HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - After Booklet scored wrenching victories over Harlan's Holiday in both the Holy Bull and Fountain of Youth stakes in a four-week period earlier in the meet, some might expect the colt to tail off coming into the $1 million Florida Derby on March 16. But the gutsy little colt gave no such indication after working five furlongs in 59.80 seconds under exercise rider Allen Rennie here on Friday morning.
ARCADIA, Calif. - With two workouts in the last week, Siphonic, the West Coast's leading contender for the Kentucky Derby, remains on schedule for an important start in the $250,000 San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita on March 17.
On Friday at Hollywood Park, Siphonic worked seven furlongs in 1:28 to the satisfaction of trainer David Hofmans. There were eight recorded works at the distance, and Siphonic's time equaled the fifth fastest.
"It was a nice, easy work," Hofmans said. "He didn't do anything out of the ordinary."
ALBANY, Calif. - On the same day the names of 19 nominees for the $200,000 El Camino Real Derby were released, a familiar name resurfaced to run in Golden Gate Fields' Sunday feature race.
Remember Sheikh, the 2000 El Camino Real Derby winner, was entered in a $40,000 optional claimer at a mile. Remember Sheikh, who will run for a $40,000 claiming price, drew the rail against eight rivals.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Trainer John Ward still has a hard time believing Snow Dance lost her last start, the Jan. 25 De La Rose Handicap. The computerized photo-finish camera said Snow Dance lost to Veil of Avalon by maybe an inch, but Ward remains skeptical.
"If you look real close at the image, you can see there is some concavity toward the inside," where Snow Dance finished, said Ward. "I honestly think there might have been some distortion, but what do I know?"
ARCADIA, Calif. - Snow Ridge is just plain lucky. Not so, counters trainer Wayne Lukas. "I think he's just a good horse," Lukas said.
How good is he? Good enough to win the first two stakes in Santa Anita's four-race sprint series, and good enough to be heavily favored Sunday in the Grade 1 San Carlos Handicap.
JAMAICA, N.Y. - As a 6-year-old and a Group 1 winner in Argentina, La Galerie was a prime candidate for the breeding shed this year. But her connections knew she was a better horse than she showed in her two years racing in North America and wanted to give her one more opportunity to prove them right.
NEW ORLEANS - It's stock Hollywood narrative, really. Athlete takes sport by storm, falls from grace, and returns later in life seeking redemption. Fade out.
Three years after his soap opera began, Valhol may be ready to begin a new phase of his life this weekend. And, in a nice Hollywood touch, the plot takes Valhol back to the place it all started, Fair Grounds, the site of his first races and of Sunday's $500,000 New Orleans Handicap.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Morluc, one of the nation's top turf sprinters, with earnings of more than $850,000, will make his next start in the $75,000 Shakertown at Keeneland on April 13, according to trainer Randy Morse.
Morluc finished a game second to Boots on Sunday a week ago in his seasonal debut, the $50,000 Turf Sprint Cup at Sam Houston Race Park in Houston. "He tried," said Morse. "The turf was a little soft, and when it's like that he can't get a hold of it, he can't go anywhere. I thought he showed a lot of heart to try and come back and win."
Delaware Park has gained a fifth graded race for its stakes schedule this season.
The $250,000 Leonard Richards, to be run on June 8, was upgraded to Grade 3 status earlier this year and has been given a $50,000 boost in purse money. The track's other Grade 3 races are the Delaware Handicap, the Delaware Oaks, the Kent Breeders' Cup, and the Endine Stakes.
NEW ORLEANS - The horse from Opelousas, La., has never tangled with this sort of foe before. But then the horse from Opelousas has never been this good before.
The Louisiana-bred gelding Oak Hall is riding a wave of good form into the New Orleans Handicap, and though he hardly fits the profile of a New Orleans Handicap winner, there's really no telling how good Oak Hall might be.