ARCADIA, Calif. – Rock Your World zipped five furlongs in 58.40 seconds at Santa Anita on Friday morning, a day before he was scheduled to be flown to New York for the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park on June 5.
Rock Your World had the fastest time of the morning for the distance, and galloped out six furlongs in 1:11.80 and seven furlongs in 1:25, according to trainer John Sadler.
:: DRF's Belmont Stakes Headquarters: Contenders, latest news, past performances, analysis, and more
ARCADIA, Calif. – The field for Monday’s Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile at Santa Anita has grown to seven expected runners, including three horses who need to be supplemented for $6,000 and a Group 3 winner in Ireland making his U.S. debut.
Say the Word, Next Shares, and the 5-year-old mare Raymundo’s Secret will be supplemented, according to their trainers. Trainer Phil D’Amato said Raymundo’s Secret will be cross-entered in Monday’s Grade 1 Gamely Stakes for fillies and mares on turf, and he will make a decision on her race over the weekend.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Dream Shake, whose faced some of the top 3-year-olds in California going long, will cut back in distance when he runs seven furlongs in the Grade 1, $400,000 Woody Stephens on the Belmont Stakes undercard.
Dream Shake finished third behind Life Is Good and Medina Spirit in the Grade 2 San Felipe and was third again behind Rock Your World and Medina Spirit in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby on April 3.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Letruska, who defeated champions Monomoy Girl and Swiss Skydiver in the Grade 1 Apple Blossom at Oaklawn Park on April 17, arrived Friday at Belmont Park, where she will start in next Saturday’s Grade 1, $500,000 Ogden Phipps Stakes on the Belmont Stakes undercard.
Since her victory in the Apple Blossom, where she defeated Monomoy Girl by a nose, Letruska has been based at Keeneland. She worked at Keeneland twice, including Tuesday, when she went five furlongs in 58.80 seconds, the fastest of seven moves at the distance.
Woodbine unveiled its updated stakes schedule for the 2021 racing season on Friday. Originally scheduled to begin April 17, the meet has been delayed due to COVID-19 restrictions in Ontario. Based on recent government announcements, Woodbine is targeting a June 18 start date, with the possibility of an earlier start if restrictions are modified soon.
The stakes program offers more than $16.5 million in purses, including 39 graded stakes and two $1 million fixtures, the Queen’s Plate and Grade 1 Woodbine Mile.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Victory came easier for Gianna’s Gift on Thursday at Churchill than most wins came for her trainer, Jerome “Frank” Miller, during his previous career. Miller was a professional wrestler for more than 20 years before he retired in 2013 to focus solely on training.
Gianna’s Gift, a 6-year-old mare by The Factor with 35 career starts, earned a career-best 79 Beyer Speed Figure in dominating the $36,182 one-turn-mile starter-allowance from the opening bell. Jon Court was aboard for the six-length romp.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – King Fury, the only scratch from an original field of 20 in the Kentucky Derby earlier this month, is gearing up for a run in the June 26 Ohio Derby at Thistledown. The Curlin colt recently resumed a regular breeze pattern at Churchill Downs after missing a little more time than trainer Kenny McPeek would have hoped with a lingering respiratory illness.
The $731,650 Sam Houston Futurity on Friday will be run as a non-wagering event after as many of eight of the 10 finalists for the 330-yard race failed recent drug tests, the track announced on Thursday.
The affected horses, or their trainers, were not named, but the track said in a statement that their trainers would not be allowed to enter any additional horses for races on June 4 or thereafter.
Gulfstream Park will switch to a three-day-a-week racing schedule, Friday through Sunday, for a period of three months, beginning the week of June 7, when construction starts to install a Tapeta racing surface on the outside third of the turf course. A drainage project on the inner 12 feet of the turf course will also commence at that time.
The impetus for installing the Tapeta surface is minimize scratches when races come off the turf. Those races will be run on the artificial track.
A year after fans were prohibited from attending the races at Saratoga Race Course due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the historic upstate New York track will open to near-full capacity this summer, the New York Racing Association and Gov. Cuomo announced Thursday.
NYRA will designate most sections – including the backyard picnic area – for fans who are fully vaccinated for COVID-19. NYRA will designate a small number of hospitality and seating areas for non-vaccinated fans. In those sections, fans will be required to observe social-distance guidelines and wear a face covering.
