canadian 2-year-old champion Mine That Bird in last Saturday's $100,000 Borderland Derby at Sunland Park, will return for the $800,000 Sunland Park Derby, according to his trainer, Doug O'Neill. The Sunland Park Derby will anchor a seven-stakes program on March 29 that will also include the $200,000 Sunland Oaks.

Wed, 03/04/2009 - 00:00

Claim-dispute rivals meet in Toboggan

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - There will be an interesting subplot to Saturday's Grade 3, $150,000 Toboggan when Driven by Success makes his stakes debut against eight horses, including West Coast Flier.

Mike Repole owns Driven by Success, a New York-bred son of Precise End who returned from a 5 1/2-month layoff with a smashing 3 1/4-length victory in a statebred allowance race Feb. 7. Overall, Driven by Success has won three consecutive races.

Wed, 03/04/2009 - 00:00

Top speeds side by side in Gotham

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Mr. Fantasy and Haynesfield, the two horses with the most early speed, won't have to look too far to find each other as they drew side by side when post positions were assigned Wednesday for Saturday's Grade 3, $250,000 Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct.

Mr. Fantasy, who has won his first two starts by 19 lengths, landed in post 5 while Haynesfield, who has won his last four starts by 19 1/2 lengths, will break from post 6 in the nine-horse field of 3-year-olds hoping to get on the Kentucky Derby trail.

Wed, 03/04/2009 - 00:00

How's Your Halo awaits richer stakes

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Coming off an upset victory over Ikigai in the Grade 2 Richter Scale Handicap, How's Your Halo figured to be tough to beat against statebred company in Saturday's inaugural running of the $75,000 Sunshine State Stakes at Gulfstream Park. Instead, owner-trainer Brian Pritchard has opted to pass the seven-furlong Sunshine State to try for a more lucrative payday a week later in the $300,000 Gulfstream Park Handicap.

Wed, 03/04/2009 - 00:00

Filmmakers focus on Larry Jones

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Film producers John and Brad Hennegan are following up their critically acclaimed documentary "The First Saturday in May" with what they termed an "intimate portrait" of trainer Larry Jones. They began shooting the documentary last month, and expect to continue filming through the Breeders' Cup.

A release date has not yet been set for the untitled project.

Wed, 03/04/2009 - 00:00

No clear-cut favorite in Big Cap

ARCADIA, Calif. - The $1 million Santa Anita Handicap on Saturday is a Grade 1 race without a clear favorite.

Fourteen horses were entered on Wednesday, with Colonel John as the lukewarm 9-2 morning-line favorite. The winner of the Travers Stakes and Santa Anita Derby last year, Colonel John is slightly lower than Cowboy Cal at 5-1, and Court Vision, Einstein, and Matto Mondo at 6-1.

Any of them could win, and so could Magnum, Blue Exit, and Champs Elysees, who have won or run well in recent starts.

Wed, 03/04/2009 - 00:00

Jockeys largely escape injury in five-horse spill

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Jockey Eddie Castro was "body-slam sore," but otherwise not seriously hurt, and four other riders also appeared to escape serious injury after a gruesome five-horse spill Wednesday at Aqueduct.

Castro, 23, was the only one of the five jockeys immediately transported to the hospital after the spill in which his mount, Private Details, broke her left foreleg approaching the quarter pole of the second race. The spill started a chain reaction in which four other horses unseated their riders in a race where only two horses finished.

Wed, 03/04/2009 - 00:00

Tiago off his feed and out of Big Cap

ARCADIA, Calif. - Tiago, third in the Breeders' Cup Classic last October, will not start in Saturday's $1 million Santa Anita Handicap after a recent loss of appetite, according to Dottie Ingordo, racing manager for owners Jerry and Ann Moss.

Tiago was not entered for the Big Cap when entries were taken on Wednesday. A four-time stakes winner, Tiago was seen as a leading contender for the Grade 1 Big Cap.

"He backed off his feed a little," Ingordo said. "It's too bad because he was doing so well. He was training superbly."

Tue, 03/03/2009 - 00:00

Proud Spell nearing return

Larry Jones was making that haul again Tuesday. With strings of horses he trains at both Fair Grounds and Oaklawn Park, Jones has worn his own grooves in the roads from New Orleans to Hot Springs, Ark., the last couple years. Reached in transit from Fair Grounds to Oaklawn, Jones was asked which horses were housed in the trailer just behind him.

"Oh, don't know if there are any you've heard of," Jones said.

Highway humor.