HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Vekoma, unraced since finishing 13th (and being placed 12th) in the Kentucky Derby last May, is being pointed to a return to action “in the back half of March,” said trainer George Weaver.
Vekoma posted his first two works on Jan. 20 and 28 since resuming training at Palm Beach.
“We’ll start getting into more serious training now,” said Weaver. “I’m sure we’ll start him back in a one-turn race, probably going six or seven furlongs.”
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Diamond Oops, fourth in the $3 million Pegasus World Cup last Saturday at Gulfstream, will return to one-turn races for the foreseeable future and is being pointed to the Grade 1 Carter Handicap on April 4 at Aqueduct, said trainer Patrick Biancone.
“We’re going back to six or seven furlongs,” said Biancone. “He won’t run again until the Carter,” a $400,000 race at seven furlongs.
Diamond Oops, a 5-year-old gelding, won the seven-furlong Mr. Prospector at Gulfstream two starts back, earning a 105 Beyer Speed Figure.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Gouverneur Morris will ship from his Florida base to make his 3-year-old debut in the Feb. 17 Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park looking to score points on the Kentucky Derby trail.
Barry Irwin, whose Team Valor International partnership owns Gouverneur Morris with WinStar Farm, said the Constitution colt is flourishing in his training for Todd Pletcher at the Palm Beach Downs training center in Delray Beach, Fla.
Golden Gate Fields, forced to cancel Thursday's racing because of a gas leak, announced Thursday it would have to cancel racing as well as simulcasting for the remainder of the week.
General manager David Duggan said that to repair the leak on Thursday, the utility company had to shut off the gas. When it re-pressured the line, it damaged pipes that supply hot water for the facility, which is located in Albany on the shore of San Francisco Bay.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Bricks and Mortar found himself in a tussle with an unexpected rival in the $4 million Breeders’ Cup Turf at Santa Anita in November. In a talented field of 12, United, the 51-1 longest shot in the field, led in the stretch and challenged Bricks and Mortar to the wire before finishing second by a head.
With Bricks and Mortar retired to stud, United can take a leading role in the turf marathon division this year. It won’t be long before owners Larry, Nancy, and Jaime Roth and trainer Richard Mandella know where United stands.
ARCADIA, Calif. – The big guns in the handicap division are skipping the Grade 2 San Pasqual Stakes on Saturday at Santa Anita, but they will not be missed.
Without notables McKinzie, Mucho Gusto, Gift Box, or Higher Power, the 1 1/8-mile San Pasqual must stand on its own. No problem.
An evenly matched field of 10 entered the San Pasqual, an appealing race for bettors and one that will determine who takes on Gift Box in the Santa Anita Handicap on March 7.
Golden Gate Fields announced Wednesday afternoon that its Thursday racing card was canceled because of a leak in a gas line leading into the track.
The leak is not considered dangerous and is being repaired, but the track has no hot water, prompting the cancellation.
John Imbriale, the longtime backup announcer at the New York Racing Association, will now be the full-time race-caller at Aqueduct, Belmont Park, and Saratoga, NYRA announced Wednesday in a press release. Imbriale replaces Larry Collmus, who, according to sources, could not reach agreement on a new contract with NYRA.
Imbriale’s relationship with NYRA dates back to 1979 when he won a New York Daily News contest to call a race and work in the NYRA press office. Imbriale worked in the press office during the 1980s, while getting the occasional opportunity to call races.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Apprentice jockey Luis Cardenas has learned his lessons quickly. He won two races on Sunday’s card and now has five wins from just 48 mounts to begin his career.
With his fifth win, Cardenas went from riding with a 10-pound weight allowance to a seven-pound allowance. Once he reaches 35 victories, he will become a five-pound apprentice, or “bug boy” as they are known for the bug-like asterisk notation in the program.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – A year ago, trainer Butch Reid entered the first weekend of February with a horse everybody was talking about for the Kentucky Derby. Maximus Mischief, an undefeated 2-year-old, finished third as the 4-5 favorite in the Grade 2 Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park and two months later would be retired with a soft-tissue injury.
