OZONE PARK, N.Y. – While Arctic Arrogance won’t be running in the Kentucky Derby, trainer Linda Rice hasn’t ruled out a trip to Louisville for the New York-bred 3-year-old, who is under consideration for the Grade 2, $500,000 Pat Day Mile on the Derby undercard.
If she opts to skip that trip, Rice said Arctic Arrogance would instead by pointed to the $125,000 Mike Lee Stakes for New York-bred 3-year-olds going seven furlongs at Belmont Park on May 29.
The Maryland Racing Commission has scheduled a meeting for Tuesday morning to discuss the elements of a wide-ranging disagreement between the state’s horsemen’s groups and the operator of its Thoroughbred tracks, with the potential of forcing live racing to be moved from Laurel Park to Pimlico Race Course.
Live racing has been put on hold in Maryland since Friday, when a large number of horsemen refused to enter their horses in races at Laurel after two horses were euthanized following injuries suffered during races on the Thursday card.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Jockey Declan Cannon said he received more than 100 text and voicemail messages following his breakthrough ride on Verstappen in winning the Grade 2 Elkhorn Stakes on Saturday at Keeneland.
“It was great to get a Saturday horse like that,” said Cannon, a 35-year-old native of Ireland. “I was really confident going a mile and a half with him. He relaxed lovely for me. It just couldn’t have worked out better.”
The Elkhorn marked the first stakes win for Cannon at Keeneland.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Trainer Kenny McPeek said Rattle N Roll will make his next start in the $225,000 Blame Stakes at Churchill Downs after the colt earned a 99 Beyer Speed Figure in winning the Grade 3 Ben Ali Stakes on Saturday at Keeneland.
Rattle N Roll, owned by the Lucky Seven Stables of the Mackin family, now has won five stakes and more than $1.2 million from 16 overall starts. His Ben Ali score came with the stretch kick he developed early in his career, one that carried him to victory in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland in October 2021.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – One of the more impressive maiden victories of the Keeneland meet was posted last Friday by a 4-year-old filly named Loved, who toyed with the opposition when earning an 86 Beyer Speed Figure in an 11 1/2-length romp going 1 1/16 miles.
Brendan Walsh trains Loved, a Godolphin homebred daughter of Medaglia d’Oro out of Velvety, a pedigree that makes her a half-sister to Maxfield, the most accomplished horse Walsh has trained and another Godolphin homebred.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Recency will be on the side of Personal Best when the gray Tapit filly runs Friday in the closing-day Bewitch Stakes at Keeneland – and she’ll need every edge she can get.
“I didn’t think War Like Goddess would be in there,” said Shug McGaughey, who trains Personal Best for owner-breeder Joe Allen. “No doubt she’s a top filly. But we’ve been running lately and she hasn’t. Maybe that’ll help us.”
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - The 3-year-old filly Shidabhuti, who had her three-race winning streak snapped when finishing third in the Grade 3 Gazelle at Aqueduct on April 8, returned to the worktab Saturday morning, breezing a half-mile in 49.94 seconds over Belmont Park’s main track.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. -- Now that he has gone through his allowance conditions, Unbridled Bomber will be returning to stakes company for his next start. When and where that will be has yet to be determined.
Unbridled Bomber rebounded from a disappointing seventh-place finish in the Queens County Stakes on Jan. 7 to win a third-level allowance by nine lengths on April 16, earning a career-best 99 Beyer Speed Figure in the process. In that win, going a one-turn mile, Unbridled Bomber showed speed heretofore unseen in any of his previous races.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. -- The connections of Evvie Jets, winner of last Sunday’s Plenty of Grace Stakes at Aqueduct, are not in a hurry to run their mare back, but if the Grade 3, $175,000 Beaugay Stakes at Belmont Park on May 7 comes up a small field that race could become an option.
If not, then Evvie Jets could be considered for the Grade 1, $500,000 Just a Game on June 9 at Belmont Park, “if it’s not going to be crazy-tough,” trainer Mertkan Kantarmaci said.
