Trainer Adan Farias has the fastest qualifier, Fighter on Fire, for Friday's Grade 2, $185,700 El Primero Del Ano Derby and the second-fastest qualifier, My Lady First, to Saturday's Grade 2, $245,000 La Primera Del Ano Derby on Saturday at Los Alamitos.
The El Primero Derby is for colts and geldings, while the La Primera Derby is for fillies.
Buy the Barrel picked up her second stakes win in her last three starts on Wednesday, when she rallied for a 5 3/4-length win over stablemate Best Vow in the $100,000 Bayakoa Stakes at Oaklawn Park. Both fillies are trained by Larry Jones.
Buy the Barrel ($7.40) stalked the pace in third in the 1 1/16-mile Bayakoa, as Over Under and Best Vow dueled through fractions of 23.79 seconds for the opening quarter and 47.71 for the half-mile over a muddy track. Buy the Barrel moved to the leaders into the stretch, and rallied to cover the distance in 1:44.29.
Churchill Downs Inc. announced Wednesday that Ken Dunn will be stepping down from the position of vice president of operations at the Churchill-owned Calder Race Course, a position he has held since 1999. He will serve as an adviser to the track until Aug. 1. No successor has been named.
"We are transitioning Calder into a destination with horse racing and casino-style gambling and have a need for management skills and leadership experience in both industries," said Steve Sexton, a Churchill Downs Inc. vice president, in making the announcement.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Gary Contessa hopes his success in the 3-year-old filly stakes run over the inner track during the winter carries over to the main track on Saturday when he sends out both Ready for Fortune and Love Co in the Grade 2, $150,000 Comely at Aqueduct.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Ventura unleashed a furious rally down the middle of the main track to overtake longshot Street Sounds and go on to her first graded stakes triumph Wednesday in the Grade 2 Vinery Madison at Keeneland.
Bred and owned by Juddmonte Farms and trained by Bobby Frankel, Ventura was making her second start in North America, having won a Santa Anita turf allowance last month. Ridden by Garrett Gomez, the 4-year-old daughter of Chester House returned $10 as second choice in a field of 11 fillies and mares.
CINCINNATI - In a change from recent years, River Downs, which begins its 83rd season Friday, will race more days on its own - rather than as part of the Ohio 7&7 program - during the month of April.
Under the 7&7 program, two of Ohio's three Thoroughbred tracks - Beulah Park and Thistledown are the others - alternate their races as part of a single simulcast signal, with each track carding seven races. Because Thistledown has trimmed its meet from 136 days in 2007 to 122 this year, it won't open until May 1.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Salute the Sarge, the winner of three sprint stakes, including the San Miguel Stakes on March 29, remains on course for the $325,000 Coolmore Lexington Stakes at Keeneland on April 19, but is doubtful for the Kentucky Derby on May 3, trainer Eric Guillot said on Wednesday.
Guillot said he would like to start Salute the Sarge in the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico on May 17, the second leg of the Triple Crown, if the colt runs well in the Grade 2 Lexington Stakes over 1 1/16 miles.
Jockey Chris Zamora notched his 1,000th Thoroughbred victory last Sunday when he guided Dixie Bandjo to victory in the seventh race at Sunland Park. Dixie Bandjo stalked the pace in the six-furlong maiden race, took over into the lane, and drew clear to win by 3 1/2 lengths as the 4-5 favorite.
With that victory Zamora, 43, a rider for more than 22 years, made it 1,974 overall in his career. Of his 974 non-Thoroughbred victories, 972 have come aboard Quarter Horses while riding primarily in the Southwest. He also has two mixed-breed wins in his career.
With four weekends remaining in the Fonner Park season, Yuri Yaranga has taken control of the rider standings. Yaranga was excused from his remaining mounts during last Sunday's card because of the flu, halting his string of multiple win days.
Yaranga booted home four winners last Friday and added his third triple of the season Saturday to take a 39-27 lead over Beth Butler in the standings.