HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – White Abarrio put the finishing touches on preparations for his much anticipated showdown with Horse of the Year Sovereignty next Saturday in the Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap by breezing an easy half-mile in 49.79 seconds Friday at Gulfstream Park.
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Parx Racing began long-awaited renovations to its turf course Wednesday, with plans to reintroduce racing on the surface this year. The track has not held racing on the grass since September 2024, as poor weather and safety concerns about the old surface led officials to limit racing to dirt for the entire 2025 season.
“We expect this course will be held to the highest safety standards and we are looking forward to the return of turf racing here at Parx,” Joe Wilson, chief operating officer of Parx Racing, said in a press release.
With She Feels Pretty retired, there’s a heavy preseason favorite to win an Eclipse Award as champion older turf female of 2026.
Gezora took down She Feels Pretty last fall in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf and is set to make her first start this year in the same race She Feels Pretty would have targeted had she made it back to the races – the Grade 3, $500,000 Modesty on May 1 at Churchill.
Trainer Chad Brown confirmed the Modesty as a comeback spot for Gezora, with connections eyeing the Grade 1, $750,000 New York Stakes on June 5 at Saratoga.
David Fiske, racing manager for Ron Winchell’s Winchell Thoroughbreds, sent a video a couple days after Magnitude returned to Kentucky after what ought to have been an arduous journey to the Middle East. In it, Magnitude has a joyful roll around his stall in the international quarantine barn at Churchill Downs. He leaps athletically to his feet, shakes straw off his coat, and jaunts to the stall door, craning his head alertly, full of life.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – The Arkansas Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association has established a scholarship fund in honor of the late Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas.
Jeanette Milligan, the organization’s executive director, said the idea for both the scholarship and naming it for Lukas came from Arkansas HBPA president Bill Walmsley. It will be announced Friday night, when Lukas is inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame alongside Oaklawn president Lou Cella.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Haulin Ice, the all-time leading earner among Arkansas-breds with a bankroll of $1.2 million, could make her next start in a turf stakes at Churchill Downs, trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said.
Haulin Ice won the $250,000 Matron over open company March 27 at Oaklawn. Before that, she surpassed $1 million in earnings with an 11-length romp over statebreds in the track’s $150,000 Downsthedustyroad.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Publisher will likely make his next start in the Grade 2, $1.25 million Oaklawn Handicap, trainer Steve Asmussen said Tuesday. The 1 1/8-mile race is April 18.
Publisher gained a following last season when, as a maiden, he ran second in the Arkansas Derby. This season, he has developed into the meet’s co-winningest horse, going 3 for 4 at Oaklawn.
“It’s very good to see Publisher having such a good meet,” Asmussen said. “He’ll most likely run in the Oaklawn Handicap.”
Barbadian Runner is back in training and preparing for his highly anticipated 4-year-old debut at Laurel Park. Trainer Henry Walters does not have any firm plans for the seasoned Maryland-bred, but all has gone well in two published workouts since March 29.
“He’s had a couple of easy breezes under his belt, just to get the juices flowing again,” Walters said. “I’ll probably work him again this weekend.”
Turf racing will return to Laurel Park on Friday with two races scheduled for fillies and mares on the grass. The track will hold another race on the surface Saturday before expanding to normal operations with five turf races on Sunday.
Many of the Mid-Atlantic region’s most notable turf trainers have been patiently waiting for the surface to reopen at Laurel. Graham Motion has only entered one horse at the track since November, but he has four entered this weekend.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – She worked as a tattoo artist in Puerto Rico, but now Dalila Rivera is attempting to make her imprint in a totally different profession.
Rivera is a jockey, and after a rough start to her stint in New York, things are beginning to turn around for the 27-year-old apprentice. Rivera has won with five of her last seven mounts – including one at Parx – and had the first two-win day of her career last Friday at Aqueduct.
“I’m very happy for this opportunity, and the success in this moment for me is very, very special,” Rivera said. “I feel blessed.”