OZONE PARK, N.Y. - It was a "wildly" successful week for Ebby Novak's New Farm and trainer Ben Perkins Jr. at Aqueduct.
On Friday, the owner/trainer team won the day's featured entry-level allowance race with Wild Gams. On Sunday, Novak and Perkins struck again when Wild Jam rallied from last to take the $62,250 Brutally Frank Stakes by 1 1/4 lengths over the game Spooky Mulder.
Both winners are homebred offspring of Forest Wildcat.
ARCADIA, Calif. - An early-season showdown between the West Coast's two best 3-year-olds, Stevie Wonderboy and Brother Derek, is shaping up for the Grade 2, $150,000 San Rafael Stakes at Santa Anita on Saturday.
Stevie Wonderboy, the Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner and probable 2-year-old champion colt of 2005, will be making his first start around two turns in the one-mile San Rafael. Brother Derek, who was fourth in the BC Juvenile, has won a pair of two-turn stakes: the Norfolk at Santa Anita's Oak Tree meeting, and the Hollywood Futurity last time out.
ARCADIA, Calif. - So far, Santa Anita has been the gift that keeps on giving. It opened the day after Christmas, business and the quality of racing have been terrific, and for the second straight week, the race week begins with a large pick-six carryover following two dark days.
No one hit the pick six on Sunday, leading to a carryover of $167,708.02 heading into Wednesday's races. With two days off to get fresh money, bettors could propel the overall pool to near $1 million. Last Thursday, following two dark days, $833,108 was bet into a carryover of $137,596.24.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - The weather was unseasonably cold at Gulfstream Park last weekend, but nothing could cool off jockey Shaun Bridgmohan or trainer Todd Pletcher.
Bridgmohan swept all four stakes races decided during the opening weekend of the meeting, as he won the Aventura Stakes aboard Doctor Decherd, the Mr. Prospector Handicap on Gaff, and the Hal's Hope Handicap with On Thin Ice on Saturday and the Ft. Lauderdale Stakes on the turf aboard Honor in War the following afternoon.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Watchmon received a reality check when he finished far behind Afleet Alex in the 2005 Belmont Stakes. But since that time Watchmon has captured 3 of 4 starts, won a graded stakes, and is among an exciting group of 4-year-olds who could become a force in the handicap division during the 2006 Gulfstream Park meeting.
will likely vie for favoritism with Powerful Touch when he launches his 4-year-old campaign in Wednesday's $39,000 feature. The high-priced optional claiming race will be decided at 7 1/2 furlongs and drew a field of six older horses.
Penn National Racecourse has canceled all four of its live racing cards this week in order to assess the track's racing surface in the light of continuing complaints from riders that the track's racing surface is unsafe.
The cancellations, from Wednesday through Saturday, were announced Monday after a contentious weekend between Penn National's management and the track's riding colony. The jockeys refused to ride last Friday, then rode two races Saturday night before leaving the track for the remainder of the races.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Churchill Downs has released its 2006 stakes schedule with quite a few revisions from its traditional lineup, including the addition of three stakes and the repackaging of races on several major dates.
Purses for the 47 stakes, which do not include the Breeders' Cup championships on Nov. 4, total a track-record $10.7 million. The presence of the Breeders' Cup here on Nov. 4 this year accounts for some of the alterations, including the addition of the $250,000 Cherokee Run Breeders' Cup on Nov. 3 and the $200,000 Very Subtle on the Breeders' Cup undercard.
SAN MATEO, Calif. - Two of northern California's talented 3-year-olds turned in strong efforts Sunday.
Cause to Believe, who had won three straight stakes in northern California, unleashed a strong kick to finish second in the San Miguel at Santa Anita.
At Bay Meadows, Wilmore finally broke well, sat closer to the pace, and closed very well to defeat Firebaugh, another colt with good potential, for a maiden victory at six furlongs.
ARCADIA, Calif. - If he wasn't a believer in karma before Sunday, trainer Patrick Biancone sure is now. His filly Silver Cup had a horrible trip here the first week of the meet, but she was repaid overwhelmingly for that misfortune on Sunday when she rallied to score a 16-1 upset in the Grade 2, $150,000 for female turf runners.
"Bad luck one day gave her good luck today," Biancone said.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Former Grade 1 winner Honor in War asserted his class while also showing a measure of gameness by overcoming a rough trip to capture Sunday's $75,000 at Gulfstream Park. The victory completed a sweep of the weekend's four stakes by jockey Shaun Bridgmohan.
