OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Following his fourth-place finish in Saturday’s Grade 2 Wood Memorial, Arctic Arrogance is basically out of the Kentucky Derby picture. His 36 qualifying points leave him 27th on the list, needing seven defections to get into the field.
Trainer Linda Rice said she will likely back Arctic Arrogance up in distance anyway, which opens up several different options. One could be the Pat Day Mile at Churchill Downs on the May 6 Kentucky Derby undercard.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Plans for Doppelganger are fluid after the 4-year-old colt pulled off a 17-1 upset in Saturday’s Grade 1 Carter Handicap at Aqueduct.
The win, which came by 1 1/4 lengths over heavily favored Repo Rocks, was the third straight for the son of Into Mischief, all since coming to Maryland-based trainer Brittany Russell. His wins have come from seven furlongs to 1 1/16 miles, which leaves open the possibility of stretching him back out in distance at some point, according Tom Ryan, managing partner of SF Racing, which owns the colt in partnership.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Corona Bolt, who remained unbeaten around one turn with a win in the $400,000 Lafayette Stakes for 3-year-old sprinters on opening day at Keeneland, will likely make his next start on the undercard of a Triple Crown race.
The potential spots for the Stonestreet Farm colorbearer would be the Grade 2, $500,000 Pat Day Mile on the Kentucky Derby undercard May 6, or the Grade 1, $400,000 Woody Stephens Stakes at seven furlongs on the Belmont Stakes undercard June 10.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – European import Hurricane Dream will be headed back to stakes company after a 4 1/2-length victory in a $140,000 turf race Friday at Keeneland that was an allowance race in name only.
“I thought it was not that different from a Grade 3, you know?” said Graham Motion, who trains the gelding for Team Valor, et al.
Jockey Juan Hernandez and trainer Phil D’Amato led their respective standings through Sunday for the Santa Anita winter-spring meeting.
Hernandez, 31, has ridden 63 winners, well clear of runner-up Flavien Prat with 31. Hernandez has 13 stakes wins, compared to 11 for Prat.
D’Amato, 47, has won 32 races, five more than Bob Baffert, who has won 12 stakes to lead in that category, one more than D’Amato.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Facing a seven-figure overpayment, Santa Anita has cut overnight purses for the rest of its meeting to levels equal to the 2022 autumn meeting, but lower than the corresponding period a year ago.
The cuts will take effect when racing resumes on April 21 after the track’s annual spring hiatus, which began after Sunday’s program. The meeting runs through June 18.
Track general manager Nate Newby said on Sunday that the purse deficit “is over $2 million” and that the reduced purses will be at a level “that is sustainable” for current mutuel handle.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Five races were transferred from the turf course to the main track at Santa Anita on Saturday and Sunday after jockeys said they were uncomfortable with the condition of the course on the final turn.
The decision to transfer the races was made after both programs were under way.
The final three turf races on Saturday were moved to the dirt track after Midnight Jostar slipped and fell in early stretch of the Grade 2 Charles Whittingham Stakes, the fifth of 12 races.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Kangaroo Court and Bus Buzz have finished first and second in two meetings at Santa Anita this year, including Saturday’s $151,000 Echo Eddie Stakes for California-bred 3-year-old sprinters.
Their budding rivalry is on pause, at least briefly.
Kangaroo Court, who beat Bus Buzz in an allowance race March 4, is under consideration for the Grade 2 Pat Day Mile, a $500,000 race for 3-year-olds on May 6 at Churchill Downs.
Trainer Steve Knapp said he has not decided on a race for Bus Buzz, but said an allowance race is a possibility.
ARCADIA, Calif. – In most years, the undefeated California-based filly Faiza would be the subject of widespread discussions regarding leading contenders for the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks on May 5 at Churchill Downs.
This year, Faiza is staying in California, leaving the Oaks without a key member of the 3-year-old filly division.
