NEW ORLEANS - With two wins in four starts, Mountain General led the way through the marathon series of sprint stakes races here this winter, but the last leg is the most demanding.
When Bonapaw and Beau's Town entered Sunday's $150,000 Pelleteri Breeders' Cup Handicap, the race became deeper than the four stakes that preceded it.
"I'm just glad those two stayed away this long," said Steve Asmussen, Mountain General's trainer.
ALBANY, Calif. - Jockey Ron Warren Jr. rode three winners Thursday at Golden Gate fields to reach the 3,000-victory mark.
Warren won with At The Copa ($2.60) in the first race, Yankee Pirate ($4.60) in the second and Tin And Tonic ($5.80) in the seventh for his 3,000th win.
The 38-year-old rider scored his first victory aboard Fabulous Too, trained by his brother, Don, on Aug. 16, 1982.
He was Northern California's leading apprentice rider in 1983. The perennial top-10 rider has finished second in the Golden Gate Fields and Bay Meadows jockey standings eight times.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Handicapping 101 teaches us that when the best horse in a race is also the lone speed and said race is run over an inside-speed-favoring surface such as Gulfstream Park, bet as much as you want.
Saturday's Florida Derby can't be that simple, can it? After all, it's a $1 million, Grade 1 race on the road to the Kentucky Derby. There has to be some horse among the six other participants who can make Trust N Luck - said best and lone-speed horse in aforementioned race - work for his money.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - With his two-turn experiment now over, Whywhywhy can begin concentrating on his sprint career, starting with Saturday's $150,000 Swale Stakes at Gulfstream Park.
The seven-furlong Swale tops Saturday's Florida Derby undercard, which also includes the $50,000 Marshua's River and $50,000 Flag Down stakes, both of which are scheduled for the turf.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Track biases have been well documented over the years, especially when they affected the outcomes of major races. The deep rail at Belmont Park for the 2001 Breeders' Cup and the paved highway that was Churchill Downs on Kentucky Derby Day that year are two examples that readily come to mind.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Senor Swinger attracted the attention of some prominent people in the Thoroughbred industry following each of his two starts, both victories.
A sale of the horse to someone like owner Mike Gill, high-powered bloodstock agent Mark Reid, or trainer Nick Zito would have brought a potential windfall to trainer Mickey Goldfine, but in his heart of hearts, he hoped owners Bob Ackerman and Barry Golden wouldn't sell.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Man Among Men is a 3-year-old stakes winner searching for respect in Sunday's $250,000 San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita.
Last month, Man Among Men won his first race on dirt in the restricted Sham Stakes. In that race, over 1 1/8 miles, Man Among Men outfinished Empire Maker, who is the 9-5 favorite for Saturday's $1 million Florida Derby.
When the morning line was established for this weekend's Kentucky Derby Future Wager, Empire Maker was 12-1, while Man Among Men was 30-1.
ARCADIA, Calif. - None of the starters in Saturday's $250,000 San Luis Rey Handicap is having as lucrative of a year as Adminniestrator. None has as much to prove in the race as Adminniestrator, either.
On Jan. 25, Adminniestrator won the $500,000 Sunshine Millions Turf for California-breds and Florida-breds, the richest victory of his 34-race career.
"I don't know how that will stack up against open horses," trainer Paddy Gallagher said. "I guess we'll see. Waiting for this race was kind of the plan."
ARCADIA, Calif. - Rockin the Ship on Thursday won the first 2-year-old race of the year at Santa Anita, giving trainer Adam Kitchingman his first career winner.
Rockin the Ship ($9) ran two furlongs in 21.58 seconds. Ridden by Gary Boag for Galley Farm, Rockin the Ship finished 1 1/4 lengths in front of Gambling Rent, who broke poorly. Toss Both Ways finished third in the field of 10 California-bred 2-year-olds.
NEW ORLEANS - The best horses in Saturday's $100,000 Victoria Lass Handicap at Fair Grounds have no current form at all, but they have plenty of morning workouts, and Miss Lodi's will make you blink.
"She's always been a good work horse," said Miss Lodi's trainer, Tom Amoss.
No kidding. Miss Lodi has cracked a minute in two recent five-furlong works, and you will not see anyone breeze faster at Fair Grounds than Miss Lodi did Feb. 24, when she sped five furlongs in 58.60 seconds.
