OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Trainer Jonathan Thomas has left only six horses in New York for the winter, but there are definitely some runners in the group.
On Tuesday, Patagonia ran down heavily favored Communicator to win a nine-furlong, first-level allowance race by a neck. It was the colt’s first start since he was purchased by Thomas on behalf of Ralph and Lauren Evans for $150,000 out of the Keeneland November sale. He had previously been trained by Todd Pletcher for WinStar Farm.
ARCADIA, Calif. – George Herman Ruth, a California-bred colt by Grazen, is the latest prospect owned by prominent breeder Nick Alexander to be named after a famous baseball player.
The colt, who starts in Friday’s seventh race at Santa Anita, has ability. He needs to be good to carry the formal name of the legendary Babe Ruth.
ARCADIA, Calif. – The 2019 stakes winners Cleopatra’s Strike and Majestic Eagle are among seven probable starters in Saturday’s Grade 2 San Gabriel Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on turf.
Cleopatra’s Strike won the Grade 2 John Henry Turf Championship at 1 1/4 miles here on Sept. 29, but was fourth by a length in the Grade 2 Hollywood Turf Cup at 1 1/2 miles at Del Mar on Dec. 1. Majestic Eagle won the Grade 3 American Stakes at a mile here in June, but is winless in three subsequent starts.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Sir Winston won’t be pointed for the Pegasus World Cup but instead will run the same day in the $100,000 Jazil at Aqueduct with the goal of possibly racing afterward in the March 28 Dubai World Cup, said trainer Mark Casse.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Omaha Beach arrived Tuesday night at Gulfstream Park following a cross-country flight from California and is scheduled to resume serious training in the coming days as the likely favorite here Jan. 25 in the $3 million Pegasus World Cup.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - The final day of 2019 belonged to Jose Lezcano. The year belonged to Manny Franco.
Franco repeated as the leading rider on the New York Racing Association circuit with 212 wins in 2019, four more than Lezcano, who ended the year by winning four races on Tuesday’s eight-race Aqueduct program. Junior Alvarado (161), Irad Ortiz Jr. (152) and Jose Ortiz (137) completed the top five among riders in wins on this circuit, which includes Aqueduct, Belmont, and Saratoga. Franco was also the leading rider in purse money won with $14,674,143.
Venetian Harbor won her main-track debut in a maiden special weight race at Santa Anita on Sunday in the manner of a filly with massive potential.
A 3-year-old in 2020, Venetian Harbor led throughout the race at 6 1/2 furlongs, drawing away to prevail by 10 3/4 lengths under jockey Joel Rosario. Venetian Harbor was timed in 1:15.60, earning a Beyer Speed Figure of 94.
Sunday’s race was the second start for Venetian Harbor, preceded by a close second in a maiden special weight race at five furlongs on turf on Nov. 15 at Del Mar.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Mo Forza is likely to his have his stakes debut against older horses in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational on Jan. 25 at Gulfstream Park following his third consecutive graded stakes win in the Grade 2 Mathis Brothers Mile for 3-year-olds at Santa Anita last Saturday.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – The fact Mayberry Deputy rallied to win a very competitive one-mile maiden special weight race for 2-year-olds here last Saturday came as a surprise to many, especially the bettors who sent him postward at odds of 17-1 in his third career start. The fact he won at all was probably even a bigger surprise to those who knew what Mayberry Deputy had gone through in the five days leading up to that start.
It’s hard to imagine an undefeated Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies winner who will win an Eclipse Award as champion 2-year-old filly being overshadowed by a stablemate in the same division. And maybe that won’t wind up being the case. But in the Fair Grounds stable of Brad Cox, exactly that dynamic seems plausible as the calendar rolls over to 2020.
