HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – It was back to serious work for Mucho Macho Man early Saturday morning, with the reigning Breeders’ Cup Classic winner breezing an easy half-mile over a very fast track in 46.91 seconds under regular exercise rider Nick Petro Jr. It was his first work since cruising to an easy-as-can-be victory in the Sunshine Millions Classic that was little more than a public workout three weeks earlier.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark.- Oaklawn Park has canceled Saturday’s nine-race program due to the freezing temperatures that have gripped the Hot Springs, Ark., track for much of the past week. It’s the third consecutive card lost the winter blast.
Oaklawn was forced to cancel programs both Thursday and Friday. The track also lost six of its races last Sunday, when heavy rains moved into the area. The cancellations are the first of the meet that opened on Jan. 10.
The mutuel field was still a big favorite following the second of three days of wagering into Pool 2 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager, which opened Thursday.
As of Saturday morning, and with $124,673 in the win pool, the field – the 24th or “all others” option – was the 6-5 favorite, followed by Shared Belief (12-1), Honor Code (15-1), Cairo Prince (15-1), Top Billing (17-1), Strong Mandate (18-1), and Midnight Hawk (22-1).
Egg Drop, the winner of three consecutive graded stakes at the end of 2013, is on schedule for her 2014 debut in the $200,000 Buena Vista Stakes over a mile on turf on Feb. 17.
Egg Drop won the Grade 1 Matriarch Stakes at Hollywood Park on Dec. 1. Following that race, the Little Red Feather Racing syndicate, which owns the 5-year-old mare, considered selling Egg Drop at the Keeneland January horses of all ages sale, but opted to keep her in training with Mike Mitchell.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Shared Belief, the champion 2-year-old male of 2013, had a patch placed on a quarter crack on his right front foot earlier this week, and is scheduled to resume racetrack training this weekend, trainer Jerry Hollendorfer said on Friday.
Hollendorfer had hoped to send Shared Belief to the Santa Anita main track on Friday, but postponed the exercise until the weekend after rain late Thursday left moisture in the track. There were only nine workouts on the main track at Santa Anita on Friday.
Please Explain, a six-length winner of the Suncoast Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs last weekend under Julien Leparoux, will make her next start in the Grade 2 Davona Dale on Feb. 22 at Gulfstream.
In the Suncoast aftermath, trainer Tom Proctor said he likely would send Please Explain, a 3-year-old filly by Curlin, elsewhere for an upcoming stakes.
“She’s won over the track at Gulf and Julien’s right there,” he said. “We’ll see what she’s got against some of those nice fillies.”
Noble Cornerstone will try again
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Ever since he romped in his career debut two years ago at 15-1, Bourbon Courage has never been higher than 6-1 in 13 subsequent starts. That’s even as he competed with regularity in graded stakes and against such heavy-heads as Shackleford, Graydar, Will Take Charge, and Game On Dude.
Those tote prices have been a pretty fair gauge of his ability. But when Bourbon Courage goes postward Sunday in the Grade 1 Donn Handicap at Gulfstream Park, it probably will be at his longest odds since his unveiling on Feb. 3, 2012, at Fair Grounds.
The Emerald Downs stakes schedule for 2014 looks almost identical to the one from a year ago, with 28 Thoroughbred stakes worth a combined $1,610,000 in purses. The schedule, released by the suburban Seattle track on Thursday, features 10 stakes for older horses, 10 for 3-year-olds, eight for 2-year-olds, plus one stakes for Quarter Horses.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – The Ontario division of the Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association announced Friday that Fort Erie will stage live racing in 2014.
Details will be announced later, after meetings are held to organize the meet, according to HBPA president Sue Leslie.
