Wed, 12/04/2019 - 15:00

Supplemented pair add depth to Claiming Crown Jewel

Lauren King/Coglianese Photos
Third Day, winning a stakes in 2017, was dropped in for $32,000 in November, making him eligible to run in the Claiming Crown.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – The prospective starting lineup for Saturday’s $200,000 Claiming Crown Jewel grew by two shortly before entry time Wednesday with both Third Day and Noble Thought supplemented to the race at a cost of $5,000 apiece.

Wed, 12/04/2019 - 14:26

El Camino Real winner Anothertwistafate back in training

Emily Shields
Anothertwistafate has not raced since finishing 10th in the Preakness.

Anothertwistafate, the winner of the El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate Fields last February and later 10th in the Preakness Stakes, resumed training in November.

“He’s been jogging and we’re taking things slow,” trainer Blaine Wright said. “We don’t have a breeze targeted yet. He needs to get his muscle tone back.”

Owned by Peter Redekop, Anothertwistafate has won 3 of 7 starts and earned $303,500. Last spring, Anothertwistafate was second in two Grade 3 races – the Sunland Park Derby in New Mexico and the Lexington Stakes at Keeneland.

Wed, 12/04/2019 - 14:20

Trainer Anna Meah will move stable to Kentucky in early 2020

Benoit Photo
Excellent Sunset is the most proven runner in Anna Meah's stable.

Anna Meah, who began training in late 2018, is planning to relocate the majority of her stable to Kentucky in early 2020.

Meah said on Wednesday that she will send most of her 20-horse stable to Kentucky “at the end of February or beginning of March.” A few statebreds will remain in California.

She said the decision was based on the wishes of several of her clients, the attractive purses in Kentucky, and the uncertainty surrounding California racing, which has seen a decline in racing dates in the last nine months.

Wed, 12/04/2019 - 14:20

Miller believes Wrecking Crew is better than he showed in Breeders' Cup

Barbara D. Livingston
Wrecking Crew had a troubled trip when third in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile.

The chaos that dominated the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita on Nov. 1 affected third-place finisher Wrecking Crew as much as it did odds-on favorite Dennis’ Moment, who stumbled badly at the start.

Wrecking Crew was fourth on the backstretch, but lost momentum when racing in traffic on the final turn. The ridgling eventually finished third by 3 1/4 lengths behind the upset winner Storm the Court at 45-1. Trainer Peter Miller thought Wrecking Crew should have been the upset winner at 39-1.

Wed, 12/04/2019 - 01:18

Maximum Security can strengthen Eclipse Award chances in Cigar Mile

Kim Pratt
A Cigar Mile win would be Maximum Security's third Grade 1 of the year.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Gary West doesn’t remember the last time he was at Aqueduct, though he knows it was before the casino adjacent to the track opened in the fall of 2011.

When told that the casino is always hopping, West said, “I hope the racetrack is hopping as much as the casino.”

Tue, 12/03/2019 - 13:10

Retiring jockey Eurico Da Silva to have day in his honor

Michael Burns
Eurico Da Silva celebrates aboard El Tormenta after winning the Woodbine Mile.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Woodbine will honor perennial leading rider Eurico Da Silva on Saturday with a special day to celebrate his retirement at the end of the meet on Dec. 15.

Mon, 12/02/2019 - 15:50

Shivaree shines in Buffalo Man

Ryan Thompson/Coglianese Photos
Shivaree (right) wins the Buffalo Man Stakes at Gulfstream Park over Went West.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Among the best stories on last Saturday’s Juvenile Showcase program was the game victory by Shivaree in the $75,000 Buffalo Man Stakes.

Mon, 12/02/2019 - 15:36

Claiming Crown, Clasico Internacional del Caribe top weekend at Gulfstream

Jim McCue/Maryland Jockey Club
Forest Fire, winner of the Maryland Million Classic, is expected to start in the Claiming Crown Jewel on Saturday at Gulfstream Park.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – There are no graded stakes races on the schedule this weekend at Gulfstream Park, but there will be action aplenty nonetheless, with the Claiming Crown back for an eighth straight season Saturday followed by the third local renewal of the Clasico Internacional del Caribe, featuring the best horses from Latin America and the Caribbean on Sunday.

Mon, 12/02/2019 - 15:00

Jack the Umpire probable for Lecomte

Coady Photography
Jack the Umpire drew off for a 2 3/4-length win in Saturday's Jean Lafitte Stakes.

Jack the Umpire, who won his second straight two-turn race at Delta Downs last week in the $100,000 Jean Lafitte, is a candidate for the Grade 3, $200,000 Lecomte on Jan. 18 at Fair Grounds, trainer Brett Brinkman said Monday. The Lecomte, at 1 1/16 miles, is the first race on the road to the Louisiana Derby.

Brinkman said Jack the Umpire also would be nominated for the $400,000 Springboard Mile on Dec. 15 at Remington Park and the $200,000 Texas Turf Mile on Jan. 26 at Sam Houston. But he said the most probable next spot for the horse will be the Lecomte.

Mon, 12/02/2019 - 14:36

Only a few will challenge Spiced Perfection in Go for Wand

Coady Photography
Spiced Perfection wins the Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes at Keeneland in October.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Multiple Grade 1 winner Spiced Perfection will head a short field for Saturday’s Grade 3, $250,000 Go for Wand Handicap at Aqueduct.

On Monday, Spiced Perfection worked five furlongs in 1:02 over a good Churchill Downs surface. Afterward, her connections said they were pleased with the move and would ship here for the race.

Spiced Perfection finished fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint and was cataloged to be sold a few days later, but she did not attain her reserve and will remain in training for another year.