Wed, 03/09/2016 - 14:56

Green Gratto waiting for Carter

Adam Coglianese/NYRA
Green Gratto, winning the Gravesend, finished third in the Toboggan last Saturday.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – One horse whose absence was conspicuous from the entry box for Saturday’s Tom Fool Handicap is Green Gratto, the New Jersey-bred gelding who won the Fall Highweight and Gravesend last fall.

Trainer and part-owner Gaston Grant said he will train Green Gratto up to the Grade 1 Carter at Aqueduct on April 9. Green Gratto finished second to Dads Caps in last year’s Carter at odds of 53-1.

Since winning the Gravesend on Dec. 26, Green Gratto has finished third in the Grade 3 Toboggan on Jan. 30 and fourth in the Grade 3 General George at Laurel on Feb. 15.

Wed, 03/09/2016 - 14:50

Tom Fool has familiar look

Michael Amoruso
Salutos Amigos is being freshened and then will be pointed to the Forego at Saratoga.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The familiar foes Salutos Amigos and Dads Caps renew acquaintances at Aqueduct on Saturday in the Grade 3, $200,000 Tom Fool Handicap, a race in which they finished one-two last year.

Salutos Amigos and Dads Caps were two of 11 horses entered Wednesday for the Tom Fool, including a trio of runners from the Chris Englehart stable.

Wed, 03/09/2016 - 14:36

Odd-looking filly Painting the Sky can run

Coady Photography
Painting the Sky may resemble a Paint, but she's a Thoroughbred.

Those who watched the sixth race at Delta Downs on Feb. 20 might have thought that a Paint horse won the maiden special weight race at the Vinton, La., track. But Painting the Sky is all Thoroughbred, and the 3-year-old filly with unusual markings will be back in action Friday night. She again runs in the sixth race, a first-level allowance on the penultimate card of the meet.

Wed, 03/09/2016 - 13:50

Calculator may have found niche in San Carlos

Shigeki Kikkawa
Calculator wins an optional-claiming race at Santa Anita on Saturday.

ARCADIA, Calif. – This might be the year Calculator reaches his potential.

Last month, the 4-year-old Calculator returned from a 13-month layoff to win an optional claimer here at seven furlongs. On Saturday, he starts in the $300,000 San Carlos Stakes at seven furlongs.

Wed, 03/09/2016 - 12:46

Lost Bus prepping for Great Lady M. Stakes

Shigeki Kikkawa
Lost Bus, claimed for $32,000 in November, scored by a head over Finest City in the $200,000 Santa Monica.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Lost Bus needs action.

A 4-year-old filly, Lost Bus has not started since winning the Grade 2 Santa Monica Stakes in a 64-1 upset Jan. 23. She starts in an optional claimer at seven furlongs at Santa Anita on Friday that trainer Gary Sherlock envisions as a prep for the $200,000 Great Lady M. Stakes at Los Alamitos on April 23.

“I’m ready to run her,” Sherlock said on Wednesday.

Wed, 03/09/2016 - 12:36

Laurel: Live racing resumes Friday

Jim McCue/Maryland Jockey Club
Trevor McCarthy has ridden 31 winners so far this season in Maryland.

Racing returns to Maryland following a 3 1/2-week hiatus on Friday and will continue at the Maryland Jockey Club tracks of Laurel Park and Pimlico for the remainder of the year, excluding an 18-day break in late August and early September for the Maryland State Fair meet at Timonium.

Laurel, which opens Friday, will continue through Mother’s Day, May 8, the day after the Kentucky Derby. Pimlico will open the following Thursday, host the May 21 Preakness, and race through June 26. Laurel will then run the rest of the year, excluding the seven-day Timonium session.

Wed, 03/09/2016 - 11:10

Donworth gives Reddam a presence beyond 3-year-old division

Shigeki Kikkawa
Owner Paul Reddam bought Donworth for $550,000. He could recoup his investment in Saturday's $1 million Santa Anita Handicap.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Donworth caught bloodstock agent Dennis O’Neill’s attention at last November’s Keeneland breeding stock sale at about the same time that O’Neill was ready to leave for his California home.

O’Neill, the brother of trainer Doug O’Neill, took one look at the then-3-year-old Donworth and changed his schedule. He called his principal client, Paul Reddam, in Southern California and discussed buying the horse.

Mon, 03/07/2016 - 16:18

Lightstream, Just Talkin impress in debuts

Leslie Martin/Coglianese Photos
Just Talkin wins her racing debut by a neck Sunday at Gulfstream Park.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Sunday’s card featured impressive debut victories by the 3-year-old fillies Lightstream and Just Talkin.

Lightstream earned an eye-catching 103 Beyer Speed Figure in winning at first asking, going seven furlongs on dirt with Julien Leparoux aboard for trainer Brian Lynch. It was the highest Beyer by a 3-year-old of either sex in 2016.

Mon, 03/07/2016 - 16:16

Valid fine after bad trip in Gulfstream Park Handicap

Barbara D. Livingston
Valid should find the going a bit easier in the Fred Hooper than the Donn, said his trainer, Marcus Vitali.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Marcus Vitali said his handicap star, Valid, appears to have come out of Saturday’s Gulfstream Park Handicap none the worse for wear after being knocked sideways by Anchor Down while rallying at midstretch of the Grade 2 fixture for older horses.  

“Other than a few cuts, he seemed fine this morning,” Vitali said on Sunday. “We’ll know for sure in a couple of days, but at the moment, he seems to have come out of it okay.”

Mon, 03/07/2016 - 16:09

Mongolian Saturday skips Silks Run Stakes, opts for Al Quoz Sprint

Emily Shields
Mongolian Saturday, shown winning the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint on Oct. 31, will run in the Al Quoz Sprint on March 26.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Mongolian Saturday is among the nominees for Saturday’s $75,000 Silks Run Stakes. But trainer Enibesh Ganbat said he will skip the race with the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint winner, who instead will run in the $1 million Al Quoz Sprint in Dubai on March 26.

Mongolian Saturday has not raced since finishing fifth in the Hong Kong Sprint on Dec. 13. He missed a scheduled start here this winter due to a minor setback, was sent briefly to the farm to recuperate, and has been back at Gulfstream for the past several weeks preparing for the Al Quoz Sprint.