Mon, 02/04/2019 - 15:10

Fields set for Louisiana Premier Night

Lou Hodges Jr./Hodges Photography
Underpressure wins the Louisiana Champions Day Classic in his last start.

Underpressure, the winner of the $150,000 Louisiana Champions Day Classic at Fair Grounds in his last start, is scheduled to run Saturday night at Delta Downs in the $150,000 Louisiana Premier Night Championship. He drew post 4 for the 1 1/16-mile race, which has a full field of 10.

Trainer Chris Richard has given the mount to Corey Lanerie.

The Championship is the richest of six stakes races on a 12-race program that starts at 5:25 p.m. Central.

Mon, 02/04/2019 - 15:00

Runaway Ghost notches big comeback win

Coady Photography
Runaway Ghost paid $3.20 with Saturday's Fort Bliss triumph.

One lesson the late Hall of Fame horseman Syl Veitch taught some of the aspiring trainers in his employ was to have a horse properly prepared for his first start off a layoff because one never knows what that horse might encounter in his comeback race.

Mon, 02/04/2019 - 14:56

Heavenhasmynikki targets Beholder Mile next

Coady Photography
Heavenhasmynikki (far right) finishes third in the Houston Ladies Classic.

Heavenhasmynikki, who ran a big third in the Grade 3, $300,000 Houston Ladies Classic at Sam Houston, is set to run next in the Grade 1, $400,000 Beholder Mile on March 16 at Santa Anita, owner Ron Paolucci said Monday.

Heavenhasmynikki set a contested pace in the Houston Ladies Classic at 1 1/16 miles on Jan. 27 and was beaten a length by multiple Grade 1 winner Midnight Bisou. She earned career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 89. One start prior, Heavenhasmynikki was fifth in the Grade 1 La Brea, a seven-furlong sprint at Santa Anita.

Mon, 02/04/2019 - 14:46

Quip, Positive Spirit shipping in for Feb. 16 stakes

Barbara D. Livingston
Positive Spirit, who won the Dec. 1 Demoiselle in a romp, is set to make her 3-year-old debut in the Feb. 16 Rachel Alexandra.

The young trainer Rodolphe Brisset runs a satellite string at Fair Grounds while keeping the bulk of his stock at Payson Park in South Florida this winter, and Brisset has noteworthy invaders for the multi-stakes card Feb. 16 in New Orleans.

Mon, 02/04/2019 - 14:36

Bobby's Wicked One a welcome winner for Stall

Conrad Photography
Bobby's Wicked One, pictured finishing second in the Steel Valley Sprint, notched his second career win Saturday at Fair Grounds.

It’s been raining runner-up finishes in the Al Stall barn for the better part of three months. Since Nov. 10, Stall’s 79 starters have compiled a crazy record of 8 wins compared to 23 second-place finishes. Bobby’s Wicked One was having none of that trend Saturday at Fair Grounds. Dropping hard in class from a solid fifth-place finish in the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes at Santa Anita into a mere first-level six-furlong allowance race, Bobby’s Wicked One cruised to a seven-length score despite Miguel Mena keeping him under a hammerlock through the stretch run.

Mon, 02/04/2019 - 14:26

Stymie a comeback option for Vino Rosso

Barbara D. Livingston
Vino Rosso, unraced since August, is nearing his comeback.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Vino Rosso, idle since his fifth-place finish in the 2018 Travers, worked four furlongs in 49.40 Sunday at Palm Beach Downs. The work was the fourth on the comeback trail for Vino Rosso, who competed in two of the three legs of last year’s Triple Crown following his victory last spring at Aqueduct in the Grade 2 Wood Memorial.

Mon, 02/04/2019 - 14:20

Sesamoid chip will keep Aztec Sense out 60 days

Barbara D. Livingston
Aztec Sense paid $7 in winning the Fred W. Hooper on Saturday.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Jorge Navarro reported Sunday that Aztec Sense, who was vanned off following his 1 3/4-length triumph in the Grade 3 Fred Hooper here on Jan. 26, should be able to race again. Aztec Sense not only recorded his ninth consecutive and most important victory in the Fred Hooper, he also gave Navarro the 1,000th win of his training career.

“He came out with a chip in his sesamoid – we removed it,” Navarro said. “He’s in Ocala, he’ll be out for 60 days, and hopefully if all goes well he’ll be back again.”

Mon, 02/04/2019 - 14:06

Hough has options for Global Campaign's next start

Leslie Martin/Coglianese Photos
Eye-catching maiden winner Global Campaign could race again as soon as this Saturday in the Sam F. Davis at Tampa.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – In a perfect world, Global Campaign would have run here last Saturday in the Grade 3 Swale off his super-impressive debut win earlier in the meet. But Stanley Hough has been training horses long enough to know there is no such thing as a perfect world in this business, which is why he’ll be going to Plan B for the promising son of Curlin’s next start.

Global Campaign launched his career with a 5 3/4-length victory going seven furlongs here on Jan. 5, earning an 85 Beyer Speed Figure while being geared down by jockey Luis Saez in late stretch.

Mon, 02/04/2019 - 13:46

Pletcher getting right signs from latest Busanda winner

Joe Labozzetta/NYRA
On Sunday, Always Shopping gave trainer Todd Pletcher his fifth victory in the Busanda Stakes.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Always Shopping on Sunday at Aqueduct gave trainer Todd Pletcher his fifth victory in the Busanda Stakes, all since 2011. That list of winners includes Princess of Sylmar, who used her victory in the 2013 Busanda as a springboard to four Grade 1 victories that year, including the Kentucky Oaks.

Always Shopping has a way to go before she can be considered in the class of Princess of Sylmar, but Pletcher and owner-breeder Mike Repole were encouraged by what they saw Sunday.

Mon, 02/04/2019 - 13:40

Stone Breaker's Beyer adjusted for maiden win

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Stone Breaker, a 6 1/4-length winner for maiden $50,000 claiming on Jan. 1, is entered in a New York-bred first-level allowance race Thursday at Aqueduct.

Horseplayers will notice that his Beyer Speed Figure from his maiden win has been adjusted to an 82 from what was originally a 90.

Andy Beyer, the creator of the Beyer Speed Figures, said he was always skeptical of the 90 that was assigned by New York figure-maker Mark Hopkins.