ALBANY, Calif. - Jerry Hollendorfer is no different than any other trainer. He has Derby dreams.
U S S Tinosa, who runs in Saturday's Santa Anita Derby, could be the colt to turn those dreams into reality for Hollendorfer at last. Although he has had unrivaled success in northern California, Hollendorfer has never had a runner in the Kentucky Derby.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Azeri, who shot to the top of her division on the West Coast last month, winning the Grade 1 Santa Margarita for fillies and mares at Santa Anita, will take on the best of the East in the Grade 1, $500,000 Apple Blossom at Oaklawn Park Saturday, when she meets Miss Linda and Fleet Renee.
The 1 1/16-mile race is on the same program as the Grade 1, $500,000 Oaklawn Handicap for the first time. The move is designed to give the Apple Blossom, held last year on a Sunday, a bigger viewing audience and the timing could not be better.
Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore opens for live racing Wednesday with its sights narrowly set on the spring weekend anchored by the May 18 Preakness Stakes, second leg of the Triple Crown.
By a wide margin, Preakness weekend promises to be the highlight of the 54-day meet, which will end on June 16. Thirteen of the track's 28 stakes will be run Preakness weekend, including all eight of its graded stakes.
SAN MATEO, Calif. - Bay Meadows begins its 55-day spring meeting Wednesday with a card filled with short fields, which may become typical of the meet.
The eight-race card attracted only 57 entries, including just five in the day's feature, a one-mile $50,000 optional claimer on the turf for older fillies and mares.
Racing secretary Greg Brent is cautiously optimistic about the prospects for the meeting, which usually suffers from the departure of Washington- and Canada-based horses early in the meet.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Trainer Joe Orseno was left searching for answers and an explanation in the wake of Red Bullet's disappointing performance as the 1-2 favorite in Saturday's Grade 1 Gulfstream Park Handicap.
Under Jerry Bailey, raced within easy striking distance of the leaders for the opening mile of the 1 1/4-mile Gulfstream Park Handicap but gave up the chase at that point, struggling to the wire last of five starters and failing to change leads through the stretch.
ARCADIA, Calif. - With three weeks remaining in the Santa Anita winter-spring meeting, trainer Jack Carava is on course for a personal-best season.
Through Sunday, Carava had saddled 16 winners, three fewer than his total in the 1996-97 and 2000-01 meetings.
"If I won four or five [more] races, I'd be happy," he said.
ARCADIA, Calif. - The expected matchup between and Menacing Dennis in Sunday's $100,000 Zany Tactics Stakes at Santa Anita may not occur.
On Sunday, trainer Jeff Bonde said that the undefeated Menacing Dennis has been nominated to "three or four" races, including the California Derby at Bay Meadows on April 13, and is not definite for the Zany Tactics.
"We're trying to see who's going to run in this race," he said, referring to the California Derby. "I'm not sure what we'll do."
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Rare Friends overhauled front-running Wild Whiskey at the eighth pole en route to a decisive win in the $164,700 Achievement Handicap at Woodbine.
Rare Friends tracked Wild Whiskey through fractions of 22.15 and 44.85 seconds in the six-furlong race for Canadian-bred 3-year-olds. Wild Whiskey gave way grudgingly in mid-stretch, and Rare Friends went on to win by 2 1/2 lengths under David Clark.
Shaws Creek closed belatedly to end up a half-length behind the runner-up while edging favored Chandra Prakash for third. The final time was 1:10.98.
SUNLAND PARK, N.M. - Forty Nine Deeds rallied four wide on the turn and took over the lead in midstretch under jockey Donnie Meche to win the $77,100 Riley Allision Derby going away. Trained by Steve Asmussen and owned by his father, Keith, Forty Nine Deeds covered the 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.64, just three-fifths of a second off the track record at the distance.
Forty Nine Deeds doubled his career earnings with the $46,620 winner's share to $92,610 while returning $3 as the chalk. It was his third win in six career starts.
Coastalota won her third stakes race of the Sam Houston Race Park meet Saturday night when she defended her title in the $30,000 Double Your Flavor Stakes by 3 1/2 lengths over Tip the Man. It was another half-length back in the third to June Spender.
Coastalota ($3.20) stalked a fast pace in the early stages of the seven-furlong race, then drew clear in the stretch, covering the distance in 1:23.60. Bobby Walker rode Coastalota for trainer Randy Mayfield. Earlier this meet, Coastalota won the $75,000 Martanza Handicap and the $30,000 Tomball.