Mon, 04/15/2002 - 00:00

Hennig considers running two fillies in Bed o' Roses

JAMAICA, N.Y. - Trainer Mark Hennig has plotted the next round of stakes action for his harem of handicap fillies and mares, and it begins this weekend when Raging Fever headlines a short field expected for the Grade 3, $150,000 Bed o' Roses Breeders' Cup Handicap at Aqueduct.

Raging Fever, coming off a dominant victory in the Distaff Breeders' Cup Handicap on March 30, was assigned top weight of 121 pounds for the Bed o' Roses, run at one mile. John Velazquez will ride.

Last Saturday, breezed an easy half-mile in 51.02 seconds at Belmont Park.

Mon, 04/15/2002 - 00:00

Suances has some luck coming to him

ARCADIA, Calif. - A frightening injury and bad racing luck have set back the racing career of Suances in this country.

On Wednesday at Santa Anita, he can put those misfortunes behind him with a victory in a $70,000 allowance race over a mile on turf.

Trained by Darrell Vienna, Suances is part of an entry with Ferrari in a field of seven.

This is the final week of the Santa Anita winter-spring meeting. Closing day is Sunday.

Mon, 04/15/2002 - 00:00

Pinfield will train in Singapore

ARCADIA, Calif. - Tim Pinfield, who trained the sprint star Big Jag, said on Sunday he has accepted a position to open a stable in Singapore and is in the process of disbanding his California stable.

Pinfield will leave Santa Anita for Singapore in mid-May and begin training in June. He said he was approached by officials from the Singapore Turf Club earlier this year, asking him to relocate.

Pinfield, 35, expects to train up to 70 horses in Singapore for a variety of owners, including the Lucky Stable, one of that country's leading owners.

Mon, 04/15/2002 - 00:00

Quality allowance goes as feature

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - The closing of Hialeah Park and the extension of the 2002 Gulfstream Park meet through April 24 has certainly had both positive and negative effects on the local industry this season. Perhaps the biggest plus is the fact that south Florida horsemen are still racing for nearly twice as much money daily as they would during Hialeah's traditional spring meeting.

Mon, 04/15/2002 - 00:00

Behind the scenes at filly's death

SAN MATEO, Calif. - The big story at Bay Meadows on Saturday was the winning move jockey Jason Lumpkins put on with Tracemark to win the California Derby.

But what he did after the day's final race left a deep impression as well, although few in the exiting crowd were even aware of it.

Lumpkins rode Clever Dorcas, a 3-year-old filly, in a $16,000 claimer at one mile on the turf two races after winning with Tracemark. Clever Dorcas was eased in the race, which was won by entrymate Capital Growth.

Mon, 04/15/2002 - 00:00

Guess who's no longer yesterday's news: D. Wayne!

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Who said D. Wayne Lukas is yesterday's news? He has averaged one win a day at the seven-day-old Keeneland spring meet, putting him on a pace that could land him his 13th training title here.

Lukas won three races here Sunday, including his first Commonwealth Breeders' Cup, with Orientate. With nine days left in the 16-day meet, he had won seven races with his first 13 starters.

Mon, 04/15/2002 - 00:00

Pretty Gale captures Lady Hallie

CHICAGO - Sportsman's Park's broodmare of the week really isn't that hard to choose. Just eight days after her 3-year-old son, War Emblem, captured the $500,000 Illinois Derby here, the mare Sweetest Lady got another stakes winner Sunday when her 4-year-old daughter, Pretty Gale, won the $100,000 Lady Hallie.

Sun, 04/14/2002 - 00:00

Mountain Rage best in La Puente

ARCADIA, Calif. - Mountain Rage remained unbeaten in 2002, and won the fourth stakes of his career, with a ground-saving trip in Sunday's $82,050 La Puente Stakes at Santa Anita.

Ridden by Victor Espinoza, Mountain Rage ($5.60) ran a mile on turf in 1:34.84, finishing three lengths in front of Doc Holiday. Stormy Forever was third in the field of eight, finishing a half-length in front of the well-fancied Johar.

Mountain Rage stayed on the inside until the second turn when Espinoza rallied inside.

Sun, 04/14/2002 - 00:00

Orientate wins Commonwealth

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Orientate sped to an uncontested lead and had plenty in reserve to hold off favored Aldebaran in the $272,000 on Sunday at Keeneland.

With Pat Day riding for owners Bob and Beverly Lewis and trainer D. Wayne Lukas, Orientate went unchallenged down the backstretch after Dancing Missile, another expected front-runner, was checked soon after the break. Out of the turn of the seven-furlong race, Orientate held a comfortable three-length lead and was hand-ridden to the wire when prevailing by 1 1/4 lengths over Aldebaran, the 9-5 favorite.

Sun, 04/14/2002 - 00:00

Flying Birdie flies to Marshua's River victory

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Flying Birdie used her abundant speed to its best advantage, leading throughout before outlasting defending champion Elvi Gamble by a nose to win Sunday's $75,000 Marshua's River Stakes at Gulfstream Park.