OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Wipe the Slate will cut back to one turn when he ships cross-country from California to run in the Grade 3, $300,000 Gotham Stakes on March 6, trainer Doug O’Neill confirmed Wednesday.
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OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Nicky the Vest, impressive winner of the Gander Stakes for New York-breds on Feb. 14, will point to the Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial on April 3, trainer Jonathan Thomas said.
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OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Musical Heart will make his third attempt at winning his first stakes of the winter when he meets Mr. Buff and three others in Saturday’s $125,000 Stymie Stakes at Aqueduct.
Claimed for $62,500 three starts back by trainer Rob Atras for Michael Dubb, Musical Heart finished second to Backsideofthemoon in the Queens County Stake on Dec. 19 and third to Mr. Buff in the Jazil Stakes on Jan. 23. In the Jazil, Musical Heart found himself on the lead under Manny Franco after Backsideofthemoon broke poorly.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Snapper Sinclair, who won an allowance this month at Oaklawn, is being pointed to the Group 2 Godolphin Mile at Meydan in Dubai, trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday.
The race will be run on the Dubai World Cup card March 27.
Snapper Sinclair won a Feb. 4 allowance at Oaklawn going a mile. He scored by a length and earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 91 in what was his first start since finishing second in the Grade 1 Cigar Mile on Dec. 5 at Aqueduct.
Asmussen said Joel Rosario would have the mount in the Godolphin Mile.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Jackie’s Warrior established himself as an elite member of his division last year and on Saturday he’ll be looking to pick up where he left off when he launches his 3-year-old season against champion Essential Quality in the Grade 3, $750,000 Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park.
“He’s an awfully nice horse that we’re very fortunate to get the chance to run,” said Steve Asmussen, who trains Jackie’s Warrior.
Santa Anita is planning a mandatory payout of the 20-cent Rainbow pick six on March 6, a program that includes four graded stakes, track officials said Wednesday.
The Rainbow pick six has a carryover of $424,910 for Friday’s program.
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Hall of Fame jockey Victor Espinoza has had a quiet start to 2021. Through Sunday, Espinoza had won with 2 of 16 mounts, and took an opportunity earlier this month for a vacation to Del Mar.
“I was just resting, hanging on the beach at Del Mar,” Espinoza said. “I needed a little break.
“I was recharging my energy. Sometimes we need that.”
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Drayden Van Dyke, the leading rider at the two meetings at Del Mar in 2018 and a mainstay in Southern California since the beginning of his career in 2013, is moving to Kentucky this spring.
Retired Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens, who recently began representing Van Dyke, said Van Dyke will ride at Santa Anita through March and ride the spring meeting at Keeneland, which runs from April 2-23, and the spring-summer meeting at Churchill Downs, which goes from April 24 to June 26.
Idol, second and third in Grade 2 stakes at Santa Anita in recent months, will be ridden by Joel Rosario for the first time in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap on March 6.
Trainer Richard Baltas confirmed the change Wednesday.
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“We’re happy to get him on the horse,” Baltas said. “In the big races, the big jockeys show up.”
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Before saddling Prime Factor for the Fountain of Youth, trainer Todd Pletcher will have a busy Saturday with some of his other stakes runners.
One of his top hopes is Fearless in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Mile, which Pletcher has won a record five times. Fearless, last seen finishing sixth behind Tom’s d’Etat in the Stephen Foster last summer at Churchill Downs, will be returning from an eight-month layoff when he faces the heavily favored Performer.
