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He’s got the winner of the Louisiana Derby, a colt who was both runner-up in the Fountain of Youth and a close third in the Florida Derby, and a longshot, yet Mike Maker might be the least-known big-time trainer in this year’s Kentucky Derby.
Only Todd Pletcher, who has four horses in the current field of 20, has more prospective starters in the May 3 Derby than Maker. Both were born into the sport, with fathers who trained; both worked under D. Wayne Lukas before striking out on their own; and both will be sending out Derby starters owned by Ken and Sarah Ramsey.
The Whitney Handicap Invitational had its purse doubled to $1.5 million and is the centerpiece of an enhanced early meet program that rivals Travers Day on the Saratoga stakes calendar released Wednesday by the New York Racing Association.
For the fourth year in a row, Hudson Landing will enter the starting gate for Saturday’s $100,000, Grade 3 San Francisco Mile at Golden Gate Fields. Owner Jared Chappell and trainer Blaine Wright hope the 7-year-old Maria’s Mon gelding can wake up the echoes.
In 2012, after claiming Hudson Landing for $50,000 from trainer Bill Morey Jr. and the JC Racing Stable two months earlier, Chappell watched Hudson Landing hold off the favored Jeranimo to win by a half-length. The victory was Wright’s first in a graded stakes. It was just as special for Chappell.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The 15-minute period immediately after the renovation break, between 8:30 and 8:45 a.m., is reserved each morning at Churchill Downs during the two weeks leading up to the Kentucky Derby for horses under consideration for the Derby or Kentucky Oaks. That session seemed even more exclusive than usual Tuesday, with only a limited number of horses from those races on the grounds.
Tuesday at Churchill Downs
63 degrees, cloudy, fast
Rick Mocklin has been named the new announcer for Louisiana Downs, said Trent McIntosh, director of operations for the Bossier City track. The meet opens May 2. Mocklin takes over for Travis Stone, who last month was hired as the announcer for Monmouth Park.
Bourbon Courage will be part of what is anticipated to be a large, competitive field for Saturday night’s Grade 3, $200,000 Texas Mile at Lone Star Park near Dallas. The race is the first major stakes of the meet, and it had a working list of 10 or 11 possible starters as of Tuesday.
“That’s kind of where we sit now,” said Mike Shamburg, racing secretary at Lone Star.
Imperative, the upset winner of the $1.5 million Charles Town Classic in West Virginia on Saturday, will have the $500,000 Gold Cup at Santa Anita on June 28 as his early-summer goal, trainer George Papaprodromou said Tuesday.
Imperative ($55) won the first stakes of his career in the Charles Town Classic over 1 1/8 miles, beating 3-5 favorite Game On Dude by 1 1/2 lengths.
“Hopefully, it will be that kind of year,” Papaprodromou said.
September Thoroughbred racing in Southern California is moving to Los Alamitos.
On Monday, officials with Los Alamitos and Barretts Sales and Racing at the Los Angeles County Fair reached an agreement to relocate the 11-day race meeting previously run at Fairplex Park on the Los Angeles County fairgrounds to Los Alamitos.