HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Trainer Nick Zito didn’t have a top 3-year-old in his barn this winter. So he went out and bought Spot, who returned quick dividends for his new connections when he rallied to an impressive 2 1/2-length victory over 2-5 favorite No Nay Never in Saturday’s $200,000 Swale Stakes at Gulfstream Park.
The Grade 2 Swale lost some of its luster after trainer Todd Pletcher was forced to scratch Havana earlier in the day due to a quarter crack issue.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Samraat and Uncle Sigh removed any lingering doubt about their Kentucky Derby credentials, while the late-starting In Trouble proved himself worthy of joining the Triple Crown trail as that trio finished two necks apart in a thrilling renewal of the Grade 3, $500,000 Gotham Stakes Saturday at Aqueduct.
FLORENCE, Ky. – Trainer Wayne Catalano caught a flight Saturday from New Orleans to Cincinnati, and it was worth the trip. His uncoupled 3-year-olds, Solitary Ranger and Poker Player, swept the top two spots in the 32nd running of the $100,000 John Battaglia Memorial Stakes at Turfway Park.
“You don’t really like to run them against each other like this, but they both fit the spot really well,” said Catalano.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The mutuel field, the 24th or “all others” option, closed in its familiar spot as favorite in Pool 3 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager, which closed Saturday following a three-day run. The field closed at 3-1, followed by Cairo Prince (9-1), Top Billing (11-1), Honor Code (11-1), Candy Boy (12-1), Shared Belief (15-1), Bayern (17-1), Tapiture (17-1), and Strong Mandate (18-1).
Cairo Prince continued his preparations for the $1 million Florida Derby on March 29 by working five furlongs in 59.95 in company with Long River at Palm Meadows on Saturday. The breeze was just his third since registering an impressive 6 3/4-length victory over Conquest Titan in the Grade 2 Holy Bull on Jan. 25 and first since his owners sold a majority interest in the colt to Sheikh Mohammed’s Darley Stable earlier this week.
[ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY: Prep races, point standings, replays]
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Havana developed a small quarter crack on his right front foot on Saturday morning, forcing trainer Todd Pletcher to scratch the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile runner-up from the Grade 2 Swale later that afternoon at Gulfstream Park.
Sheik Mohammed al-Maktoum’s Darley operation has purchased a majority interest in multiple graded stakes winner Cairo Prince, considered among the leading candidates for the Kentucky Derby.
The Pioneerof the Nile colt, winner of the Grade 2 Holy Bull Stakes on Jan. 25, will remain in the barn of trainer Kiaran McLaughlin and will race in the colors of Godolphin Racing. He will continue to point for the Grade 1 Florida Derby on March 29.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The mutuel field, the 24th or “all others” option, was in the familiar spot as favorite after the first full day of betting into Pool 3 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager, which began a three-day run Thursday.
With $49,191 resting in the win pool Friday morning, the field was the 6-5 favorite, followed by Cairo Prince (13-1), Bayern (16-1), Honor Code (16-1), Top Billing (16-1), and Shared Belief (19-1). Another $13,866 had been bet in exactas.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The mutuel field, the 24th or “all others” option, was in the familiar spot as the favorite during the opening hours of wagering in Pool 3 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager, which began a three-day run Thursday at noon Eastern.
As of 4:30 p.m., and with $22,945 in the win pool, the field was the 2-1 favorite, followed by Cairo Prince (11-1), Honor Code (14-1), Candy Boy (14-1), Shared Belief (15-1), and five more between 16-1 and 19-1. Another $6,573 had been bet in the exacta pool.
Some under-the-radar scrambling for a Kentucky Derby foothold will take place Saturday at Turfway Park, where 11 3-year-olds will have an audition of sorts for the track’s only Derby-points event when running in the John Battaglia Memorial Stakes.
