OZONE PARK, N.Y. -The allure of the Triple Crown trail and the presence of J Be K have conspired to keep the field for Saturday's $150,000 Withers quite small. Though 40 3-year-olds were nominated to the Grade 3 Withers, Aqueduct's racing office may be scrambling to come up with a five- or six-horse field by Thursday's entry time.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - With as many as five starters in lucrative stakes on Sunday, and a barn in outstanding form, trainer Barry Abrams cannot wait for the Hollywood Park spring-summer meeting to start on Wednesday.
Abrams, 54, is on schedule to break personal records this year in purse earnings, with most of the success attributable to the progeny of Unusual Heat, a California-based stallion that he co-owns. At the Santa Anita meeting that ended on Sunday, Unusual Heat was the sire of 20 horses that won 26 races. Abrams saddled 13 of those winners.
ARCADIA, Calif. - The Santa Anita winter-spring meeting, plagued by the cancellation of 11 racing days in January and early February because of main-track drainage problems, ended Sunday with declines in average daily attendance and ontrack handle, a slight decline in all-sources handle, and an increase in account-wagering handle. The meet began on Dec. 26, 2007.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Churchill Downs officials are listing at least 11 fillies, including the Larry Jones-trained duo of Proud Spell and Eight Belles, as prospective starters for the May 2 Kentucky Oaks.
Both Jones fillies breezed over the Keeneland Polytrack on Sunday and are scheduled to be shipped Friday to Churchill, where they will have their final prerace workouts this coming Sunday. Proud Spell went a leisurely half-mile in 50.20 seconds, while Eight Belles zipped the same distance in 46.60 seconds.
A little more than a week ago, Todd Pletcher was on the brink of not having a single starter in the Derby. But when Behindatthebar, ridden by David Flores, charged from far back Saturday to win the Grade 2 Coolmore Lexington Stakes at Keeneland, Pletcher suddenly had three candidates for the Derby.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Sunday's final day of the Santa Anita winter-spring meeting features a pick six carryover of $178,359. Because Sunday is the final day of the meeting, there is a compulsory pick six payoff even if there are no ticketholders with six winners. If there are no tickets with six winners, consolation tickets with five winners will share the pool.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Colonel John, the Santa Anita Derby winner, turned in an effortless five-furlong work at Santa Anita on Sunday morning, his penultimate work for the May 3 Kentucky Derby.
Colonel John was timed in 59.40 seconds, and his work was termed breezing by John Malone, Santa Anita's official morning clocker. Only 3 of the 45 works at five furlongs on Sunday were designated breezing.
Malone had Colonel John completing his final quarter-mile in 23.20 seconds. Eoin Harty, Colonel John's trainer, had Colonel John galloping out six furlongs in 1:12.40.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Close finishes are becoming commonplace in Foxysox's 2008 campaign. After finishing fourth by a neck in the Grade 2 Santa Ana Handicap last month, she prevailed in a three-horse photo in Saturday's $200,000 Santa Barbara Handicap at Santa Anita.
Ridden by Victor Espinoza, Foxysox ($11.40) took the lead in the final furlong and held off late rallies from Black Mamba and I Can See to win the Grade 2 Santa Barbara by a nose over Black Mamba. I Can See finished a nose behind Black Manba in the field of eight fillies and mares.
Stampede Park was forced to abandon its program after five races had been run on Friday evening as driving snow and freezing temperatures enveloped the Calgary area.
On Saturday, the racetrack announced that the Saturday and Sunday programs also had been canceled as snow continued and the temperature remained below zero when the wind chill factor was taken into account.
