Win Win Win, who earned a 99 Beyer Speed Figure when setting a stakes record of 1:20.89 in the seven-furlong Pasco, is skipping the Sam F. Davis next Saturday in favor of the meet showcase, the March 9 Tampa Bay Derby, trainer Mike Trombetta said.
Bred and owned by the Live Oak Stud of Charlotte Weber, Win Win Win remained at Tampa after the Jan. 19 Pasco in the care of Trombetta’s assistant, Melanie Williams.
Knicks Go was scheduled to have an easy half-mile breeze this weekend at Tampa Bay Downs in final preparation for his 3-year-old debut as the favorite in the Sam F. Davis Stakes next Saturday at the Oldsmar, Fla., track.
Trainer Ben Colebrook said a five-furlong breeze in 58.40 seconds on Jan. 26 “was the big work” for Knicks Go and that all but the finishing touches have been applied ahead of the Grade 3, $250,000 Sam F. Davis, which offers 17 qualifying points (10-4-2-1) toward the May 4 Kentucky Derby.
An American in Dubai.
That’s the adventure Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas will embark on next month when heads overseas to run Bravazo in the $12 million Dubai World Cup on March 30 at Meydan Racecourse in the United Arab Emirates.
“I’ve never been there,” Lukas said Thursday.
Bravazo, who last month was fourth in the $9 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Park, will be the first overseas starter for Lukas. It’s rare new racing territory for the 83-year-old. Lukas has won more Breeders' Cup races, 20, than any other trainer.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Improbable, the undefeated winner of the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Futurity on Dec. 8, worked five furlongs in 59 seconds on Friday at Santa Anita, moving closer to his 3-year-old debut.
Improbable has had five workouts since Jan. 9, showing a steady pattern of exercise in recent weeks. Trainer Bob Baffert said in a text message that he did not have a race selected for Improbable, who races for WinStar Farm, China Horse Club, and Starlight Racing.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Extra Hope is likely to start in the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes for 3-year-olds on March 9 after winning his 2019 debut in an allowance race with an $80,000 claiming option at a mile on Thursday at Santa Anita.
The $500,000 San Felipe Stakes at 1 1/16 miles will be a formidable test for Extra Hope. Game Winner, the undefeated champion 2-year-old male of 2018, is a candidate for the same race.
Del Mar has added two Grade 3 stakes worth $100,000 each to the Pacific Classic program on Aug. 17 and will have five stakes on the card, a track record for a non-Breeders’ Cup day.
The Green Flash Handicap at five furlongs on turf and the Torrey Pines Stakes, for 3-year-old fillies at a mile, will be on the undercard of the $1 million Pacific Classic at 1 1/4 miles, the track’s richest race.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Surfing Star was such an impressive winner in two allowance races with claiming options at Santa Anita last fall that assistant trainer Karen Headley is convinced her family has a stakes horse in the making.
Barbara Jo Rubin, the first female jockey to win a race at a recognized track, will be honored Feb. 22 at Charles Town, the 50th anniversary of her history-making ride at the West Virginia oval.
Rubin will attend the races with family and be recognized in the winner’s circle.
“Charles Town has a very special place in my heart,” Rubin said. “Everyone at Charles Town welcomed me, and it was so very memorable for me.”
It isn’t often a Penn National shipper wins a stakes in New York, but Ujjayi did just that with style last Sunday in the Ruthless at Aqueduct.
The 3-year-old Pennsylvania-bred filly outfought 4-5 favorite Miss Imperial after a vigorous stretch battle to win the seven-furlong race by 1 3/4 lengths. The victory likely punched her return ticket to Aqueduct for the $250,000 Busher Invitational in March.
Ujjayi’s first stakes win was significant for all of her connections.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Kenny McPeek wears many hats, including one, apparently, as head scout. While McPeek runs Harvey Wallbanger on Saturday in the Holy Bull at Gulfstream Park, he also will be able to check out the opposition on behalf of Signalman, his more highly regarded contender toward the 145th Kentucky Derby.
“It’s a very interesting group down here this year,” McPeek said. “The Holy Bull should prove a good gauge going forward, for our horse and the others.”
