ARCADIA, Calif. - Congaree has a new course for the rest of the year, and now he has a new place to start. After failing in a route race this year, he is returning to sprints. Congaree had been expected to go to the Carter Handicap at Aqueduct on April 10, but trainer Bob Baffert now says Congaree will run that day in the Commonwealth Breeders' Cup Stakes at Keeneland.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - It's looking more and more like Read the Footnotes - like his fellow New York-bred Friends Lake - will go directly from the Florida Derby into the Kentucky Derby on May 1.
"Right now I'm leaning strongly towards training Read the Footnotes right into the Derby," trainer Richard Violette said.
FLORENCE, Ky. - Some people were happy, some weren't, and some didn't care. A cynic might say the satisfaction quotient was inversely proportional to how their horses performed Saturday in the Lane's End Stakes. But whatever the case, the most talked about post-race topic was the decision by Turfway Park management to seal the racetrack about 20 minutes before the race was run.
Bargain claim Basketball Court ($6.60) continued his run of success since coming to trainer Henry Walters when he overtook favored Matsui in the stretch to score a half-length victory in the $60,000 Horatius Stakes for 3-year-olds at Laurel Park.
Basketball Court has won four of five starts since Walters paid $25,000 to claim him for Six L's Stable last October at Pimlico.
Catalissa drove to a 1 1/2-length win over Won CC in the $40,000 Spring Stakes for Texas-breds at Sam Houston Race Park on Saturday night. It was another four lengths back in third to Term Sheet.
Catalissa ($9) stalked the pace set by Front Nine, overtook the leaders in the stretch, and covered the seven furlongs in 1:22.56. Ted Gondron rode the winner for trainer Michael Stidham.
SUNLAND PARK, N. M. - In her last two races, Lord Imajones had chased Ghost Chatter home, but Saturday, trainer Bob Noel decided to have jockey Martin Bourdieu send Lord Imajones to challenge from the get-go in the $103,800 City of Las Cruces Handicap. Noel got the desired results, with a 3 3/4-length victory. Ghost Chatter weakened to finish third at odds of 3-5.
Lord Imajones's final time for the two-turn mile was 1:37.69.
"I told Bourdieu that we couldn't beat her unless we applied some pressure early," Noel said after the race.
Kim's Gem darted clear by 2 3/4 lengths to win the $50,000 Clyde B. Stephens Stakes for Louisiana-breds. Honey Hit finished second, a length in front of Smokin Forty Won.
Kim's Gem ($3) dueled early, then drew clear in the stretch, covering the five furlongs for 3-year-olds in 59.92 seconds. Jerri Nichols rode the winner for trainer Lloyd Romero.
Kim's Gem, who races for Cory Duplantis, has now won 3 of 5 starts and $83,333.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Shake You Down, who was fifth and last as the 2-5 favorite in the $50,000 Hot Springs Stakes at Oaklawn on Sunday, did not scope clean after the race. He was found to have a high amount of mucus in his air passages.
"The vet said it was a four out of five," said Scott Lake, who trains Shake You Down. "He really had a huge excuse."
Shake You Down broke slow in the Hot Springs, dueled on the lead, and was overtaken. He finished eight and three quarter lengths behind winner Skeet.
ALBANY, Calif. - Northern California's three top horses head east from Golden Gate Fields this week.
Ema Bovary, the best horse on the grounds, leaves Thursday for Kentucky in preparation for the seven-furlong $175,000 Vinery Madison at Keeneland on April 7.
The El Camino Real Derby winner, Kilgowan, and the fourth-place finisher, O.K. Mikie, leave Saturday for Illinois and a date in the $500,000 Grade 2 Illinois Derby at Hawthorne on April 3.
