Wed, 02/12/2014 - 15:02

Aqueduct: Dee Dee's Comet would relish muddy track in Friday feature

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Her versatile running style and the ability to handle a wet surface may give Dee Dee’s Comet an advantage in Friday’s featured second-level optional $30,000 claimer for New York-breds at Aqueduct.

Racing is scheduled to resume Friday after three dark days, but a winter storm that was to begin early Thursday morning and last until early Friday morning is likely to create a wet surface for Friday’s card, which include a $25,766 pick six carryover.

Wed, 02/12/2014 - 14:59

Santa Anita: Pedroza injured, out for two months

Benoit & Associates
Martin Pedroza, 48, fractured his left shin and will be sidelined for about two months.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Jockey Martin Pedroza is expected to miss two months of racing after suffering a leg injury when he was unseated in a race Feb. 7, according to his agent, Richie Silverstein.

Pedroza remained hospitalized at nearby Arcadia Methodist Hospital on Wednesday, Silverstein said.

“They are waiting for the swelling to go down so they can re-X-ray the leg,” Silverstein said. “He’s just resting. He’s in pain.

“They’ve started the therapy with him walking with crutches. The prognosis remains eight weeks, give or take two.”

Wed, 02/12/2014 - 12:53

Santa Anita: Indianapolis will miss San Vicente after coughing, scoping for mucus

Benoit & Associates
Indianapolis showed he is a 3-year-old to follow in this 4 1/4-length San Pedro victory.

ARCADIA, Calif. - The undefeated 3-year-old Indianapolis will miss his scheduled graded-stakes debut in Sunday’s $200,000 San Vicente Stakes at Santa Anita after he coughed Wednesday and then was found to have mucus in his airway, trainer Bob Baffert said.

“I was going to work him and he coughed,” Baffert said. “He just came up with it. He coughed and we scoped him.

[ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY: Prep races, point standings, replays]

Wed, 02/12/2014 - 11:30

Nebraska owner-breeder Don Everett dies

LINCOLN, Neb. – Successful restaurateur, owner and breeder Don Everett died Tuesday in Lincoln at the age of 70 after dealing with Alzheimer’s disease for a number of years.

Tue, 02/11/2014 - 16:04

Gulfstream Park: Honor Code to resume working on Wednesday

Barbara D. Livingston
At 12-1, Honor Code is the lowest price individual entry in Pool 2 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager.

The highly regarded 3-year-old Honor Code, who recently missed some training time with a minor injury, is scheduled to work on Wednesday morning at Gulfstream Park as he begins anew his preparation for his 2014 debut, trainer Shug McGaughey said Tuesday afternoon.

Tue, 02/11/2014 - 15:52

Fair Grounds notes: Pletcher sending in Intense Holiday for Risen Star

Barbara D. Livingston
Intense Holiday, third in the Holy Bull Stakes last time out, will ship to Fair Grounds for the Risen Star.

Intense Holiday, who finished a solid third in Cairo Prince’s Holy Bull Stakes romp, will make his next start in the Grade  2, $400,000 Risen Star Stakes on Feb. 22 at Fair Grounds.

Intense Holiday also had been under consideration for the Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park, but Pletcher said via text message Monday that Intense Holiday would instead be shipped from Pletcher’s Palm Meadows base to New Orleans for the 1  1/16-mile Risen Star. Pletcher still has Commissioner as an intended runner in the Fountain of Youth.

Tue, 02/11/2014 - 15:13

Havana, Hartford back on schedule for Pletcher

Barbara D. Livingston
Havana breezes a half-mile in 50.50 seconds on Tuesday at Palm Meadows.

BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. – Two of trainer Todd Pletcher’s plethora of Kentucky Derby hopefuls worked at Palm Meadows on Tuesday, including his most-accomplished 3-year-old, Havana.

In his third work in less than two weeks, Havana breezed a half-mile in 50.50. His stablemate Hartford, who won his only race by 5 3/4 lengths at Gulfstream last month, got back on track Monday after having missed a work, breezing five furlongs in 1:01.25.

Tue, 02/11/2014 - 15:08

Broadway Empire resumes training

Nikki Sherman
Broadway Empire will be based at Canterbury Park this summer.

Broadway Empire, winner of the $400,000 Oklahoma Derby at Remington Park in October and two stakes in Canada, has returned to training at Turf Paradise, trainer Robertino Diodoro said over the weekend.

Broadway Empire was ninth in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile and Zia Park Derby in November before being turned out briefly.

“I gave him 45 days off,” Diodoro said. “He’s training in Phoenix. He had two quarter-cracks and had been fighting them all year. We got them wired, and we gave him a little break.”

Tue, 02/11/2014 - 15:04

Valenzuela banned from tracks

Jockey Patrick Valenzuela, who has not ridden since late January and said at the time his riding career was over, has been banned from racetrack grounds.

Valenzuela failed to appear at a hearing with track stewards Feb. 6 to discuss his absence from riding on Jan. 24 and was subsequently suspended indefinitely. The terms of the suspension deny Valenzuela access to California’s racetracks.