Proceed remained undefeated in three starts on Saturday, when he comfortably held off Rebranded for a two-length win in the $120,000 Mine That Bird Derby at Sunland Park. It was another 12 3/4 lengths back in third to Ima Happy Strike.
[ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY: Prep races, point standings, replays]
The Mine That Bird was a prep for the Grade 3, $800,000 Sunland Derby, which will be a consideration for Proceed, said his trainer, Joel Marr. The 1 1/8-mile race is March 23.
NEW ORLEANS – The connections of Intense Holiday sent their colt from Florida to run in the Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds on Saturday rather than the Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park to take advantage of the long stretch here, and Intense Holiday needed every inch of it.
Closing from midpack under Mike Smith, Intense Holiday reeled in the pacesetting Albano stride by stride through the 1,346-foot straightaway, North America’s longest, finally catching him just before the finish to win by a nose.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Wildcat Red looks like a sprinter, and he certainly has brilliant sprinter’s speed. That speed, utilized to its fullest over a track kind to his style, helped propel him to victory at Gulfstream Park on Saturday in the Grade 2, $400,000 Fountain of Youth Stakes, whose thrilling stretch drive will be overshadowed by debate over how big a role the track played in the outcome.
Cairo Prince had his second work since winning the Holy Bull last month when he went a half-mile in 49.90 seconds at Palm Meadows on Saturday.
Cairo Prince is awaiting next month’s Florida Derby. His trainer, Kiaran McLaughlin, said he believed Cairo Prince put forth a big effort in the Holy Bull, and wanted to give him plenty of time until his next start.
[ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY: Prep races, point standings, replays]
CYPRESS, Calif. – California Chrome worked six furlongs in 1:11.80 at Los Alamitos on Saturday, his final major workout for the $300,000 San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita on March 8. The Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes, a key prep for the $1 million Santa Anita Derby on April 5, will play a defining role in how California Chrome is campaigned this spring.
“We’ll learn where he fits with those horses,” trainer Art Sherman said. “It will be a good test for him.”
Harpoon, In Trouble, and Surfing U S A all were nominated to the Grade 2, $200,000 Swale Stakes, a seven-furlong race to be run at Gulfstream Park next Saturday. Trainer Todd Pletcher on Friday said that Havana was scheduled for his first start of the year in the Swale, but that a final decision on where he, Harpoon, and Surfing U S A all race would be made following workouts Sunday morning.
[ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY: Prep races, point standings, replays]
The unbeaten colt In Trouble has been training at Palm Meadows this winter, but he is scheduled to head north Wednesday for his 2014 debut in the Grade 3, $500,000 Gotham Stakes at 1 1/16 miles at Aqueduct next Saturday. He had his final work for the race Friday morning at Palm Meadows and worked slower than trainer Tony Dutrow desired, officially five furlongs in 1:02.75 while going from the half-mile pole to a furlong past the wire.
The Triple Crown prep season takes an intense turn Saturday with big fields contesting the Grade 2, $400,000 Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds, and the Grade 2, $400,000 Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park. The Risen Star and Fountain of Youth are the local springboards to the Louisiana Derby and Florida Derby, respectively. There are also three graded stakes on the Fair Grounds undercard, and two other graded stakes at Gulfstream.
[bc_video_id:316886:]NEW ORLEANS – Vicar’s in Trouble is a Louisiana-bred by Into Mischief who cost $8,000 at a yearling auction, and that’s exactly how he looks. His hair coat doesn’t glow. He’s on the light side. And, quite frankly, the colt is tiny: He’ll be a full head shorter than brutes like Gold Hawk when he lines up in the starting gate here Saturday for the Risen Star Stakes.
“He puffs up when he gets out on the track, though,” assistant trainer Joe Sharp said.
