HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Although Skippylongstocking and A. P.’s Secret finished third and fourth, respectively, while never seriously threatening the two leaders at the end of Saturday’s Grade 1 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct, trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. couldn’t have been happier with their performances and is looking forward to what might be next for his two improving 3-year-olds.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Flightline, the undefeated winner of the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes in December, worked three furlongs in 37 seconds on Sunday, his first timed exercise since returning to training in March after a brief rest caused by a training setback.
Trained by John Sadler, Flightline is expected to have his next start in the Grade 1 Metropolitan Mile Handicap on June 11 at Belmont Park. A three-time winner, Flightline has not raced since an easy win in the Malibu Stakes for 3-year-olds at seven furlongs.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Cairo Memories beat one filly when she finished seventh in her 3-year-old debut in the Grade 3 Santa Ysabel Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on dirt on March 6 at Santa Anita.
She will not be racing on that surface again anytime soon.
Cairo Memories won the second stakes of her career in Saturday’s Grade 3 Providencia at 1 1/8 miles on turf. The long-range goal for owners David Bernsen and Schroeder Farms and trainer Bob Hess Jr. is the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks, a $700,000 race for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/4 miles on turf July 9 at Belmont Park.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Desert Dawn will be prominent California trainer Phil D’Amato’s first starter in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks on May 6 at Churchill Downs following the filly’s 14-1 upset win in Saturday’s Grade 2 Santa Anita Oaks.
Desert Dawn needed a win in the $400,000 Santa Anita Oaks at 1 1/16 miles to be considered for the $1.25 million Kentucky Oaks at 1 1/8 miles after losing her first starts in graded stakes.
“She was one of the fillies on the cusp of being there,” D’Amato said Sunday. “The way she galloped out, the longer the better for her.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Jockey Flavien Prat wasted absolutely no time making his impact felt as a first-time regular at Keeneland. The 29-year-old Frenchman has jumped out to the early lead atop the spring-meet jockey standings with seven wins, one more than Irad Ortiz Jr. Prat won not only the Blue Grass on Zandon, but also the Grade 1 Madison on Just One Time and the Grade 3 Beaumont with Matareya.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Everything is good with Zandon in the aftermath of the Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland, where the Upstart colt stamped himself as one of the major players for the May 7 Kentucky Derby with his breakthrough victory Saturday.
Baldo Hernandez, the local assistant to trainer Chad Brown, reported Sunday morning that Zandon “ate up everything” after the Blue Grass and was in good stead.
Wit won his career debut on Belmont Stakes Day 2021. His connections hope he wins his next race on Belmont Stakes Day 2022.
Wit, who came off a six-month layoff to run down Highly Respected and win Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Bay Shore Stakes, will be pointed to the Grade 1, $400,000 Woody Stephens on June 11, trainer Todd Pletcher said Sunday.
“We were cutting it close to be ready for this race,” Pletcher said. “A little extra time back to the Woody Stephens will be good and take our best shot at winning a Grade 1 there.”
About 30 minutes after winning the Carter, trainer Bill Mott and Godolphin won the Grade 3, $250,000 Gazelle Stakes with Nostalgic, who is likely headed for the Kentucky Oaks on May 6 at Churchill Downs.
“Just waiting on confirmation that’s what everybody wants to do,” Mott said Sunday. “I’m sure everybody will be in favor of it.”
While Nostalgic may not be considered among the elite contenders for what is shaping up to be a deep Oaks, she does have a win at 1 1/8 miles, which is not something that all the top names such as Secret Oath, Kathleen O. and Echo Zulu possess.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Bill Mott has been chasing a victory in the prestigious Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap his entire career. Perhaps, 2022 is the year.
Mott will point Speaker’s Corner, uber-impressive winner of Saturday’s Grade 1 Carter Handicap at Aqueduct, to the Grade 1, $1 million Metropolitan Handicap on June 11 at Belmont Park. From 1992 through 2020, Mott has run 11 horses in the Met Mile, with third-place finishes from To Honor and Serve and Flat Out as his best results.
Prevalence, long well regarded, appears to be on an upswing that saw him notch his first graded stakes victory on Saturday at Keeneland.
The Godolphin homebred won the Grade 3 Commonwealth Stakes by 2 1/4 lengths, earning a Beyer Speed Figure of 98. That figure is just shy of the career-best 99 he posted in an allowance-level win in March at Gulfstream Park.
On Sunday morning at Keeneland, trainer Brendan Walsh said that Prevalence - and his other two Saturday winners, including maiden victor Emirates Road, a half-brother to Prevalence - emerged in good order.
