OZONE PARK, N.Y. – It was a pretty good week for trainer John Servis. On Feb. 4, his beloved Philadelphia Eagles won the Super Bowl. Six days later, the Servis-trained 3-year-old A Different Style proved victorious in the Jimmy Winkfield at Aqueduct.
While Eagles fans might be dreaming of a dynasty, Servis is not dreaming of the Kentucky Derby with A Different Style, who will remain sprinting and who will likely point to the Grade 3, $250,000 Bay Shore Stakes at Aqueduct on April 7.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – The full slate of 12 starter-allowance races that Gulfstream has offered in recent years on Presidents Day (Monday) has been shifted to the Saturday of the holiday weekend for this year. The purse of every race is $50,000 or $60,000.
Page McKenney, the 8-year-old gelding with more than $1.76 million in earnings, is eligible for one of the Saturday starters, the Old Man Hickory, and was expected when entries were drawn Wednesday.
Monday, the last of six straight days of action here, will bring the Grade 2 Royal Delta, a one-mile race.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Mark Casse is so high on He Takes Charge that the trainer intends to give the gray Tapit colt a shot to prove himself with the elite of the 3-year-old class. Making his fifth career start, He Takes Charge drew clear late to win a 1 1/16-mile maiden race here Saturday with Tyler Gaffalione aboard, earning a career-high 82 Beyer Speed Figure.
:: ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY: Prep races, point standings, replays
OLDSMAR, Fla. – Imperial Hint, the standout sprinter who was second to Roy H in the Nov. 4 Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Del Mar in his last start at 4, returned to the work tab Saturday, breezing a half-mile in a bullet 47.40 seconds over a fast Tampa Bay Downs track.
Trainer Luis Carvajal Jr. said the 5-year-old Florida-bred horse is a possible starter in the March 31 Dubai Golden Shaheen.
“We have received an invitation and are considering it,” he said. “I’d say it’s 50-50.”
OLDSMAR, Fla. – It’s not every day at Tampa Bay Downs that a first-level allowance race comes together like this.
Magnum Moon, with a 95 Beyer Speed Figure from his only start, is part of a terrific group of 3-year-olds trying to prove themselves around two turns in the seventh race on a rare Thursday program here. The one-mile and 40-yard race is designed as a prep for the March 10 Tampa Bay Derby.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Dale Romans thrives on controlled chaos. With a handful of hopefuls for the 2018 Kentucky Derby, Romans is doing his level best to cut through all the clutter and various options and make it back home to Louisville with one shot or more at the roses.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Twenty-four hours after Heart to Heart finally broke through with his first Grade 1 victory – a hard-fought neck decision over Kurilov in the nine-furlong Gulfstream Park Turf on Saturday – trainer Brian Lynch was still a little choked up when asked to reflect on the achievement.
Howard Bender, who died in September 2015, has posthumously been named Maryland breeder of the year for 2017.
Bender bred Just Howard, who won the Grade 3 Commonwealth Derby at Laurel Park in September in addition to a pair of restricted stakes, the Find and Caveat. He also bred Blu Moon Ace, whose 2017 wins included the Maryland Million Sprint at Laurel and the Coalition Stakes at Timonium.
In all, horses bred by Bender won 37 races and had earnings of more than $1.2 million last year. This is the fifth time he has been named breeder of the year in Maryland.
Trainer Bobby Ribaudo and owner Marc Keller have carefully managed the career of Quezon, who will be among the favorites in the Grade 2 Barbara Fritchie at Laurel Park on Saturday. Following this weekend’s race, they will huddle up to determine her path going forward.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Pavel, a troubled fourth in the Grade 2 San Pasqual Stakes at Santa Anita on Feb. 3, is a likely starter in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap on March 10.
The $600,000 Big Cap at 1 1/4 miles will be Pavel’s fourth start in a Grade 1. Pavel was third in the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park last October, 10th in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar in November, and fourth in the Malibu Stakes on Dec. 26.
