Thu, 01/23/2020 - 13:58

Omaha Beach injures right hind ankle; will be scratched from Pegasus World Cup.

Barbara D. Livingston
Omaha Beach gallops Thursday morning. He was later found to have a problem with his right hind ankle.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Omaha Beach has what appears to be the beginning of a fracture in his right hind leg and will be scratched from the $3 million Pegasus World Cup on Saturday at Gulfstream Park, trainer Richard Mandella said Thursday afternoon.

"He went out for a gallop this morning, cooled out great, but we noticed something later," Mandella said. "We X-rayed his right hind ankle. It's questionable what's there, but it looks like it might be the beginning of a cannon-bone fracture. We can't take a chance."

Thu, 01/23/2020 - 09:39

Skin disease forces Spun to Run to scratch from Pegasus World Cup

Emily Shields
Spun to Run beat Omaha Beach in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile and will try to do it again in the Pegasus World Cup.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. -- Spun to Run has developed a skin disease on much of his body and will scratch from the $3 million Pegasus World Cup, to be run on Saturday at Gulfstream Park, trainer Juan Carlos Guerrero said Thursday morning.

"I'm not happy with the skin disease," Guerrero said at Gulfstream Park. "His forearms are hot. It's on his left hind leg. It's for the best. I don't even want to try to run.

"It happened within the last two weeks. He broke out in hives. It was on his stomach, back, all over his legs. He means so much to me I'm almost crying."

Wed, 01/22/2020 - 15:16

Silver Dust, Digital help Calhoun bring the heat

Hodges Photography/Amanda Hodges Weir
Silver Dust cruised to a 4 1/4-length victory in Saturday's Grade 3 Louisiana Stakes.

The New Orleans weather has been unseasonably warm during January, and trainer Bret Calhoun has been unusually hot. Since the calendar flipped to 2020, Calhoun’s Fair Grounds string has gone 18-9-1-1.

Last Saturday, Calhoun won the Grade 3, $125,000 Louisiana Stakes with the 6-year-old warrior Silver Dust, and while Digital took a loss in a first-level allowance race, he ran fast and validated Calhoun’s belief he can be a stakes horse this winter and spring.

Wed, 01/22/2020 - 15:10

Dontblamerocket continues run for Norm Casse

Hodges Photography/Lou Hodges Jr.
Dontblamerocket was a three-length winner of Saturday's Colonel E.R. Bradley Stakes.

Trainer Mark Casse had himself a day last Saturday. At Fair Grounds, the Casse-trained Enforceable won the Lecomte Stakes. Two Sixty won the Gasparilla at Tampa Bay Downs, and March to the Arch the Sunshine Millions Turf at Gulfstream. This sort of success isn’t especially unusual for the sprawling stable of Mark Casse, but his son, Norm Casse, also had a notable winner Saturday.

Wed, 01/22/2020 - 14:26

Diaz to miss at least two weeks following spill

Adam Coglianese/NYRA
Hector Diaz Jr. was hit by a trailing horse after being thrown from his mount on Monday.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Jockey Hector Diaz Jr. will miss a minimum of two weeks due to injuries suffered in a spill Monday at Aqueduct.

Diaz suffered a hairline fracture of a bone in his lower back as well as a fracture behind his ear after his mount Dark N Cloudy, fell near the quarter pole of Monday’s sixth race, unseating Diaz. Dark N Cloudy suffered an injury to his left front ankle and had to be euthanized ontrack.

Shawn Klotz, the agent for Diaz, confirmed the injuries and said that a horse who was trailing Dark N Cloudy struck Diaz.

Wed, 01/22/2020 - 14:26

Rice has options with Wicked Trick and Nicodemus

Chelsea Durand/NYRA
Nicodemus (center) was beaten a nose by Mind Control (right) in the Toboggan. Sunny Ridge finished another nose back in third.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – With Wicked Trick and Nicodemus coming off terrific efforts over the weekend, trainer Linda Rice has decisions to make on where the two older stakes-caliber performers will run next.

On Sunday, Wicked Trick won for the sixth consecutive time, dominating a one-mile starter-allowance race by 9 1/4 lengths while earning a career-best 102 Beyer Speed Figure. That result came a day after Nicodemus lost the Grade 3, $150,000 Toboggan Stakes by a nose to Mind Control.

Wed, 01/22/2020 - 14:26

Mid-Atlantic-based Shotski, Monday Morning Qb, and Vanzzy likely for Withers

Barbara D. Livingston
Maryland-based Remsen winner Shotski will return to Aqueduct for the Withers.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Though Independence Hall, winner of the Nashua and Jerome stakes, has shipped from Maryland to Florida, the Mid-Atlantic region will still have plenty of representation in the Grade 3 $250,000 Withers Stakes at Aqueduct on Feb. 1.

Those being pointed to the Withers include Shotski, the Grade 2 Remsen winner here; Monday Morning Qb, the Heft Stakes winner at Laurel; and Vanzzy, the Display Stakes winner at Woodbine. The race offers 17 qualifying points toward the Kentucky Derby.

Wed, 01/22/2020 - 13:21

Gunnevera looking at spring or summer comeback

Barbara D. Livingston
Gunnevera has not raced since finishing third in the Dubai World Cup on March 30.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – After participating in the last two renewals of the Pegasus World Cup with Gunnevera, trainer Antonio Sono admitted it was a bit of a strange feeling to attend Wednesday’s post position draw for Saturday’s event without a horse in the race.

Gunnevera has not started since his third-place finish behind Thunder Snow in the 2019 Dubai World Cup. Plagued by nagging issues throughout his career, Gunnevera recently returned to training with Sano at Gulfstream Park West. But he’s still likely months away from a race.

Wed, 01/22/2020 - 11:36

Still sore from last weekend, Lewis points Warren's Showtime to China Doll Stakes

Emily Shields
Warren's Showtime was difficult to saddle prior to her 3 1/2-length victory in the California Cup Oaks.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Warren’s Showtime rumbled along the rail in early stretch of the $202,000 California Cup Oaks for 3-year-old statebred fillies on turf at Santa Anita last Saturday and won by 3 1/2 lengths.

She will run next in the $75,000 China Doll Stakes against open company at a mile on turf on March 7, trainer Craig Lewis said.

Lewis was resting at home on Monday morning, still a bit sore after saddling a fractious Warren’s Showtime before the Cal Cup Oaks.

Wed, 01/22/2020 - 11:26

Racing scrapped on Feb. 13 to stretch horse population

Emily Shields
The California Cup Derby (above) had nine starters last Saturday but through the first 13 days of the meet field size is averaging 7.72 horses per race, down from a similar period a year ago.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Santa Anita will not race on Feb. 13 in an effort to boost field sizes in coming weeks, according to racing secretary Steve Lym.

The track was scheduled to race from Thursday, Feb. 13, through Monday, Feb. 17, that week, but will instead run Friday through Monday, which is Presidents Day.

This week, Santa Anita will run Friday through Sunday, followed by two Thursday through Sunday weeks. Santa Anita will race Friday-Sunday, Feb. 21-23, Lym said.

Santa Anita will run Thursday through Sunday for the last week of February and through March and April.