She Has Charm, an unraced 2-year-old filly by Smart Strike, has shown trainer Peter Eurton enough promise in recent training for him to be enthusiastic about her prospects for 2016. What is less certain is how she will perform in her career debut in Saturday’s fourth race at Los Alamitos, a maiden special weight contest at six furlongs for 2-year-old fillies.
“She has some talent,” Eurton said. “We want to get a race into her.”
After winning the Grade 1 Clark Handicap following a runner-up finish to American Pharoah in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, Effinex certainly earned a little break.
Effinex is at Belmont Park, where he gets hand-walked three times a day, beginning at 5:30 a.m., according to Steve Moyer, assistant to trainer Jimmy Jerkens.
In an effort to boost field size for the first part of the winter, the New York Racing Association will offer a complimentary shuttle service for horses based at Parx Racing in suburban Philadelphia to race at Aqueduct from Dec. 26 through Feb. 12. Parx is closed for racing during that time.
NYRA is partnering with Sallee Horse Transport to provide this service.
Pickups for Parx-based horses will begin each race day at 4:15 a.m. Returns will take place following the races, once all runners have cooled out.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Trainer Michael Dilger will have more to think about this coming week than what Santa will bring him for Christmas.
Dilger will spend a good part of the next two weeks deciding whether to keep his soon-to-be 3-year-old stakes winner Jan’s Reserve sprinting or give him a shot to stretch out around two turns.
When Watershed finished fourth to Runhappy in the King’s Bishop Stakes at Saratoga in August, Watershed was a 7-2 contender and Runhappy an 11-1 outsider. Runhappy romped to a four-length win, the first of three stakes victories that include the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Keeneland on Oct. 31.
They are scheduled to meet again in the $300,000 Malibu Stakes for 3-year-olds at seven furlongs at Santa Anita on Dec. 26, the opening day of the track’s winter-spring meeting.
NEW ORLEANS – Forever Unbridled, a good-looking winner of the $300,000 Comely Stakes last out at Aqueduct, is galloping daily at Fair Grounds for trainer Dallas Stewart and is being aimed at the $400,000 Sam Houston Ladies Classic on Jan. 30.
“She came out of the last race really well. She’ll work soon,” said Stewart. “It was a beautiful race for her up there.”
NEW ORLEANS – The 3-year-old sprinter Cinco Charlie is nearing a comeback race for trainer Steve Asmussen after being sidelined since a nose loss June 6 in the Grade 2 Woody Stephens Stakes at Belmont Park. Cinco Charlie worked four times during November at Churchill and has breezed twice here at Fair Grounds during December.
“He’s coming back very nicely, put in some good works and coming around well,” Asmussen said.
NEW ORLEANS – Larry Jones welcomed I’m a Chatterbox into his Fair Grounds barn late Tuesday night, the 3-year-old filly back in New Orleans after a brief post-Breeders’ Cup turnout at a Kentucky farm. Now, Jones will plot a course to keep I’m a Chatterbox separate from the other older-female stakes horse in the barn, Cassatt, who shipped to Remington and won the $102,300 She’s All In Stakes on Sunday.
Sunland Park has made some sweeping changes to its stakes schedule, simulcast programming, and grandstand facilities for the New Mexico track’s 72-date mixed meet that opens Friday. The season will run through April 19.
When Majestic Affair crossed the wire second – he was subsequently elevated to first – in Wednesday’s third race at Aqueduct, it enabled trainer Chad Brown to surpass the $20 million mark in purse earnings for 2015.
It is the first time in eight full seasons of training that Brown has surpassed the $20 million mark ($20,035,489). Only trainers Todd Pletcher (eight times since 2005) and Steve Asmussen (2007-09) have earned at least $20 million in purses in one year.
