ARCADIA, Calif. – Minutes before Spring Lily had her Santa Anita debut in a maiden race on Feb. 4, trainer John Shirreffs turned to jockey Evin Roman and offered simple advice.
“We need an Eclipse Award-winning ride,” Shirreffs said.
The timing was ideal. Just 10 days earlier, Roman was honored with the Eclipse Award as the outstanding apprentice jockey of 2017. In the maiden race, Roman delivered Shirreffs’s wishes, guiding the filly to a five-length win going 6 1/2 furlongs.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Javier Castellano has regained the mount on Sharp Azteca for the $1 million Godolphin Mile on March 31 in Dubai. Castellano already had planned on giving up the mount on Audible in the Florida Derby the same day after committing to West Coast in the $10 million Dubai World Cup.
The Todd Pletcher-trained Audible, winner of the Feb. 3 Holy Bull at Gulfstream in his most recent start, now will be ridden by John Velazquez.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – The Fountain of Youth won’t be the only race of consequence Saturday at Gulfstream Park. Not even close.
Eight other stakes are on a blockbuster 14-race card that starts at 11:30 a.m. Eastern, with all but one of them graded. The Davona Dale, with 50 qualifying points toward the Kentucky Oaks to the winner, is perhaps the most important supporting event.
Cedartown, Godolphin’s promising 4-year-old colt, was euthanized last week after developing laminitis as a result of an infection.
Cedartown impressively won the Jan. 13 Louisiana Stakes following a victory Nov. 22 in the $200,000 Zia Park Derby. Cedartown was entered Feb. 9 for the Feb. 17 Mineshaft Handicap and worked for the race on Feb. 10, but shortly thereafter, trainer Mike Stidham said, the colt contracted a serious infection in his leg.
When the calendar flipped to 2018, the 3-year-old filly Classy Act had a maiden win on turf from four career starts. Two months later and she’s among the early favorites for the Grade 2, $400,000 Fair Grounds Oaks on March 24.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Javier Castellano has gone from New Orleans to Los Angeles to Fort Lauderdale, with a final destination of Louisville.
It looks like one of those wacky routes on Southwest Airlines. But it’s the many steps Castellano is going through this spring to try to land in the winner’s circle at Churchill Downs after the Kentucky Derby, one of the few places he hasn’t been in his brilliant career.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Danny Caldwell, who has won the past four owner titles at Oaklawn, has a couple of notable sprinters back in training after layoffs. Eurobond, a winner of his last five starts, including a stakes at Remington Park, is nearing his first work back. Indexical, who was Grade 1-placed in Southern California, could see action at the end of the Oaklawn meet.
WHO’S HOT
There were no Kentucky Derby prep races last week, and fortunately, no one had a hiccup that forced him to the sidelines, so there are no changes to the Derby Watch top 20 this week in terms of the lineup and the future line of Daily Racing Form national handicapper Mike Watchmaker, who has Good Magic as the favorite at 6-1. Good Magic is scheduled to make his first start of the year Saturday in the Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Petrov might be heading to New York for the Grade 1, $400,000 Carter Handicap at Aqueduct on April 7.
Trainer Ron Moquett said Tuesday the race is one of two graded stakes being considered for the horse, along with the Grade 3, $250,000 Commonwealth on the same afternoon at Keeneland. Both are at seven furlongs, a distance not available at Petrov’s home base of Oaklawn. Petrov won an optional $50,000 claiming sprint at six furlongs here Feb. 18 in his first start since November.
