Sun, 05/20/2018 - 17:58

Unique Bella breezes six furlongs for Beholder Mile

Barbara D. Livingston
Unique Bella and jockey Mike Smith win the Santa Maria Stakes by nine lengths in February.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Unique Bella, the champion female sprinter of 2017, breezed six furlongs in 1:14.20 on Sunday in advance of the Grade 1 Beholder Mile for fillies and mares on June 2.

Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer said Unique Bella's workout was “real nice. It wasn’t fast, but it was breezing. She did it quite easy.”

A 4-year-old, Unique Bella was second in the Grade 1 Apple Blossom Handicap at Oaklawn Park on April 13 after a troubled start. She won the Grade 2 Santa Maria Stakes at 1 1/16 miles by nine lengths here on Feb. 10 in her only other start this year.

Sun, 05/20/2018 - 17:52

Pavel points to Gold Cup, not Shoemaker Mile

Barbara D. Livingston
Santa Anita’s Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile on turf and Grade 1 Gold Cup on dirt are both under consideration for Pavel.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Pavel, fourth in the $10 million Dubai World Cup in the United Arab Emirates on March 31, is likely to run in Saturday’s Grade 1 Gold Cup at Santa Anita on dirt and not the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile on turf, trainer Doug O’Neill said Sunday.

Pavel has never run on turf, and has had mixed results at 1 1/4 miles on dirt, the distance of the $500,000 Gold Cup at Santa Anita. Last year, Pavel was third in the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup at 1 1/4 miles at Belmont Park, but 10th in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at the same distance at Del Mar.

Sun, 05/20/2018 - 17:39

Jockey Baze sore from spill but plans to ride Thursday

Keeneland/Coady Photography
Tyler Baze is expected to return to racing on Thursday.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Jockey Tyler Baze was off his mounts Sunday, a day after he was unseated in a one-horse spill and briefly hospitalized.

Baze plans to resume riding Thursday, according to his agent, Craig O’Bryan.

Baze was aboard Fast Munny, who fell nearing the finish of an allowance race with a $40,000 claiming option at six furlongs. Fast Munny suffered an apparent heart attack, veterinarians told track stewards.

Sun, 05/20/2018 - 17:30

Prat to serve three days' suspension

Barbara D. Livingston
Flavien Prat has been suspended Dec. 30 and 31.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Jockey Flavien Prat, the leading rider at Santa Anita's spring-summer meeting, has been suspended three days for careless riding in a race last Thursday, the stewards wrote in a ruling issued Friday.

The suspension covers racing from Friday through Sunday of the upcoming week. There are no plans for an appeal, according to Prat’s agent, Derek Lawson.

Prat was cited for his ride on Brave Helios, who finished fourth and was disqualified and placed fifth in Thursday’s first race for drifting out in the stretch.

Sun, 05/20/2018 - 11:48

For Baffert, a familiar routine ahead of Triple Crown bid

Barbara D. Livingston
Trainer Bob Baffert will train Justify at Churchill Downs in the runup to the Belmont Stakes.

BALTIMORE – This is not Bob Baffert’s first rodeo. It’s his fifth. And because he’s been in this situation four times previously, with a colt heading to the Belmont Stakes seeking a Triple Crown sweep after wins in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, he knows what he must do to have Justify at his best on June 9 at Belmont Park.

Sun, 05/20/2018 - 11:23

Common ownership complicates Justify's Triple Crown bid

Barbara D. Livingston
Justify and jockey Mike Smith appear to be flying through the slop the first time through the stretch in the Preakness.

BALTIMORE – The degree of difficulty for Justify’s bid to become Thoroughbred racing’s 13th Triple Crown winner at the June 9 Belmont Stakes in New York won’t be known until some important decisions are made by his ownership group regarding other horses.

Fri, 05/18/2018 - 15:26

Blamed targeting fall return

Barbara D. Livingston
Blamed underwent an arthroscopic procedure for a fetlock injury earlier this month.

Blamed, the Sunland Park Oaks winner who was forced to miss an intended start in the Kentucky Oaks after being injured in her final work for the race earlier this month at Churchill, is currently rehabbing in Versailles, Ky., trainer Joel Marr said.

“She had an injury to a hind fetlock, a hairline fracture in a hind pastern,” Marr said.

Blamed underwent an arthroscopic procedure and had stall rest for two weeks. She is now being hand-walked and in the near future will start jogging under tack – after she passes another round of tests, Marr said.

Fri, 05/18/2018 - 15:16

Runaway Ghost on the mend in Texas

Emily Shields
Sunland Derby winner Runaway Ghost is expected to return to training within a few months.

Runaway Ghost, the Sunland Derby winner forced to miss an intended Kentucky Derby start due to injury, had surgery last week in Elgin, Texas, to address a fracture in his right front cannon bone, according to his trainer, Todd Fincher. The horse was injured in one of his final works for the Kentucky Derby.

“He’s doing great – the surgeon was very happy with things,” Fincher said. “He’ll be back in training in a few months.”

Fri, 05/18/2018 - 15:16

Girvin under consideration for Stephen Foster

Barbara D. Livingston
Girvin's next start could come in the June 16 Stephen Foster Handicap.

Girvin, who became a Grade 1 winner last year in the Haskell Invitational, could resume racing at that level next month in the Stephen Foster Handicap at Churchill Downs.

“It’s definitely a possibility, definitely on the radar,” trainer Joe Sharp said.

Sharp said Girvin came out of his runner-up finish in the Grade 3, $200,000 Steve Sexton Mile on May 6 at Lone Star Park in excellent condition. The $500,000 Stephen Foster will be run June 16.

Fri, 05/18/2018 - 14:16

Maiden winner Six Pack Gal may ship for Astoria Stakes

Shigeki Kikkawa
Six Pack Gal was an easy maiden winner in her debut at Santa Anita on May 17.

ARCADIA, Calif. – After an easy win in a maiden race in her debut at Santa Anita on Thursday, the 2-year-old filly Six Pack Gal may be bound for Belmont Park and the $150,000 Astoria Stakes at 5 1/2 furlongs on June 7.

Ridden by Rafael Bejarano, Six Pack Gal led throughout a race at 4 1/2 furlongs, winning by 3 1/2 lengths. Trainer Mike Machowsky said the Astoria Stakes will be considered because the race would fit in Six Pack Gal’s schedule in advance of the Del Mar summer meeting.