HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - A clean trip might be all four-time stakes winner Cowboy Stuff needs to win his second start after a four-month layoff in Thursday's six-furlong allowance feature at Oaklawn Park.
In his comeback race, a $60,000 optional claimer Feb. 5, Cowboy Stuff was racing in a prominent position before encountering trouble and finishing sixth.
ALBANY, Calif. - It appears likely that Peace Rules, a graded stakes winner on the turf, will run in Saturday's $200,000 Grade 3 El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate Fields.
Trainer Bobby Frankel put off an official announcement Tuesday but said Victor Espinoza would ride the colt if entered. Later, on during a national conference call about the El Camino Real and the Louisiana Derby, Espinoza said he planned to be at Golden Gate Fields on Saturday and Fair Grounds on Sunday.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Whether he was scratching a leading contender in Medaglia d'Oro early in the week or successfully defending his title with Milwaukee Brew on Saturday, trainer Bobby Frankel was never far from the center of attention of the $1 million Santa Anita Handicap.
Milwaukee Brew made up for the absence of his more prominent stablemate by winning a hard-fought stretch battle from heavily favored Congaree, denying Congaree a fourth consecutive graded stakes victory.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Jockey Laffit Pincay Jr. took off his final three mounts Saturday and all of Sunday after being shaken up in a one-horse spill in Saturday's fifth race.
Pincay was aboard Trampus Too, who fell after clipping heels with Rainman's Request when the field crossed over from the hillside portion of the turf course onto the main turf oval.
Pincay missed a ride on Redattore, who won Saturday's $400,000 Frank Kilroe Mile with substitute jockey Alex Solis.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Pick six bettors chasing a carryover of $191,060 at Santa Anita on Wednesday will not have many horses to sort through.
The eight-race program has only 58 entrants, including 45 in the pick six races, the third through eighth.
The eighth race, a sprint for maiden claimers, drew nine runners, the day's largest field. The smallest fields are in the first and seventh races, which have six starters each. There is no turf racing on a program that features all sprints, at six and 6 1/2 furlongs.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - After winning Saturday's Busher Stakes with Elegant Designer, trainer Tony Dutrow and jockey Mario Pino will be back at Aqueduct Wednesday with another stakes-winning filly, Randaroo.
Randaroo, who hasn't run since winning the Valley Stream Stakes by 5 1/4 lengths in her second career start Nov. 24, is the likely favorite in the fifth race, a $50,000 allowance for 3-year-old fillies. The conditions of the six-furlong race are for fillies who have not won either $15,000 twice other than maiden or claiming, or three races.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Trainer Mike Hushion usually doesn't make big plans for his horses right after they win a stakes, but there is something about Papua, who won Sunday's Hollie Hughes Handicap at Aqueduct for his fourth consecutive win, that has Hushion thinking big.
"I usually look for spots where I'm 6-5, not 65-1," Hushion said with a laugh the morning after Papua recorded his first stakes win by defeating Impeachthepro by three-quarters of a length in the restricted Hollie Hughes.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Statement kept his perfect record at Gulfstream Park intact Monday by splitting horses under Eibar Coa and out-sprinting Baseball Champion to the wire to win Wednesday's featured $42,000 allowance race by 1 3/4 lengths. It was three-quarters of a length back to Honor in War in third.
The fourth-level allowance race saw the U.S. debut of No Excuse Needed, a multiple Group 2 winner in Europe. But No Excuse Needed was never really involved and finished fifth, beaten six lengths.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Senor Swinger, unbeaten in two starts, drilled six furlongs in 1:11.80 Sunday morning in preparation for the Florida Derby on March 15. It was the fastest of three works at the distance.
According to trainer Mickey Goldfine, Senor Swinger broke off in company with a stablemate and pulled away at the quarter pole.
"It was just him, he did it pretty easy," said Goldfine, who had exercise rider Derek Sturniolo up for the move. "The kid wasn't pushing on him, and he galloped out good."
