OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Trainer Richard Dutrow Jr. believes the postponement to Sunday of the $100,000 Aqueduct Handicap helps the opposition more than it does his Aggadan. But since Dutrow believes Aggadan is the best horse in this Grade 3 race, he's hoping that's all that matters.
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DRF Past Performances
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - It's been so cold around these parts this week that the clockers at Belmont Park had to use an electric heater to defrost the windows just so they could see the horses on the training track.
Of course, given the bone-chilling temperatures Thursday and Friday, there hasn't been much to see. On Thursday and Friday mornings, when the thermometer struggled to reach 10 degrees, only a few hearty souls sent their horses to the track.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - It is appropriate that Calvin Borel is approaching the 4,000th win of his career at Oaklawn. Back in Hot Springs after a two-year hiatus, Borel has scored some of his biggest wins here, including an upset in the 1993 Arkansas Derby with $218 winner Rockamundo.
Borel has also captured two runnings of the Grade 1 Apple Blossom, with Halo America in 1997 and Gourmet Girl in 2001, and won the Grade 1 Oaklawn Handicap with K One King in 2000. He registered the 3,000th win of his career here in 1999.
The Grade 3, $300,000 Walmac Lone Star Derby will return to a spring date this year with Lone Star Park running just one meet in 2005. Last year, the track also held a fall meet to accommodate its hosting of the Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships, and the Lone Star Derby was run in October.
This year, the date for the 1 1/16-mile race will be May 14, one week after the Kentucky Derby. It is one of the highlights of a 67-date meet that will run from April 14 to July 17. Daily purses for the meet will average about $220,000.
AUBURN, Wash. - The 70th running of the Grade 3, $250,000 Longacres Mile highlights a list of 36 stakes worth $2,135,000 to be run at the 2005 Emerald Downs meeting, which will include 101 days of racing, from April 15 through Oct. 16.
The number and names of the stakes have not changed, but many dates have been altered to accommodate the longer season. Last year's meet ran 89 days, from April 16 through Sept. 20.
ARCADIA, Calif. - There is nothing like $3.6 million in purses to create a warm, fuzzy feeling in late January at Santa Anita and Gulfstream Park.
The third annual at Gulfstream.
"The purses are incredible," said trainer Doug O'Neill. He starts eight runners Saturday, including two in the Classic: Supah Blitz and Lava Man. Six other O'Neill runners have been aiming for weeks to the rich series, which is funded through an agreement between California and Florida breeders and horsemen, and the racetracks.
Midas Eyes has never won beyond a mile and is poorly drawn in post 11 for the $1 million card.
Midas Eyes will attempt to accomplish what his stablemate Peace Rules could not do a year ago at Santa Anita: win the Classic as the favorite. Peace Rules finished fourth last year after bobbling briefly after the break.
Despite Midas Eyes's lack of experience around two turns or at the 1 1/8-mile distance of the race, his trainer, Bobby Frankel, remains confident Midas Eyes will win the Classic.
A to the Z's days as a longshot are over.
After finishing second at 41-1 in the Grade 1 Citation Handicap at Hollywood Park on Nov. 27, A to the Z will be a much shorter price in Saturday's $500,000 Sunshine Millions Turf for California-breds and Florida-breds at Santa Anita.
Owner-trainer Paula Capestro is banking on something of a home-turf advantage to give A to the Z an extra edge. Last October at Santa Anita, A to the Z scored an impressive victory by 2 1/4 lengths in the California Cup Mile.