Tag: Top News

Reid Trio Target Wood Day Stakes

Trainer Butch Reid, Jr. has three sophomores aiming for stakes on Aqueduct's Apr. 6 Wood Memorial card. Michael Milam's Uncle Heavy (Social Inclusion), aiming for the GII Wood Memorial, worked five furlongs in 1:02.09 (3/15) Saturday at Parx. It was the colt's first official work since winning the Feb. 3 GIII Withers S.

“The work went very well, we couldn't be any happier. He did it well and came out of it great this morning, ate up everything last night,” said Reid. “We had a horse in front of him to chase after and he went after him.”

Due to a now-lifted Equine Herpesvirus quarantine at Belmont Park, Uncle Heavy shipped to a farm in Pennsylvania following the Withers and returned to Reid's Parx base Feb. 25.

“The time off, believe it or not, actually did him a bit of good. He put his weight back on,” said Reid. “He's big and fat and healthy now, so we are very happy with the way he is going.”

Cash is King and LC Racing's Carmelina (Maximus Mischief), a last-out runner-up in the Mar. 2 Busher S., is expected to line up in the GIII Gazelle S.

“I think a mile and an eighth is the edge of how far she wants to go, but we will see how it comes up and she definitely could get involved,” Reid said. “Speed can be dangerous at a mile and an eighth, too.”

Reid, LC Racing and Cash is King's Maximus Meridius (Maximus Mischief), who earned 10 Kentucky Derby qualifying points with his fourth-place effort in the one-mile GIII Gotham S., will ditch the Derby trail in pursuit of the seven-furlong Bay Shore S.

“We like a little bit of a turn back. He had to go from the one-hole last time and used a little bit out of the gate to not get swallowed up,” said Reid. “Right now, it doesn't look like he is going to be a Classic horse, so this race should be a nice turn back, to keep him going shorter.”

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Time for Truth Tunes Up for Arkansas Derby

Harry Rosenblum and Cheyenne Stable's Time for Truth (Omaha Beach) tuned up for an expected start in the Mar. 30 GI Arkansas Derby with a six-furlong work in 1:13.00 (1/1) work over a muddy Oaklawn strip Saturday.

“This was our meat and potatoes,” trainer Ron Moquett said of the work. “Then, we'll put a side on him next week.”

A debut winner at Oaklawn on New Year's Eve, Time for Truth was second in the Feb. 10 Ozark S., but missed out on a start in the GII Rebel S. when he suffered a minor shin injury the night before the Feb. 24 race. He resurfaced with a victory in a 1 1/16-mile allowance Mar. 2.

“We're still trying to put it all together,” Moquett said. “He's a very talented horse that we're just trying to see where his maturation is. The other day we noticed, even though he won, when he made the front, he kind of waited on a horse for a second, but then galloped out really well. So, we're trying to get him to do everything that he's supposed to do to be more professional.”

The Arkansas Derby will offer 200 points to its top five finishers (100-50-25-15-10, respectively) toward starting eligibility for the May 4 GI Kentucky Derby.

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WinStar Farm Stallion Improbable Euthanized

WinStar Farm stallion Improbable (City Zip), the champion older male of 2020 and a 'TDN Rising Star', was euthanized late last night at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington after suffering from ataxia behind, a condition which causes poor voluntary muscle control, the farm said in a release early Sunday.

“He was sent to Rood and Riddle yesterday morning to determine the exact cause of the ataxia,” said Elliott Walden, president, CEO, and racing manager of WinStar Farm. “He was responding well to treatment, but went to lie down in his stall, and fell awkwardly. As a result, he broke his right tibia, which could not be repaired.”

Improbable won three consecutive Grade I races in 2020, taking the GI Hollywood Gold Cup at Santa Anita, the GI Whitney S. at Saratoga and the GI Awesome Again S. at Santa Anita en route to Eclipse honors at season's end.

Undefeated at two, Improbable broke his maiden at first asking at 'The Great Race Place' in late September of 2018. He followed that up with a score in the Street Sense S. at Churchill Downs in early November, which earned him a 'TDN Rising Star' badge for the effort.

Improbable winning the Whitney | Sarah Andrew

Improbable's juvenile year ended with a five-length win going 1 1/16 in the GI Los Alamitos Futurity. His time of 1:41.18 was the fastest in over a decade.

A stakes winner each season from two to four, Improbable concluded his career with a runner-up finish in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic in 2020.

All told, he won seven starts, six of them stakes, and earned $2,729,520 for owners WinStar Farm, China Horse Club and SF Racing.

“These horses are our life, and we work every day to take care of them the best way we know how,” said Dr. Natanya Nieman, general manager and resident veterinarian at WinStar Farm. “The whole team is reeling. Improbable gave us many great moments to share with our partners, our team, and the whole racing community. It is tragic.”

Bred in Kentucky by St. George Farm and G. Watts Humphrey Jr., Improbable was acquired by Maverick Racing and China Horse Club for $200,000 out of the Taylor Made Sales Agency consignment at the 2017 Keeneland September Sale.

Out of the A.P. Indy mare Rare Event, the 8-year-old stallion was bred to 329 mares in his first two books and is represented by his initial crop of 2-year-olds this year, including a colt out of the stakes-placed Inaugurate (Empire Maker) that was purchased by trainer Jimmy DiVito, agent, for $475,000.

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Matanzas Creek Euthanized Following Santa Anita Allowance

Matanzas Creek, a 4-year-old son of Empire Maker, crossed the line first as the 4-5 favorite in a six-furlong allowance at Santa Anita Park Saturday afternoon, but fell about 50 yards past the wire and was later euthanized, Tom Ryan, representing part-owner SF Racing, confirmed in a tweet about an hour after the race.

Initial reports indicated that the colt walked onto the horse ambulance and was taken to the barn of trainer Tim Yakteen to be evaluated further. Frankie Dettori emerged from the incident with no serious injuries, but took off his mounts for the remainder of the afternoon.

“Matanzas Creek sustained irreparable injuries to his right front fetlock,” read Ryan's tweet. “It's a heartbreaking decision to make, but he was euthanized on site. Our hearts go out to the horse and the people who adored and cared for him. Thankfully, Frankie walked away from this tragedy.”

It was Santa Anita's first racing fatality in 363 days, the prior occuring March 18, 2023.

Bred in Kentucky by Betz, Burns, Kidder, Cole, D J Stables, CoCo and the Empire Maker Syndicate, Matanzas Creek broke his maiden at second asking at Del Mar last November and was second in consecutive first-level allowance races at Santa Anita, going a mile Dec. 29 and 6 1/2 furlongs Feb. 15.

In addition to SF Racing, the other partners on Matanzas Creek include Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Robert E Masterson, Stonestreet Stables LLC, Jay A Schoenfarber, Waves Edge Capital LLC and Catherine Donovan.

 

 

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