Mon, 03/30/2015 - 12:51

Social Inclusion learning to relax

Barbara D. Livingston
Social Inclusion worked five furlongs at Palm Meadows on Monday.

BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. – Social Inclusion, sidelined since last summer due to a tendon injury, is getting closer to a return to the races.

On Monday, Social Inclusion worked five furlongs in 1:00.88 at Palm Meadows, his fifth breeze of the winter and his first at five furlongs. He got his last quarter in 24.34 seconds and galloped out six furlongs in 1:14.48.

Mon, 03/30/2015 - 12:51

Stephanie’s Kitten targets males in Woodford Reserve

SV Photography
Stephanie's Kitten is using this victory in the Hillsborough Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs as a stepping-stone to the Grade 1 Woodford Reserve Turf Classic at Churchill Downs.

BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. – Stephanie’s Kitten, the three-time Grade 1-winning mare, will take on males in her next start, the Grade 1, $500,000 Woodford Reserve Turf Classic at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Derby Day, trainer Chad Brown said Monday.

Brown noted that Stephanie’s Kitten is 3 for 3 over the Churchill turf and winless in two starts over the grass course at Keeneland, which hosts the Grade 1, $300,000 Jenny Wiley for fillies and mares April 11.

“I like the timing of it, and her affinity for Churchill is a big factor,” Brown said at Palm Meadows on Monday.

Mon, 03/30/2015 - 12:50

Maragh racking up the miles

Barbara D. Livingston
Rajiv Maragh has sat out the last four months with a broken arm.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Rajiv Maragh arrived back in south Florida following the long flight home from Dubai just in time to guide Celestine to victory for trainer Bill Kaplan in Sunday’s $75,000 Sanibel Island Stakes. He’ll stick around town another few days to ride Force the Pass for trainer Alan Goldberg in Wednesday’s $75,000 Cutler Bay Stakes before heading on to Kentucky for the opening of the Keeneland meet on Friday.

Mon, 03/30/2015 - 12:46

Tonalist works toward possible May return

Barbara D. Livingston
Tonalist worked four furlongs in 49.80 at Payson Park on Monday.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Tonalist continues to progress toward his much-anticipated 2015 debut. Tonalist worked four furlongs in 49.80 seconds and galloped out five-eighths in 1:03 on Monday at Payson Park, according to trainer Christophe Clement.

“The plan is to work him one more time in Florida, then send him up to New York,” said Clement. “He should be ready to run sometime in early May.”

Tonalist, the winner of the Belmont Stakes and Jockey Club Gold Cup last year at 3, has not started since finishing fifth in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Mon, 03/30/2015 - 12:46

Birdatthewire displays determination to go with talent

Barbara D. Livingston
Birdatthewire wins the Gulfstream Oaks with Irad Ortiz Jr. aboard.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Twenty-four hours after watching Birdatthewire overcome adversity Saturday to win the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks, trainer Dale Romans was still shaking his head when asked what was going through his mind as jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. stood straight up in the irons and appeared to be pulling up Birdatthewire as the field entered the backstretch.

Mon, 03/30/2015 - 07:42

Golden Gate Fields: Jockey Sanchez breaks arm

Jockey Juan Sanchez fractured his right arm Sunday when he landed awkwardly after being unseated by his mount, Pine River, prior to Sunday’s ninth race at Golden Gate Fields.

The 3-year-old colt had to be scratched from the $25,000 maiden claimer because there wasn’t another jockey available to ride.

Sun, 03/29/2015 - 18:43

Losa turns heads with continued success

OLDSMAR, Fla. – Efren Losa Jr.’s father was a successful trainer in Mexico, and watching the younger Losa’s horses run, it is quite evident one of the main things Losa Sr. passed on to his son was the importance of having his runners thoroughly prepared.

Losa is in the midst of his second bang-up meeting at Tampa, and the young horseman sent out another well-prepped runner off the layoff Sunday when Divine Energy came off a 10-month layoff to run a solid second in his first outing with Losa as his trainer.

Sun, 03/29/2015 - 16:20

Frosted works toward Wood Memorial

Barbara D. Livingston
Frosted works five furlongs Sunday at Palm Meadows.

BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin still is baffled by Frosted’s performance in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth. Seemingly on his way to victory, Frosted stopped, eventually finishing fourth.

In the five weeks since the race, McLaughlin has made several changes he hopes will make for a different result when Frosted runs in Saturday’s Grade 1, $1 million Wood Memorial.

Sun, 03/29/2015 - 14:56

Mandella mulls options for Catch a Flight

Shigeki Kikkawa
Catch a Flight (right), one of trainer Richard Mandella's South American imports, will make his U.S. stakes debut in the Santa Anita Handicap.

Catch a Flight, third behind top handicap horse Shared Belief in the $1 million Santa Anita Derby on March 7, worked five furlongs in 1:01 on Sunday at Santa Anita for an expected start in a stakes in coming weeks.

Trainer Richard Mandella said after the workout that he is unsure whether Catch a Flight will race in the $600,000 Oaklawn Handicap on April 11, the $1.5 million Charles Town Classic in West Virginia on April 18, or the $100,000 Precisionist Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on May 2.

Sun, 03/29/2015 - 14:49

Next stop Kentucky Derby for Materiality, Upstart

Barbara D. Livingston
Despite the slowest running time in the Florida Derby in 62 years, Materiality was awarded a Beyer Speed Figure of 110.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - While the trainers of Florida Derby one-two finishers Materiality and Upstart said the race was run over a demanding Gulfstream Park surface, both horses appeared to have emerged from the race in good order and will be pointed to the Kentucky Derby on May 2 at Churchill Downs.