OZONE PARK, N.Y. – In his first year training horses, Orlando Noda made his mark reviving the career of T Loves a Fight, a stakes-winning horse who bottomed out at the $10,000 claiming level.
On Saturday, when he again runs T Loves a Fight in a stakes at Aqueduct, Noda hopes to make his mark with a different horse. To say Noda has high hopes for the 3-year-old first-time starter First Line, who debuts in Saturday’s third, would be understating it.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Skyler’s Scramjet, winner of the Grade 3 Tom Fool in 2018 and runner-up in the Grade 1 Carter in 2019, is on the comeback trail.
Away since a last-place finish in the Tale of the Cat Stakes at Saratoga in August due to foot issues, Skyler’s Scramjet returned to the work tab on Wednesday, breezing three furlongs in 38.20 seconds over the training track.
“He has in the past come around quick,” trainer Michelle Nevin said. “Every year is different. We’ll have to see if he can get himself ready.”
ARCADIA, Calif. – The purses of four scheduled overnight races for California-breds at Santa Anita have been increased by $10,000 to $13,000 on Jan. 18. The program is highlighted by five stakes for statebreds: the $200,000 Unusual Heat Turf Classic, $200,000 California Cup Derby, $200,000 California Cup Oaks, $150,000 California Cup Sprint, and $150,000 Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf Sprint. It is the richest day of the year for California-breds.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Trainer Richard Mandella was all smiles back at the barn after watching Omaha Beach return to the track for a routine jog shortly after 9:30 a.m. on Thursaday. Omaha Beach is scheduled to make the final start of his career in the $3 million Pegasus World Cup on Jan. 25.
Omaha Beach, scheduled to make his final career start in the $3 million Pegasus World Cup on Jan. 25, will have his first local work at Gulfstream Park postponed, likely until Sunday, to deal with a minor foot issue, trainer Richard Mandella said Wednesday.
"This far out, I don't see it as a problem," Mandella said from South Florida while describing the issue as a "hot foot."
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – My Boy Tate will face six rivals when he seeks a second victory in the $100,000 Say Florida Sandy Stakes for New York-bred sprinters Saturday.
My Boy Tate, a 6-year-old gelding by Boys at Tosconova, won the Say Florida Sandy in 2018 as part of a four-race winning streak. He lost three straight after that and then was off 13 months before winning a division of the New York Stallion series here on Nov. 24.
My Boy Tate is trained by Michelle Nevin, who also owns the gelding in partnership with Little Red Feather Racing.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Truth Hurts, a two-length winner of a first-level allowance race Sunday, will be pointed to the $100,000 Busanda Stakes here Feb. 2, trainer Chad Summers said Wednesday.
Truth Hurts, a daughter of Tonalist, was very professional beating 4-5 favorite Autonomous in Sunday’s one-mile race. After tracking a longshot leader early, Truth Hurts sat behind horses approaching the quarter pole, split horses outside the eighth pole, and was drawing away late. She covered a mile in 1:40.05 and earned a 68 Beyer Speed Figure.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Trainer Dermot Magner has at least three young horses that inspire hope for a solid 2020 season. Included in that trio is Trash Talker who faces winners for the first time in Friday’s $70,000 first-level allowance/optional-claiming feature at Aqueduct.
Trash Talker, a son of Competitive Edge, won a six-furlong maiden race here Dec. 7 in what was his fourth start. Though he may have been aided by a surface that turned speed-favoring over the second half of that card, Trash Talker has come back with a series of solid workouts since.
Hall of Fame rider Mike Smith will be honored with the inaugural Jack Van Berg Horse Racing Award during the Oaklawn Kick-Off Banquet on Jan. 15, said Mark Schlesinger, a longtime owner and businessman in Arkansas. The event will be held at the Wyndam Riverfront Hotel in North Little Rock, Ark. Schlesinger said a crowd of 500 to 600 is anticipated.
Chief Cicatriz, who won his third consecutive stakes race in the recent KLAQ Handicap at Sunland Park, could be headed back to New Mexico, trainer Shawn Davis said. The horse, who is based at Turf Paradise, is under consideration for the $75,000 Ft. Bliss on Jan. 25 at Sunland. Davis said options also include the $75,000 Phoenix Gold Cup on Feb. 8 at Turf Paradise.
