Pioneering Native won the $70,000 B-Connected Stakes by a nose over One King's Man on Saturday night at Delta Downs to give his owner and trainer team, Maggi Moss and Tom Amoss, a one-two finish.
The pair raced as separate interests. Pioneering Native ($6) was ridden by Tracy Hebert in the race that was restricted to Louisiana-breds who have never won a stakes.
Pioneering Native covered the mile on a good track in 1:38.91. The horse has won 9 of 37 starts and $270,060.
Jockey Colby Hernandez got his 1,000th career win Saturday night at Delta Downs when he captured the fifth race with Stephanies Wildcat.
Hernandez was aboard for Ben Marek and trainer Bret Calhoun. Stephanies Wildcat ($4) was prominent throughout in the $20,000 maiden claimer for 3-year-old fillies.
Hernandez is a brother of Brian Hernandez Jr., the Eclipse Award-winning apprentice of 2004 who won the 2012 Breeders' Cup Classic aboard Fort Larned. Their father, Brian, is a jockey, and their sister, Courtney, launched her riding career this meet at Delta.
Mamdooha, winner of the Ruthless Stakes, and Sustainable, second in the Dearly Precious Stakes, worked a half-mile in company in 48.70 seconds over Belmont Park’s training track on Saturday morning. Both are being pointed to next Saturday’s $100,000 Cicada Stakes at six furlongs.
The two broke off very quickly and went their opening quarter in 23.19 seconds.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Sweet Reason did what she had to do to win her 3-year-old debut Friday at Aqueduct. Her connections hope it will set her up to do more in the Grade 2, $300,000 Gazelle Stakes here on April 5.
Sweet Reason, last year’s Grade 1 Spinaway winner, returned from a 125-day layoff to win a one-mile allowance race by one-half length over the pacesetting Aqua Regia. The race was her first since she finished fourth as the favorite in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies last Nov. 2.
Trainer Mike Maker had considered several options for General a Rod’s final Kentucky Derby prep but in the end, he opted to avoid the pitfalls of traveling and has decided to keep the Fountain of Youth runner-up at Gulfstream for the Florida Derby. General a Rod won the Gulfstream Park Derby here on New Year’s Day.
General a Rod had his first breeze since the Fountain of Youth on Saturday, cruising an extremely easy half-mile in 51.26 seconds shortly after the first renovation break.
Will Rogers Downs in Claremore, Okla., opens Monday with tweaks to its racing and stakes schedule, a reduced minimum for pick fours, and a barn area overflowing with horses. The 30-date meet continues through May 17.
Will Rogers is racing every Monday, Tuesday, and Saturday compared to a Monday through Wednesday schedule last year that did not pick up Saturdays until May. The track also has moved six of its eight stakes to Mondays and Tuesdays, said Jesse Ullery, racing secretary at Will Rogers.
ARCADIA, Calif. – After Spellbound won the Grade 2 La Canada Stakes for 4-year-old fillies on Jan. 19, trainer Richard Mandella was adamant that her next start would be next Saturday’s $350,000 Santa Margarita Invitational at Santa Anita.
Mandella could have chosen a start in the Grade 2 Santa Maria Stakes against older fillies and mares, but he wanted Spellbound to have a longer break between starts.
Friday, he stood by that decision and predicted Spellbound will be competitive in the Grade 1 Santa Margarita, which is run over 1 1/8 miles.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Louies Flower was to ship Saturday to Fair Grounds in New Orleans for a start in the Grade 2, $1 million Louisiana Derby, trainer Bret Calhoun said. The 1 1/8-mile race is March 29.
Louies Flower has been wintering at Oaklawn Park, where he worked a bullet five furlongs in 59.40 seconds on Friday. He is coming off an uncharacteristic 12th-place finish in the Grade 3, $300,000 Southwest on Feb. 17. Prior to the race, Louies Flower had won three consecutive starts, punctuated by the $250,000 Springboard Mile at Remington Park.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Top Billing is off the Kentucky Derby trail after suffering a cracked cannon bone in his right front leg during a routine half-mile workout Saturday morning at Payson Park.
According to trainer Shug McGaughey, Top Billing had completed his work and was walking back to the barn when he detected the 3-year-old was not travelling well.
Oaklawn Park racing secretary Pat Pope is expecting a large field for next Saturday's Grade 2, $600,000 Rebel Stakes. Probables for the 1 1/16-mile race include Tapiture and Strong Mandate, who finished one-two in the Grade 3, $300,000 Southwest last month at Oaklawn, and Kobe’s Back, winner of the Grade 2 San Vicente at Santa Anita.
“I believe there will be 10 to 12 horses in the Rebel,” racing secretary Pat Pope said.
