CYPRESS, Calif. – My Sweet Addiction, the upset winner of the Grade 1 Vanity Stakes at Santa Anita on May 9, worked five furlongs in 1:00 at Los Alamitos on Friday for an expected start next Saturday.
My Sweet Addiction’s next race has not been determined, trainer Marty Jones said. The options are the $100,000 Adoration Stakes at 1 1/16 miles at Santa Anita or the $200,000 Fleur de Lis Stakes at 1 1/8 miles at Churchill Downs.
“We’re deciding between the two,” Jones said.
Far Right, 15th in the Kentucky Derby in his last start, is “all systems go” for the June 20 Ohio Derby, said trainer Ron Moquett. The winner of the Smarty Jones and Southwest stakes at Oaklawn this past winter, Far Right already has breezed three times since the Kentucky Derby.
At least one other Derby also-ran stabled at Churchil Downsl, War Story (16th), also is being pointed to the $500,000 Ohio Derby at ThistleDown.
Work All Week came out of his runner-up finish in the Aristides last weekend at Churchill Downs in good order and will be considered for either of two upcoming stakes, trainer Roger Brueggemann said Friday from the Trackside training center. Those six-furlong races are the $125,000 Iowa Sprint Handicap on June 26 at Prairie Meadows and the Grade 2, $250,000 Smile Sprint on July 5 at Gulfstream Park.
A two-length defeat behind Alsvid in the six-furlong Aristides was the first loss in 11 career races over dirt for Work All Week, the 2014 sprint champion in North America.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia – There are a lot of people excited about Urban Achiever arriving at Hastings this weekend. A 2-year-old colt by Idiot Proof, Urban Achiever is the first horse owned by the Hastings Racing Club. Trainer Steve Henson purchased Urban Achiever on behalf of the club for $25,000 out of the Barretts May sale of 2-year-olds in training May 28 at Del Mar.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Lea will make his first start since finishing third in the March 28 Dubai World Cup when he takes on the Todd Pletcher-trained Commissioner in the Grade 1 Stephen Foster Handicap at Churchill Downs next Saturday night.
Bred and owned by Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider, Lea has earned nearly $1.9 million in his 15-race career. Prior to finishing four lengths behind Prince Bishop in the World Cup, he was second as the favorite behind Constitution, also trained by Pletcher, in the Grade 1 Donn Handicap at Gulfstream Park.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Trainer George Weaver said that Tencendur will make his next start in the $500,000 Ohio Derby at ThistleDown on June 20.
Tencendur finished second in the Grade 1 Wood and 17th in the Kentucky Derby. A New York bred son of Warrior’s Reward, Tencendur made the lead in early stretch before proving no match for Frosted in the Wood. He never factored in the Derby, but has trained extremely well in preparation for his return, working a very impressive five furlongs in 59 seconds before galloping out six furlongs in 1:12 in company here last Saturday.
ARCADIA, Calif. – California-based turf filly Spanish Queen is headed east for a July 4 showdown with the undefeated New York-based Lady Eli.
The top turf filly in the West following a decisive victory in the Grade 1 American Oaks last Saturday at Santa Anita, Spanish Queen will aim for the Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Oaks Invitational at Belmont Park, where she is expected to meet Lady Eli.
ELMONT, N.Y. – In 2007, Ahmed Zayat was the leading owner at Saratoga and Bill Mott was the leading trainer, based largely on the success the pair had with their 2-year-olds. The business relationship lasted another year or so before the two split up.
On Thursday, the Zayats announced that they would again be using Mott and that they plan to send him five or six 2-year-olds this year.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Dale Romans knew early on that American Pharoah was special.
He was at a farm in Ocala, Fla., with several other of trainers who worked for Ahmed Zayat when American Pharoah breezed for the first time.
“Super horse,” Romans said. “To watch his first quarter-mile breeze and see it all come together . . . it’s more fun than if I had him to train because there would have been more stress.”
ELMONT, N.Y. – It isn’t often that a trainer could run the defending Breeders’ Cup Classic winner in a Grade 1 race and have it be only the second-most important race of his day.
Such is the case for trainer Bob Baffert, who two hours before he saddles American Pharoah in the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes – and a bid to win the Triple Crown – will send out Bayern in the $1.25 million Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont Park.
