Mon, 02/23/2004 - 00:00

Top pair will pass if it's wet

ARCADIA, Calif. - Weather and track conditions will dictate whether Wednesday's seventh race at Santa Anita features Bull Market, a top 2-year-old of 2002, and Terrell, a promising sprinter.

, second in the Grade 2 Norfolk Stakes and fourth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile in 2002, might make his first start in 16 months. Terrell, an exciting maiden winner over 6 1/2 furlongs last month, could be making his third start.

Run over 6 1/2 furlongs, the $49,000 allowance race is the top event on a program that features no turf races because of recent rain.

Mon, 02/23/2004 - 00:00

Host can't shake off a rough trip

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Host could not overcome an eventful trip and finished second as the odds-on favorite to the late-striding Full Flow in Monday's $46,000 allowance feature. His effort was good enough, though, to earn him a trip to Dubai next month for the UAE Derby.

Mon, 02/23/2004 - 00:00

With Anticipation retired

With Anticipation, a five-time Grade 1 winner who earned more than $2.6 million, has been retired at age 9. The retirement comes after With Anticipation after reinjured his pastern during a workout for last Sunday's Gulfstream Park Breeders' Cup Handicap.

With Anticipation is a homebred son of Relaunch owned by George Strawbridge Jr.'s Augustin Stable. He was trained throughout his career by Jonathan Sheppard.

"He reinjured the same area below his ankle that he injured while training for the Sword Dancer last summer at Saratoga," Sheppard said Monday.

Mon, 02/23/2004 - 00:00

New Dreams looks familiar

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Fresh off Sunday's Grade 1 win with the Brazilian-bred Hard Buck, trainer Ken McPeek will send out another Brazilian import, New Dreams, in Wednesday's $38,000 allowance feature at Gulfstream Park.

McPeek also runs the promising 3-year-old Tiger Heart in Wednesday's supporting feature, a $34,000 entry-level allowance race at a mile and 70 yards on dirt.

Mon, 02/23/2004 - 00:00

Redskin Warrior goes next in Gotham

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Trainer Jennifer Pedersen's initial reaction after winning Saturday's Best Turn Stakes with Redskin Warrior was that she wanted to stretch the colt out to two turns for his next start.

Pedersen has had a change of heart after talking to jockey Richard Migliore, who rode Redskin Warrior to a five-length victory in the Best Turn for 3-year-olds. Redskin Warrior, who is owned by Ernie Paragallo's Paraneck Stable, earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 105 in the six-furlong stakes.

Mon, 02/23/2004 - 00:00

Much in Cherylville's favor

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Cherylville Slew's company lines have become more meaningful since entries for Wednesday's featured ninth race at Oaklawn Park were taken on Saturday. Later that afternoon, Spectacular Lisa won the $100,000 Chou Croute at Fair Grounds.

It was good news for Cherylville Slew. She finished second to Spectacular Lisa two starts ago in the $40,000 Sam Houston Distaff. That company line, as well as the promise of a better pace scenario than she had last time, points the late-running Cherylville Slew out as a top contender on Wednesday.

Mon, 02/23/2004 - 00:00

Ardoin's training job fits into Turf Express expansion plan

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Oaklawn has played a pivotal role in the life of Ronald Ardoin, who on Saturday said he has retired from race riding and will train young horses for a major-league Thoroughbred operation being launched in east Texas by Turf Express Inc.

Ardoin, 46, won one of the biggest races of his career at Oaklawn in 1996, when he guided Zarb's Magic to win the Grade 2 Arkansas Derby over eventual Kentucky Derby winner Grindstone. Oaklawn also was the site of what turned out to be Ardoin's final career win, No. 5,226, on March 7, 2003.

Mon, 02/23/2004 - 00:00

Two years away did Radke wonders

ALBANY, Calif. - Did Kevin Radke wrap up the Golden Gate Fields' riding title after scoring five wins for five different trainers last Friday?

With 30 days left in the meeting, Radke leads the jockey standings with 68 victories. Chance Rollins is second with 57 victories, and perennial champ Russell Baze, who missed two months with a displaced fracture of his right collar bone, is seventh with 40 wins.

"I won five in a day four times at Seattle and once even won six, but I don't remember doing it with all different trainers," Radke said.

Sun, 02/22/2004 - 00:00

Ema Bovary makes it eight straight

ARCADIA, Calif. - Ema Bovary won Sunday's $107,300 at Santa Anita in a manner that left veteran trainer Larry Ross stunned.

Scoring her eighth consecutive victory, Ema Bovary, the 121-pound topweight, overwhelmed five other fillies and mares, winning the Grade 3 Las Flores by 3 1/4 lengths over Buffythecenterfold, the 6-5 favorite.

Ridden by Roberto Gonzalez, Ema Bovary ($4.80) finished six furlongs in 1:08.02 on a wet-fast track.

"I was surprised she won as easy as she did," Ross said. "I thought it would be a real duel."

Sun, 02/22/2004 - 00:00

Hard Buck prevails in Gulfstream BC

EQUI-PHOTO
Hard Buck collars Balto Star at the wire to take a head decision in the Grade 1, $250,000 Gulfstream Park Breeders' Cup Handicap on Sunday.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Hard Buck earned himself his first Grade 1 victory in this country as well as a return trip to Dubai for next month's World Cup day with a game head victory over Balto Star in Sunday's $250,000 .

Hard Buck finished far back over the main track at Nad al Sheba in the Grade 2 UAE Derby on the undercard for the 2003 Dubai World Cup. But trainer Ken McPeek, who purchased Hard Buck privately in Brazil for the Team Victory I Stable, said it will be a long time before the horse runs on dirt again.