INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Saint Buddy, who finished third in the $1 million Santa Anita Handicap on March 6, returns from a two-month break in a $54,000 allowance race on turf at Hollywood Park on Wednesday.
was given the layoff by design, according to trainer Rafael Becerra. He says a return on turf is not an indication that Saint Buddy will be campaigned solely on that surface.
"I think he's good on both," he said.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Jon Court is the newest addition to the jockey roster in Southern California, having arrived in late March from the Midwest.
With his move here comes scrutiny from rival horsemen and other observers who are prone to predict whether a newcomer will make an impression and stay, as Javier Santiago has done since January, or leave town in a few months.
If Court has more rides like he did at Hollywood Park on Saturday, he will become a fixture in Southern California.
SAN MATEO, Calif. - Even F. Bart Edwards admits he shakes his head in wonder sometimes at how he became a trainer.
A foot and ankle surgeon for 14 years, Edwards bought a racehorse three years ago and got hooked on the business even though the filly he claimed was not particularly successful.
Edwards was married to trainer Julia Limback at the time and began to visit the backstretch.
"Just being on the backside, I found I had a love for horses I never knew about," said Edwards, 48. "I was born and raised in Los Angeles and would go to Santa Anita with my dad."
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Elusive Diva was a cool filly on a warm day at Hollywood Park on Sunday, winning her first stakes in the $109,600 Railbird Stakes.
Her trainer Mark Glatt admitted he was bundle of nerves in early stretch when Elusive Diva was stuck behind rivals under jockey Patrick Valenzuela.
"I was a little worried that she wouldn't get through," he said. "She really waited nicely. I was probably more nervous than Pat or the horse."
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Gander broke his Aqueduct jinx on Sunday by winning the $80,975 Kings Point Handicap on closing-day of the spring meet.
Gander, the 9-5 favorite under jockey John Velazquez, won the 1 1/8-mile Kings Point by one length over Levendis. It was another four lengths back to Trial Prep in third in the New York-bred stakes.
SAN MATEO, Calif. - Christmas Time ($9.20) scored her second straight stakes victory, defeating favored Stormica by 1_ (one one-quarter) lengths to win the $56,738 Woodside Handicap at Bay Meadows on Sunday.
Christmas Time covered six furlongs in 1:09.43 after breaking sharply and stalking Channing Way to the stretch when she took over. Stormica was a nose in front of Coconut Girl who was a nose in front of Channing Way.
CHICAGO - It is feature-by-committee on Tuesday at Hawthorne.
There is no single event on the nine-race program worth getting into a sweat over. But the racing is solid from start to finish, especially for a midweek card on Chicago's Southwest side.
Among the attractions are Chicago's first 2-year-old race of the season, and three entry-level turf allowance races, two for Illinois-breds.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Leroidesanimaux lowered the course record for 1 1-16 miles on turf at Hollywood Park with a frontrunning win in Saturday's $110,900 Inglewood Handicap.
Ridden by Jon Court, Leroidesanimaux was timed in 1:38.45, a clocking that was .32 seconds faster than Fantastic Fellow's previous mark set in the 1998 running.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The conditions for Saturday's $400,000 changed dramatically when a torrential downpour turned the Churchill Downs grass course from firm to yielding just minutes before the race. But the soft ground proved no obstacle for Stroll, who got back on the winning track with an easy 2 1/2-length victory over Sweet Return in the Grade 1 turf fixture.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Another Saturday, another Aqueduct stakes win for Allen Jerkens, who for the third straight week saddled a hard-to-figure upset winner. This time it was Medallist, the least-accomplished of five 3-year-olds in the $147,000 Withers, who battled inside heavily favored Forest Danger through fast early fractions and pulled away despite drifting out past the middle of the track.
