HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Cojet, considered one of the best 3-year-old sprinters at Oaklawn, will chart new territory Saturday when he makes his two-turn debut in the $75,000 Southwest, a one-mile race that serves as a stepping-stone to the $500,000 Arkansas Derby on April 13.
has been well prepared for the task at hand by his trainer, Bob Holthus, who has won the past two runnings of the Southwest, taking the 2001 edition with Son of Rocket and the 2000 with Afternoon Affair.
NEW ORLEANS - Bay Eagle, eighth in the Preakness Stakes last spring, returns from a layoff in Fair Grounds's featured ninth race on Thursday. But more relevant than his finish in the Preakness was Bay Eagle's near-miss in the $200,000 Virginia Derby last summer, since that race, like Thursday's, is on turf.
NEW ORLEANS - Trainer James Bond said Monday that , winner of the Grade 1 Donn Handicap in his last race, was likely to ship to New Orleans this week and run in Sunday's $500,000 New Orleans Handicap.
Mongoose's presence would further strengthen a race that's coming up very tough. The field is also likely to include Whirlaway Stakes winner Valhol and two other Florida shippers, Kiss a Native and Graeme Hall. Kiss a Native finished third and was placed second in the Donn. Graeme Hall, a Grade 2 winner, finished eighth in the Donn, his first start since November.
ALBANY, Calif. - Weight is often an issue around the racetrack, and it could be a big issue in Thursday's feature at Golden Gate Fields.
The two top contenders, Sharp Park and Glittering Stone, finished a nose apart when they met on Feb. 6 in a six-furlong race with a $25,000 claiming tag, which was similar to Thursday's race.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - The key question when it comes to handicapping Thursday's $38,000 allowance feature for fillies and mares at Gulfstream Park may not be whether one of trainer Christophe Clement's European-breds will win the 1 1/8-mile turf race - but which one.
Clement, whose success with European-breds and European invaders at Gulfstream over the past several winters is well documented, will send out an uncoupled entry in Thursday's feature: the Irish-bred mare Lady Upstage and the English-bred filly Sauterne.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Tony D'Amico smiled wanly, trying to hide his disappointment.
He shrugged his shoulders, shook his head, arched his eyebrows. He didn't bother to say, "What can you do?" His body language already said it.
It was Monday in the Gulfstream jockeys' room, where D'Amico had just been informed by trainer Ken McPeek that he would no longer be the regular rider of Repent, the colt who is the solid Kentucky Derby favorite in the eastern United States. D'Amico had ridden Repent in all six of his races, four of them victories.
ARCADIA, Calif. - The lineup for Saturday's $1 million Santa Anita Handicap changed dramatically over the weekend when Mizzen Mast, the winner of the Malibu and Strub stakes, was withdrawn because of injury.
The absence of Mizzen Mast may make the Big Cap a more intriguing betting race, but there is a lack of depth among the remaining 11 probable starters. When weight assignments were announced on Sunday, Mizzen Mast and Lido Palace, who is out until summer, were given top weight of 120 pounds. Their absence leaves Euchre and Futural as the starting highweights at 118 pounds.
ALBANY, Calif. - His filly was second behind a real talent last time out, but trainer Chuck Peery could well visit the winner's circle this time with Halo Tyra in Golden Gate Fields's feature race on Wednesday.
A $63,000 purchase at the Barretts Sale last May, Halo Tyra won her debut on Jan. 6 in a six-furlong maiden sprint then ran second, 5 1/2 lengths behind talented Lost at Sea in a Feb. 3 mile race.
Halo Tyra figures to be well backed in Wednesday's feature, the first race, a one-mile $40,000 optional claimer for 3-year-old fillies.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - The future of Beau's Town, who has won his last three races by a combined 10 1/4 lengths, is riding on the ninth race Wednesday at Oaklawn Park. His performance in the conditioned allowance will determine if he gets a chance at stakes company next month, in either the $150,000 Pelleteri Breeders' Cup at Fair Grounds on March 17, or the $50,000 Hot Springs here March 29.
"This race is going to tell us the next step," said Dave Hulkewicz, who owns Beau's Town. "He has to answer the bell."
