OZONE PARK, N.Y. – This Sunday, trainer Brittany Russell ships her talented 3-year-old colt Hello Hot Rod to New York for the $100,000 Jimmy Winkfield Stakes. Next week, she may send up her talented 3-year-old filly Little Huntress to Aqueduct for the $100,000 Ruthless Stakes on Feb. 7.
Little Huntress, a daughter of Frosted, was a 14-length maiden winner on Dec. 27. The race was her second start, and it followed a narrow debut loss a month earlier.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Trainer Chad Brown and the bulk of his stable may be enjoying the warm weather and the turf options Florida has to offer this time of year, but the string of horses he left behind in New York is handling the cold just fine while racking up the wins and purse money.
When the 3-year-old Crowded Trade overcame a slow start to win his debut Thursday at Aqueduct, it was the ninth winner from 20 starters at the meet for Brown. With Aqueduct’s strong purse structure, Brown’s stable has earned $445,192 since Aqueduct’s winter meet began Dec. 10.
Several mini-satellites in Southern California bars and restaurants have reopened this week, following a decision by the state government on Monday to relax some stay-at-home measures put in place because of the pandemic. Restaurants have been allowed to reopen for outdoor dining.
Mini-satellites in Lake Elsinore, Lake Forest, Lake Perris, Norco, San Bernardino, San Clemente, and Thousand Oaks have reopened, along with Los Alamitos Racecourse. Los Alamitos is open during the day for simulcasting but is not allowing customers to its live race programs in the evenings.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – True Timber is back in central Kentucky after being declared from consideration for the Pegasus World Cup because of an unspecified training injury at Palm Meadows several days before the race.
Trainer Jack Sisterson said he expects an announcement to be made this coming week in regard to the long-term future of the 7-year-old horse, whose most recent start resulted in a 5 1/2-length victory and a career-high 106 Beyer Speed Figure in the Grade 1 Cigar Mile on Dec. 5 at Aqueduct.
Woodbine Entertainment has unveiled its stakes schedule for the 2021 Woodbine meet, which is scheduled for April 17-Dec. 12.
The meet will offer more than $16.5 million in purses for 87 stakes and will feature two prestigious $1 million events, the Queen's Plate (Sunday, Aug. 22), and the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile (Saturday, Sept. 18), a Breeders' Cup Win and You're In qualifier.
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HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – With social distancing and mandatory face masks required throughout the plant, Gulfstream granted ontrack admission to a little more than 2,000 ticketed customers during the Pegasus card on Jan. 31, marking the first time since the global pandemic began last March that fans were permitted to attend races here.
Billy Badgett, executive director of Florida racing operations for The Stronach Group, said a similar arrangement is in the works for the track’s next big marquee day, the Feb. 27 Fountain of Youth, pending favorable circumstances.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Danny Gargan was thinking it was Tax time last weekend, but nope, not yet. His stable star came up empty in the Pegasus World Cup, and now it’s time to figure out what’s next.
“I’m pretty much at a loss to explain how he ran like he did,” Gargan said Friday, six days after Tax finished 10th of 12 in the $3 million Pegasus at Gulfstream Park. “Maybe he bounced off his lifetime top, I don’t know. You’re always disappointed when they run like that.”
Ms Peintour, winner of the Grade 3 Astra Stakes at Santa Anita in 2020, has been retired and will be bred to Not This Time, owner Samantha Siegel said Thursday.
By Paynter, Ms Peintour, 6, finished her career with a sixth-place finish trying to defend her title in the Astra on Jan. 17. Trained by Brian Koriner, Ms Peintour won 3 of 15 starts and earned $167,534. She was third in the Grade 2 Honeymoon Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Santa Anita in 2018.
Not This Time, by Giant’s Causeway, is the sire of Princess Noor, winner of the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante in 2020.
Brickyard Ride won the California Cup Sprint for statebreds on Jan. 16 in his stakes debut and may run in the Grade 2 San Carlos Stakes at seven furlongs on March 6.
Thursday, Brickyard Ride worked a half-mile in 49 seconds at Santa Anita. He was among several horses trained by Craig Lewis who worked Thursday in advance of a significant rainstorm expected to arrive later in the day.
Independence Hall, third in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup at 1 1/8 miles at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 23, might run 1 1/4 miles for the first time in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap on March 6.
“We’ve got a lot of options out there,” trainer Michael McCarthy said Thursday. “We’ve put a soft circle around the Santa Anita Handicap.”
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