ELMONT, N.Y. – Trainer Cal Lynch is seriously considering running his stakes-winning 3-year-old filly Danzatrice in the Grade 1 Acorn Stakes on the Belmont Stakes undercard June 6.
How serious?
On Thursday, he vanned Danzatrice and stablemate Surfing U S A from Parx in Bensalem, Pa., to Belmont to have Danzatrice work over the main track. After watching Danzatrice breeze a mile in 1:48, Lynch said she most likely will run in the Acorn.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Wicked Strong, looking to regain his Grade 1 form from a year ago, worked a sharp five furlongs Thursday over the Belmont Park main track in preparation for the Grade 1, $1.25 million Metropolitan Handicap here June 6.
Working after the renovation break under Kelvin Pahal, Wicked Strong went five furlongs from the half-mile pole in 1:00.42 and galloped out six furlongs in 1:13.42. He went off in splits of 12.81 seconds, 24.49, and 48.31. He wore blinkers, equipment he has worn in his last five races but in which he only sometimes works.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Big John B, the winner of the Grade 2 Del Mar Handicap last August but last of eight in the Grade 3 Last Tycoon Stakes on April 25, will skip Sunday’s $200,000 Charles Whittingham Stakes at Santa Anita.
Trainer Phil D’Amato said he would prefer to run Big John B on the firmest turf course possible and is tentatively planning for a start in the $150,000 San Juan Capistrano Stakes at about 1 3/4 miles on turf June 28. D’Amato said he was discouraged by the final times on the turf course last weekend after approximately an inch of rain fell March 14-15.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Beholder, the two-time champion who missed a scheduled start in the $300,000 Vanity Stakes on May 9 because of illness, worked five furlongs in 1:01 on Thursday.
The workout was the first for Beholder since a half-mile breeze May 5.
“She wanted to do a lot more than that,” trainer Richard Mandella said.
Beholder was found to have an elevated temperature in the days before the Vanity, leading to her withdrawal from that race. The illness proved to be minor, Mandella said.
Retired Hall of Fame jockey Randy Romero said Wednesday from a Lafayette, La., hospital that doctors have not been able to confirm whether his stomach tumor is cancerous, but they intend to perform surgery as soon as possible for a definitive diagnosis.
Romero, 57, saw specialists Tuesday at the Ochsner Clinic in New Orleans before returning to the area where he is living in Erath, La., but he had to be readmitted to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Lafayette because his blood pressure dropped dangerously low.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Majestic Harbor achieved the rare feat of winning back-to-back off-the-turf allowances within the same month, doing so as the lone main-track-only designee in short fields at Keeneland on April 4 and at Churchill Downs on opening night, April 25.
Carve is thriving coming into Monday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Lone Star Park Handicap, trainer Brad Cox said. The horse invading from Churchill Downs will enter the meet’s most prestigious event off a runner-up finish to Race Day in last month’s Grade 2, $600,000 Oaklawn Handicap.
“He’s on top of his game, for sure,” said Cox, who trains Carve for Mike Langford of Arkansas. “He’s as good as he’s ever been, so I’m excited about running him.”
ARCADIA, Calif. – From September to March, Harlington’s Rose ran eight times and won the first two stakes of her career, including the Grade 3 Las Flores Stakes on March 8.
The active campaign led to a brief vacation that ends in Saturday’s $150,000 Spring Fever Stakes for California-bred fillies and mares at Santa Anita. With the drop in class from a graded stakes to statebred competition, trainer Steve Knapp expects a win.
“I would expect her to run a big race,” Knapp said. “She loves what’s going on. I worked her in company, and she’s sharp right now.”
ARCADIA, Calif. – Firing Line, second in the Kentucky Derby on May 2 and seventh when eased in the Preakness Stakes last Saturday, will not race again until at least July, trainer Simon Callaghan said.
Callaghan is considering running Firing Line in the $1 million Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park on Aug. 2 or the $1.25 million Travers Stakes at Saratoga on Aug. 29, with a potential prep race in the $350,000 Los Alamitos Derby on July 4.
“We’ll keep him in light training for a couple of weeks,” Callaghan said.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Diversy Harbor was euthanized on Tuesday after suffering complications from a sesamoid injury sustained in the Santa Barbara Handicap at Santa Anita on April 18, according to Craig Bernick, president of owner Glen Hill Farm.
Diversy Harbor underwent surgery at the Alamo Pintado Equine Clinic in Los Olivos, Calif., in the days after the Santa Barbara to stabilize the injury with a plate and screws. While she showed progress in the weeks after the operation, Bernick said Diversy Harbor’s condition had deteriorated in recent days.
