Nine colts, a field lacking anything approaching a standout, were entered Saturday in the $1 million Louisiana Derby.
The 1 3/16-mile Louisiana Derby, a major Kentucky Derby prep race, headlines the March 21card at Fair Grounds, which also includes the Fair Grounds Oaks and a pair of Grade 2 routes, the Mervin Muniz on turf and the New Orleans Classic on dirt, for older horses.
Fulleffort, who has been knocking at the door in Turfway Park's 3-year-old stakes series, gets a chance to shine in a full field of 12 for next Saturday's Grade 3, $777,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks, a major-points Kentucky Derby prep.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Chad Summers said he couldn’t be prouder of his Grade 1-placed filly Dry Powder after she got back on the winning track with a very popular and impressive 5 3/4-length allowance and optional-claiming victory going a mile here Thursday. Dry Powder rallied from near the rear of the field in the run down the backstretch to score her third career victory with jockey Dylan Davis deputizing for the injured Irad Ortiz Jr.
Jockey Edwin Maldonado, who through Thursday was tied for seventh in the standings at the current Santa Anita meeting, will begin a three-day suspension on Saturday for causing interference in a sprint on Feb. 27.
The suspension covers racing days on Saturday and Sunday this weekend and March 20.
Maldonado was cited for failing to maintain a straight course in the stretch. aboard Toulouse Detrac, who was disqualified from first to second in a $10,000 claiming race for fillies and mares who had not won three races.
Black Volt, a New York-bred who could ship to Aqueduct with the Wood Memorial-bound Express Kid, runs in Sunday’s second race at Sunland Park. The entry-level allowance at six furlongs also drew The Hell We Did, who is a half-brother to Senor Buscador.
Justin Evans trains both Black Volt and Express Kid and said plans are to fly Black Volt back East later this month. The horses both race for Paradise Equine Farm. Express Kid was second in last month’s Sunland Park Derby.
A six-furlong maiden race on turf at Santa Anita on Sunday will be a learning experience for the expensive 3-year-olds Kelce and Newton, according to trainer Bob Baffert.
Both were purchased at the 2024 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Yearling Sale – Newton for $975,000 and Kelce for $850,000. They are starting on Sunday out of necessity, Baffert cautioned on Friday.
“They’re in there because there is not dirt racing” for maidens, Baffert said. “I want to get them outs. They’re not grass horses.”
The two-time stakes winner Stark Contrast worked five furlongs in 1:00.80 at Santa Anita on Friday for an intended start in the Grade 3 Jeff Ruby on the synthetic track at Turfway Park on March 21.
The $777,000 Jeff Ruby at 1 1/8 miles will be Stark Contrast’s first start outside of California. Stark Contrast was a comfortable winner of the Eddie Logan Stakes for 3-year-olds at a mile on turf by 2 1/4 lengths at 3-10 on Jan. 8, his last start.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Majestic Oops has been learning some new tricks as an older mare and the 6-year-old has run arguably the best two races of her career this meet at Oaklawn Park.
She opened up her season in February with a sweeping win in the $150,000 American Beauty over six furlongs, then came back and won the most prestigious race of her career in the Grade 2, $400,000 Azeri last Saturday.
The promising 3-year-old colt Englishman was entered Thursday in a first-level sprint allowance that made it onto the March 19 Fair Grounds card.
Englishman drew the outside post among nine 3-year-olds entered in race 10, carded for six furlongs and open to $125,000 claimers.
The 4-year-old colt Magnitude had an easy half-mile breeze Monday morning at Fair Grounds. He departed New Orleans for Florida the following day and, as of Friday, remained on schedule to fly from Florida to Dubai on Saturday.
David Fiske, the racing manager for Magnitude’s owner, Ron Winchell’s Winchell Thoroughbreds, said Friday morning that Magnitude’s trip for the $12 million Dubai World Cup on March 28 at Meydan Racecourse still is a go despite an ongoing military conflict in the Middle East.
