Wed, 03/20/2013 - 16:27

Gulfstream Park: Nafzger resists Kentucky Derby fever with Looking Cool

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Carl Nafzger has already won two Kentucky Derbies, with Unbridled and Street Sense, but at the moment he’s in no hurry to try for a third with his latest 3-year-old prospect Looking Cool.

Looking Cool qualified for a possible shot at a Derby prep after rallying to defeat the odds-on River Rocks by a half-length under entry-level allowance conditions going 1 1/16 miles here at Gulfstream Park last Sunday. The win was the second in the last three starts for Looking Cool, who earned a career-best 86 Beyer Speed Figure for his effort.

Wed, 03/20/2013 - 16:12

Oaklawn: Arkansas Derby one possibility for Carve

Carve is to make his next start at Oaklawn Park on April 13, in one of two stakes, trainer Steve Asmussen said Tuesday. He said the horse is to run in either the Grade 1, $1 million Arkansas Derby or the $100,000 Northern Spur.

Carve won the first two starts of his career at Oaklawn, then ran sixth in the track’s Grade 2, $600,000 Rebel last Saturday. He trailed for much of the race before putting in a strong stretch bid.

“He left himself too much to do,” Asmussen said. “He made up quite a bit of ground.”

Wed, 03/20/2013 - 15:18

Sunland Derby: Shakin It Up to make two-turn debut vs. eight rivals

Shigeki Kikkawa
Shakin It Up will break from post 4 for trainer Bob Baffert and jockey David Flores.

Led by trainer Bob Baffert's duo of Shakin It Up and Govenor Charlie, as well as local hero Dry Summer, a field of nine was entered on Wednesday for the Grade 3, $800,000 Sunland Derby at Sunland Park on Sunday.

The field, from the rail out, is Just Win Baby (Alonzo Quinonez the rider), Abraham (John Velazquez), Stormdriver (Ry Eikleberry), Shakin It Up (David Flores), Saint Prado (Rafael Bejarano), Dry Summer (Carlos Madeira), Govenor Charlie (Martin Garcia), Mudflats (Edwin Maldonado), and Show Some Magic (Luis Contreras).

Wed, 03/20/2013 - 14:20

Turfway Park: Spiral Stakes lures full field of 12

Churchill Downs/Reed Palmer Photography
Uncaptured, who will be making his 3-year-old debut in Saturday's Spiral Stakes, has been made the 3-1 morning-line favorite.

CINCINNATI - A full field of 12 3-year-olds was drawn today at the new Horseshoe Casino in downtown Cincinnati for the annual showcase event set for Saturday at nearby Turfway Park, with Uncaptured being listed as a lukewarm 3-1 morning-line favorite for the 1 1/8-mile Polytrack race.

Wed, 03/20/2013 - 11:15

Kentucky Derby: Verrazano morning-line favorite for Pool 3 of Future Wager

Barbara D. Livingston
Verrazano is 7-2 on the morning line for Pool 3 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Six new horses are in the lineup of 23 separately listed wagering interests and Verrazano is a lukewarm morning-line favorite in Pool 3 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager, which opens its customary three-day run Friday at noon Eastern.

Churchill Downs linemaker Mike Battaglia has listed Verrazano as the 7-2 choice for Pool 3, with the mutuel field, the 24th or “all others” option, next at 6-1.

Tue, 03/19/2013 - 16:45

Oaklawn Park: Oxbow firm for Arkansas Derby

Lynn Roberts/Hodges Photography
Oxbow, with Jon Court up, wins the Lecomte.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Oxbow will make his next start in the Grade 1, $1 million Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn on April 13, trainer D. Wayne Lukas said Tuesday. The horse had been possible for the race after finishing second in the Rebel.

Tue, 03/19/2013 - 16:32

Sunland Park: Nine probable for Sunland Derby

Coady Photography
Dry Summer, with Carlos Madeira riding, wins the Mine That Bird Derby.

With the defection of Titletown Five, there are now nine horses considered probable for the Grade 3, $800,000 Sunland Derby on Sunday. Sunland Park officials said Shakin It Up, winner of the Grade 2 San Vicente, and Govenor Charlie, an impressive maiden special weight winner at Santa Anita, are both expected for trainer Bob Baffert.

Tue, 03/19/2013 - 14:35

Turfway Park: Balance the Books taking Spiral shot

Tom Keyser
In the Spiral, Balance the Books will be making his first start since finishing third in the Nov. 3 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.

Chad Brown long ago circled the Palm Beach Stakes as the starting point for Balance the Books this year. But when the colt came down with a temperature a couple of weeks before that March 3 grass race at Gulfstream Park, “we had to go to Plan B,” Brown said this week from his winter headquarters at the Palm Meadows training center in south Florida.

Tue, 03/19/2013 - 14:06

Fair Grounds: Trainer Stall has full plate as meet winds down

Tom Keyser
Cease, who has earned more than $450,000, will make his second start off a layoff in Thursday's $51,000 allowance.

Al Stall Jr. has a lot going on these days at Fair Grounds. Less than two weeks away from shipping many of his better horses to Kentucky while leaving others behind to compete at Louisiana Downs, the married father of two still has work to do and decisions to make in New Orleans while he agonizes over the two positive medication tests he has under appeal to the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission.

Tue, 03/19/2013 - 13:56

Louisiana Derby: Titletown Five will skip Sunland Derby, head to Fair Grounds

Tom Keyser
Trainer D. Wayne Lukas has opted to wait a week and run Titletown Five in the Louisiana Derby.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Titletown Five is being rerouted to the Grade  2, $1 million Louisiana Derby on March 30 because the timing of the race will allow him to have another workout and also because the Louisiana Derby awards the winner 100 qualifing points for the Kentucky Derby, trainer D.  Wayne Lukas said on Tuesday. The horse had been pointed for Sunday’s Grade 3, $800,000 Sunland Derby at Sunland Park, which gives 50 points to the winner.