ARCADIA, Calif. - Jockey Iggy Puglisi was released from Arcadia Methodist Hospital on Sunday, eight days after he sustained three fractured vertebrae and a broken right knee in a two-horse spill at Los Alamitos.
The 27-year-old journeyman faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines. Puglisi estimates he will be away from racing until late spring, citing the knee as the biggest obstacle in his comeback. He could miss the rest of the Santa Anita meeting, which runs through late April.
Oak Hall swept past Boots on Sunday in midstretch, then drew clear to a 1 1/2-length win in the $50,000 Sam Houston Sprint Handicap at Sam Houston Race Park in Houston. It was another 10 lengths back in third to even-money favorite Aloha Bold.
Oak Hall ($17.60) raced about 10 lengths off the pace set by Aloha Bold, who ran the opening four furlongs of the seven-furlong race in 45.43 seconds.
Oak Hall began to picked up rivals on the turn, then took the lead en route to running the distance in 1:23.98 over a muddy track.
ALBANY, Calif. - Derby Week begins Wednesday at Golden Gate Fields.
The Golden Gate Derby on Saturday is the West's first step on the Triple Crown trail. The Grade 3 event has even produced one Kentucky Derby winner, Real Quiet in 1998.
Trainer Daryl Snow will send out Cruising Kat in the $125,000, 1 1/16-mile race.
Snow's preparations for the race include a final work on Tuesday. His star also gets an extra look in the morning when Snow arrives at the barn and at night before Snow departs.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Imagine what life would have been like this winter for trainer Bob Baffert, and the Santa Anita handicap division, if both Point Given and Congaree were around. Baffert did Monday morning, when he marveled at the large field expected for Saturday's Grade 2, $200,000 San Fernando Breeders' Cup Stakes at Santa Anita.
So what if Baffert's two stars were running Saturday?
"Well, there'd be a shorter field," he said.
JAMAICA, N.Y. - What do you get when you cross a Dancing Fool with a Celtic Melody?
Certainly a memorable evening if that encounter takes place at an Irish pub. As it turns out, though, this particular meeting occurs Wednesday in Aqueduct's featured eighth race, and there is no cover charge.
JAMAICA, N.Y. - Nice Boots Baby showed another dimension by coming off the pace to win her first stakes in Sunday's $76,945 Ruthless at Aqueduct by 2 1/2 lengths over Proper Gamble.
Nice Boots Baby, a 3-year-old, is now 3 for 3 for her Maryland-based owner and trainer, Tony Dutrow.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Apparently, Bella Bella Bella does not mind a fight.
In Sunday's $105,000 Santa Ysabel Stakes* (click here for chart) at Santa Anita, Bella Bella Bella ($2.80) outgamed a stubborn Tamarack Bay through the stretch to win by a neck and remain unbeaten after three starts.
NEW ORLEANS - Trainer Steve Asmussen called Sunday's Thelma Stakes* (click here for chart) "a bridge" for his 3-year-old filly, Lake Lady. She's clearly crossed over to the other side now.
Making the jump from hyped allowance winner to stakes horses proved a minor obstacle for the vastly talented Lake Lady, who won the $75,000 Thelma Stakes convincingly despite being given a ride that was intended to impart valuable racing lessons rather than produce a blowout win.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla.- A New Twist had to wait seven weeks and travel 1,000 miles to for an opportunity to avenge her setback at the hands of Forest Heiress in the Valley Stream Handicap. But the added experience and new environment did the trick as A New Twist easily turned the tables on Forest Heiress with a convincing three and one half length victory over the 1-5 favorite in Sunday's $100,000 Old Hat Stakes* (click here for chart).
ALBANY, Calif. - Owner-breeder John Harris is making a habit of
winning stakes races at Golden Gate Fields named for his top former stars.
On Saturday, his Super Tuesday won the $100,000 Work The Crowd Handicap for Cal-bred fillies and mares. Super Tuesday wore down stubborn pacesetter Yes We Do late to win the one-mile race over a soft turf course by a neck in 1:40.35.
Super Tuesday is sired by Political Ambition, also the sire of Work The Crowd.
"It's great to win this race," Harris said. "She reminds me of Work The Crowd (whom Harris co-owned)."