Thu, 05/16/2013 - 15:39

Pimlico: Sweet Emma Rose takes on males in Rollicking Stakes

Sweet Emma Rose might be a filly taking on colts in the $100,000 Rollicking, but she brings the flashiest form into the five-furlong sprint for 2-year-olds. The race is one of seven stakes on the Preakness card Saturday at Pimlico.

Sweet Emma Rose made her debut at Keeneland on April 5 and romped by nine lengths in a maiden special weight. She broke on top in the 4 1/2-furlong race and increased her margin at every call to deliver as the odds-on favorite. In the Rollicking, Sweet Emma Rose will attempt to transfer that good form to dirt, as the maiden score came on Polytrack.

Thu, 05/16/2013 - 15:34

Pimlico: Heat Press tries turf in James W. Murphy Stakes

Barbara D. Livingston
Notacatbutallama, the winner of the Super Mario Stakes last November, will make her first start outside of New York in Saturday's $100,000 James W. Murphy Stakes at Pimlico.

Heat Press, whose name had been bandied about as a potential Preakness starter, instead will make his turf debut on the Preakness undercard in the $100,000 James W. Murphy. The one-mile race for 3-year-olds drew a field of 11, including multiple stakes winner Notacatbutallama, who invades from Belmont Park for Repole Stable and trainer Todd Pletcher.

Thu, 05/16/2013 - 15:32

Delaware Park: Our Mims attracts a crowd

Bill Denver/Equi-Photo
Doubled, winner of the $100,000 Sorority at Monmouth Park last year, is unproven going longer than six furlongs.

Delaware Park’s opening-day feature on Saturday, the one-mile Our Mims Stakes for 3-year-old fillies, drew 14 horses, so it was split into two $50,000 divisions of seven on a card of eight races for Thoroughbreds and one for Arabians. Entries for the nine races closed with 70 total horses.

Based on her form in races beyond six furlongs, My Sonata is the logical choice in the first division (race 6). Her task became easier when the connections of Petit Trianon, who is 3 for 3 this season, chose to run in Friday's Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan at Pimlico.

Thu, 05/16/2013 - 15:19

Preakness Stakes: Pimlico's Carulli taking handicapping to Las Vegas

BALTIMORE - Frank Carulli received a rousing round of applause at the Preakness draw at Pimlico on Wednesday, when he revealed his final set of morning-line odds for the second leg of the Triple Crown. Carulli has been the oddsmaker and racing analyst for Pimlico and Laurel since 2002, but he will vacate his post at the end of June to move to Las Vegas.

“I’m semi-retired, I guess you could say,” said Carulli, 51.

[2013 PREAKNESS STAKES: Latest news, video, and more]

Thu, 05/16/2013 - 15:15

Pimlico: Chick Lang Stakes is loaded with speed

Coady Photography
City of Weston (left) and Brave Dave finished first and second in the Big Drama Stakes last out and meet again in Saturday's Chick Lang Stakes.

It would be an understatement to say that the early pace of the $100,000 Chick Lang Stakes, which goes as the sixth race on the Preakness undercard, figures to be quick. Check out the zip possessed by some of those in this six-furlong event for 3-year-olds:

◗ Bobcat Jim shook loose through an opening quarter in 21.51 seconds when nosed in Oaklawn’s Bachelor Stakes last time out.

◗ Brave Dave was in command through opening splits of 21.25 and 44.69 when second in the Big Drama Stakes at Calder most recently.

Thu, 05/16/2013 - 15:15

Preakness Stakes: O’Neill mulling East Coast presence

Barbara D. Livingston
Doug O'Neill is considering establishing a stable in the East some day but, he says, "My roots are still in California."

BALTIMORE - Southern California-based trainer Doug O’Neill’s approach to this year’s Preakness with Goldencents follows some of the same stabling protocol he used last year with winner I’ll Have Another. He has had a 12-horse division at Pimlico Race Course since the Monday following the Kentucky Derby, a move made to simulate home for Goldencents.

“I wanted to have him settled in, where it’s as close to home as can be,” O’Neill. said

[2013 PREAKNESS STAKES: Latest news, video, and more]

Thu, 05/16/2013 - 15:11

Thistledown: Top mare Startin Something stands in way of Raise the Reward's bid to repeat in Rowland Memorial

Raise the Reward will attempt to win the $50,000 Michael F. Rowland Memorial Handicap for the second time Saturday at Thistledown.

Trained by Jeff Radosevich, Raise the Reward won three races last year, including the six-furlong Rowland, which is restricted to Ohio-accredited horses. Ohio-accredited is the more restrictive of the two Ohio-registered categories as both the dam and sire must reside in Ohio.

Thu, 05/16/2013 - 15:09

Pimlico: Gallorette may be Samitar’s turn to shine

Barbara D. Livingston
Samitar, the winner of the Grade 1 Garden City last year, is the 5-2 morning-line favorite for Saturday's Grade 3 Gallorette Handicap.

BALTIMORE – Last year, Zagora rebounded from a fifth-place finish in the Jenny Wiley to win the Gallorette Handicap, one of the highlights of a season that led to an Eclipse Award as champion female turf horse.

Martin Schwartz and Chad Brown, the owner and trainer of Zagora, hope for lightning to strike twice when they send out Samitar in Saturday’s Grade 3, $150,000 Gallorette at Pimlico.

Thu, 05/16/2013 - 15:07

Evangeline Downs: Going to Kukaro seeks second stakes win in Tellike

Adam Coglianese/NYRA
Going to Kukaro (inside) won the Genuine Devotion Stakes last May at Belmont Park and seeks her second stakes win in Saturday's Tellike.

Going to Kukaro, a stakes winner at Belmont Park last year, leads a deep field for Saturday night’s $50,000 Tellike Stakes at Evangeline Downs. The five-furlong dash on turf will go as the 10th of 11 races.

Thu, 05/16/2013 - 14:57

Canterbury: Heliskier seeks to keep perfect record intact in 10,000 Lakes

The undefeated Heliskier launches his 4-year-old campaign Saturday as the 6-5 morning-line favorite in the $50,000 10,000 Lakes Stakes at Canterbury Park. The race, for Minnesota-bred colts and geldings, will be contested over the main track at six furlongs.

Heliskier is a perfect 6 for 6. He was 4 for 4 last year, winning his races by a combined 33 3/4 lengths, and amassed earnings of $103,056. He posted a bullet five-furlong work in 1:01.20 on May 5 for trainer Mac Robertson, followed by a six-furlong leg-stretcher from the gate on Sunday in preparation for his seasonal debut.