Mr. Wireless emerged from the Oklahoma Derby with a minor physical setback and will return to the races next year at 4, according to his trainer, Bret Calhoun.
Mr. Wireless finished an uncharacteristic fifth in last month’s Grade 3, $400,000 race at Remington Park and was found to have a small bone chip in one of his knees. Prior to the Oklahoma Derby he won back-to-back stakes, taking the Grade 3 Indiana Derby in July and the Grade 3 West Virginia Derby in August.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Bella Sofia, the New York-based 3-year-old filly who likely will be second choice behind Gamine in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint on Nov. 6, will ship to California in time to get one work over Del Mar’s main track, trainer Rudy Rodriguez said Friday.
On Friday, Bella Sofia worked five furlongs in 1:01.54 over Belmont’s main track in company with the New York-bred Trinni Luck. Rodriguez said he plans to work her one more time at Belmont and then ship to California on Oct. 23.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Life Is Good, among the top 3-year-olds in training, and Malathaat, the clear leader of the 3-year-old filly division, led a quintet of Todd Pletcher-trained Breeders’ Cup hopefuls who put in workouts Friday morning over Belmont Park’s training track.
Life Is Good, the likely favorite for the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile on Nov. 6 at Del Mar, went a half-mile by himself in 49.08 seconds, but his gallop-out of 1:01.72, 1:13.50 and 1:26.22 is what truly impressed.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Kathleen O’Connell has developed more than her share of talented horses during a long and successful career that has produced 2,283 victories, 83 of those coming in stakes races. Her latest star is the undefeated 3-year-old Florida-bred filly Khozmore, who gives every indication she will add to O’Connell’s stakes total.
Khozmore won Thursday for the third time in as many tries, drawing away to a 3 3/4-length allowance triumph.
Led by Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit and champion Gamine, there were several notable workouts at Santa Anita on Friday in advance of Breeders’ Cup races at Del Mar on Nov. 5-6.
Medina Spirit worked five furlongs in 59.60 seconds, his first major exercise since a win in the Grade 1 Awesome Again Stakes against older horses on Oct. 2. Medina Spirit is one of the leading 3-year-old hopefuls for the BC Classic on Nov. 6.
Princess Grace, unbeaten in three graded stakes this year, is returning to California for a start on the first weekend of November at Del Mar, with the Grade 2 Goldikova Stakes on Nov. 6 a likely goal.
Trainer Mike Stidham said on Friday that Princess Grace is under minor consideration for the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Del Mar on Nov. 6, if the race loses a few leading contenders.
“It would take hearing that a couple of the ones that we consider the really tough horses are not running,” he said.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Stand Tall, a winner of a second-level allowance here Wednesday, is a possibility to run back on 10 days’ rest in the Oct. 24 Dowager, trainer Rusty Arnold said Friday.
“We’re thinking about it,” said Arnold. “You’ve got to get a little aggressive at the end of the year, especially with no turf racing coming up at Churchill” during the fall meet because of the ongoing turf-course renovation. “There’s a good chance we’ll do that, depending on how she acts once we get her back training.”
Gaffalione to the fore
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Olympiad earned a big Beyer Speed Figure for a second straight race when he held off Milliken to win a first-level allowance here Thursday, getting seven furlongs in a quick 1:21.92 with Flavien Prat up. He was given a Beyer of 98 and paid $3.80..
In his previous start, Olympiad, a 3-year-old Speightstown colt, got a 105 when second to Baby Yoda in a Sept. 4 allowance at Saratoga when returning from a one-year layoff.
