ELMONT, N.Y. – Despite the imposing presence of the undefeated Breeders’ Cup champion Lady Eli, a field of eight 3-year-old fillies was drawn Thursday for Sunday’s $200,000 Wonder Again.
Lady Eli, perfect in four starts, launched her 3-year-old campaign with a 2 3/4-length victory in the Grade 3 Appalachian going a mile at Keeneland seven weeks ago and has continued to train impressively leading up to the nine-furlong Wonder Again.
Shock-wave therapy machines will be banned on the premises of Parx Racing in Philadelphia beginning June 1 as the result of a new house rule worked out between management and representatives of horsemen, riders, and state vets, according to racing officials at the track.
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – The first race on the Friday program at Arlington marks the first 2-year-old race of the season in Chicago, and no one with even half an eye on Arlington racing the last several years will be surprised to see trainer Jim DiVito with two entrants in the race, a 4 1/2-furlong Polytrack dash restricted to Illinois-breds.
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – Trainer Wesley Ward worked four Royal Ascot-bound 2-year-olds on the Arlington grass course on Sunday, and Arlington will serve as one of two hubs from which Ward plans to launch his biggest British invasion yet.
Quick Dagger and Snappy Girl will be going for the hottest barn on the grounds Saturday when they run in the $300,000 Evangeline Downs Turf Sprint. Karl Broberg, who trains both horses, is winning races at a 54 percent clip at the Opelousas, La., track. He is the leading trainer, with 42 wins from 78 starts through Tuesday. Broberg also ranks as the leading trainer in wins in North America, and his success at Evangeline is fueling his total of 161 wins in 2015.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Princess Violet, winner of the Grade 1 Madison Stakes at Keeneland two starts back, worked six furlongs in 1:13.66 over the Belmont training track Wednesday morning in preparation for an expected start in the Grade 1, $1 million Ogden Phipps Stakes on June 6.
Princess Violet could be a little suspect at the 1 1/16 miles of the Phipps, but it’s a big purse and she did finish second to Untapable last year in the Grade 1 Mother Goose going 1 1/16 miles. Untapable, who went on to become the 3-year-old filly champion of 2014, is the likely favorite in the Phipps.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Joel Rosario, who was replaced by John Velazquez on multiple Grade 1 winner Tonalist for the $1.25 million Metropolitan Handicap, has picked up the mount on Wicked Strong for the Met Mile, replacing Rajiv Maragh, trainer Jimmy Jerkens confirmed Wednesday.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Events unfold at a slower pace on the Santa Anita turf course these days.
Since the start of the spring-summer meeting April 24, final times of turf races have been noticeably slower than during the last weeks of the track’s winter-spring meeting that ended April 19. The slower times are a result of ongoing maintenance to avoid surface compaction, a rare May rainstorm that produced approximately an inch of rain, and cool recent weather.
The condition of the surface has led to mixed reactions from some veteran riders.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Work All Week will start from the outside post in a field of seven older horses Saturday when making his first start since he won the Breeders’ Cup Sprint last fall. Bred and owned in Illinois by Midwest Thoroughbreds, the 6-year-old gelding will have Florent Geroux back aboard as a heavy favorite in the Grade 3, $100,000 Aristides.
From the rail, the lineup for the six-furlong Aristides is Alsvid, Viva Majorca, Googleado, Gentlemen’s Bet, Nates Mineshaft, Good Lord, and Work All Week.
