Tag: Triple Crown

After a light week of stakes action at Santa Anita, things pick up considerably next week with four graded stakes on the docket, anchored by the $200,000 San Vicente (G2) for 3-year-olds going seven furlongs.

Among the 11 nominees for the San Vicente, eight are trained by Bob Baffert: Arabian Lion, Faustin, Fort Warren, Gilmore, Hard to Figure, Havnameltdown, Nullarbor, and Speed Boat Beach.

Speed Boat Beach, a multiple stakes winner on turf, was scratched from the Sham (G3) at one mile on Jan. 8 with the plan to wait for the San Vicente. It would be his first start on dirt since setting a Del Mar track record of 1:01.86 for 5 ½ furlongs when debuting in early September.

Havnameltdown won the Bob Hope (G3) at Del Mar on Nov. 20 in his most recent start, while Arabian Lion would look to make amends after running fifth as the odds-on favorite in the Los Alamitos Futurity (G2) on Dec. 17. Faustin, Fort Warren, Gilmore, and Nullarbor are all maiden winners.

Rounding out the nominations are Helladic and Man Child for trainer Ryan Hanson and Navy Man for trainer Michael McCarthy. Helladic has made all three previous starts on turf, while Man Child is exiting a second by a nose in the Lost in the Fog Juvenile on dirt at Turf Paradise on Dec. 21. Navy Man is still a maiden after three starts.

Entries for the San Vicente and the remainder of next Sunday's card will be taken on Thursday.

The post Speed Boat Beach Among Eight Baffert Nominees For San Vicente appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Five weeks after his upset win in the Los Alamitos Futurity (G2), Practical Move got back to work on Saturday when drilling four furlongs in :47.80 for trainer Tim Yakteen.

Practical Move collected 10 qualifying points towards this year's Kentucky Derby (G1) when drawing off to win the Futurity by 3 ¼ lengths over a trio of colts trained by Bob Baffert.

Yakteen said Practical Move “worked well” on Saturday and he should be ready for his sophomore bow in late February. That could lead to a start in the $400,000 San Felipe (G2) at 1 1/16 miles on March 4, which is the final major prep for the $750,000, Santa Anita Derby (G1) five weeks later.

“Well give him a few more works and see where we're at, but we're looking at sometime in late February or early March. We have a few options,” Yakteen said, indicating there's a possibility Practical Move could ship out of town for his 3-year-old bow.

From the first crop of multiple Grade 1 winner Practical Joke out of the Afleet Alex mare Ack Naughty, Practical Move was a $230,00 purchase at last year's OBS April 2-year-olds in training sale, where Eisaman Equine consigned. He is campaigned by Roger K. Beasley, Leslie A. Amestoy, and Jean Pierre Amestory Jr.

Practical Move broke his maiden at Santa Anita last October when making his third start and came back to finish third in the Bob Hope (G3) going seven furlongs at Del Mar on Nov. 20. In the 1 1/16-mile Futurity, Practical Move stalked the pace under Ramon Vazquez before launching an inside bid and kicking clear of runner-up Caramel Road.

Yakteen, who got his first taste of the Kentucky Derby as a trainer last year with Taiba and Messier, 12th and 15th, respectively, hopes to make a return trip this year with Practical Move.

“Anytime you have a nice 3-year-old in the barn it's always exciting,” he said.

The post Los Al Futurity Winner Practical Move Gets Back To Work For Yakteen appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Classical Cat, an impressive winner of the one-mile Eddie Logan on turf Dec. 30 at Santa Anita, might switch surfaces and take a shot on the Triple Crown trail for trainer Phil D'Amato.

Classical Cat won his debut sprinting on dirt at Del Mar in August and headed straight to the Del Mar Futurity (G1) going seven furlongs on the main track and finished off the board. Subsequently switched to the grass, Classical Cat won an entry-level allowance at Santa Anita on Oct. 23 prior to his victory in the Eddie Logan.

“We have options,' D'Amato said of Classical Cat. “A possible allowance on turf, possibly the next dirt stake for 3-year-olds here, or the El Camino Real at Golden Gate the second week in February.”

The next two-turn stakes in Santa Anita's 3-year-old dirt series is the  Robert B. Lewis (G3) at 1 1/16 miles on Feb. 4. The El Camino Real, which is contested on synthetic Tapeta at Golden Gate Fields, is Feb. 11.

“Those are my three options, I'm just going to kind of play it by ear with him,” D'Amato said.

A Kentucky-bred son of Mendelssohn out of Conquest Strate Up, by Not Bourbon, Classical Cat has won three of four starts and banked $146,300 for owner Michael House. He was purchased by Buffolo Bloodstock for $65,000 at the 2021 Keeneland September yearling sale, where South Point Sales Agency consigned.

The post ‘We Have Options’: Classical Cat Could Switch Surfaces To Join Triple Crown Trail In Robert B. Lewis appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Eight 3-year-olds, including trainer Brad Cox's stakes-winning pair of Jace's Road and Corona Bolt, are expected for the $750,000 Southwest (G3), Oaklawn's second of four Kentucky Derby (G1) points races, set for Jan. 28 at the Hot Springs, Ark. track.

Entries will be drawn Monday for the Southwest, which offers 40 points (20-8-6-4-2, respectively) to the top five finishers toward starting eligibility for the Kentucky Derby.

In addition to Jace's Road and Corona Bolt, who are among a maybe dozen Derby prospects for Cox, the Oaklawn racing department Saturday morning listed six other expected entrants Southwest: Protege for trainer Ron Moquett, Bourbon Bash for Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas, El Tomate (Miguel Angel Silva), Frosted Departure (Kenny McPeek), Hit Show (Cox), and Sun Thunder (McPeek).

Unbeaten Corona Bolt will be making his two-turn debut in the 1 1/16-mile Southwest. After breaking his maiden Nov. 19 at Churchill Downs, Stonestreet Stables' Bolt d'Oro colt scored a front-running 6 ¾-length victory in the Sugar Bowl Stakes at six furlongs Dec. 26 at Fair Grounds in his most recent start.

Jace's Road was a front-running 5 ½-length winner of the Gun Runner Stakes at 1 1/16 miles the same day at Fair Grounds in his most recent outing. The Quality Road colt, campaigned by West Point Thoroughbreds and Albaugh Family Stables LLC, currently sits in fourth place on the Kentucky Derby Leaderboard with 13 points.

Lightly raced Protege will make his stakes and 2023 debut in the race, said Moquett, of Hot Springs, Ark.

Protege has a 1-0-1 record from three lifetime starts for Moquett and owners Harry Rosenblum of Little Rock, Ark., Robert LaPenta, and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners (Aaron Wellman).

From the first crop of former 2-year-old champion Good Magic, who was runner-up in the 2018 Kentucky Derby, Protege concluded his 2-year-old campaign with a third-place finish in an entry-level allowance at one mile Dec. 17 at Oaklawn. Protege was beaten 4 1/2 lengths by probable Southwest entrant Hit Show after breaking in at the start.

“It was his first time going around two turns,” said Moquett, who teamed with Rosenblum and LaPenta to win the 2015 Southwest with Far Right. “He had a little bit of a traffic situation. I thought he showed plenty of ability and looking forward to see how he's progressing.”

Frosted Departure, a Frosted colt owned by C&H Diamond Racing LLC and Sherri McPeek's Magdalena Racing, won the inaugural Renaissance Stakes at six furlongs Dec. 31 at Oaklawn to conclude a nine-race 2-year-old campaign.

R.T Racing Stable's Sun Thunder, by leading sire Into Mischief, scored a debut win by 6 ½ lengths Dec. 31 at Oaklawn.

Frosted Departure and Sun Thunder were among four winners for trainer Ken McPeek on the Dec. 31 card, Oaklawn's first exclusively for 2-year-olds.

Oaklawn's Kentucky Derby points series continues with the $1-million Rebel Stakes (G2) at 1 1/16 miles Feb. 25 and the $1.25-million Arkansas Derby (G1) at 1 1/8 miles April 1.

Post positions also will be drawn Monday for the $200,000 Martha Washington for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles and the $150,000 King Cotton for older horses at six furlongs.

McPeek will send out one of the favorites in the Martha Washington in Defining Purpose, who was a sparkling 5 ¼ length winner of the inaugural Year's End Stakes at 1 mile Dec. 31 at Oaklawn.

Other expected Martha Washington starters include Homecoming Queen for trainer Rodolphe Brisset, Olivia Twist (Todd Fincher) and Take Charge Briana (Lukas).

Olivia Twist (3 for 3) won the Trapeze Stakes for 2-year-old fillies at one mile Dec. 17 at Remington Park in her last start.

Take Charge Briana finished third in the Year's End.

The Martha Washington is Oaklawn's first of three Kentucky Oaks (G1) points races. Secret Oath won the Martha Washington and Kentucky Oaks last year for Lukas.

The Martha Washington is a major local prep for the $600,000 Fantasy Stakes (G3) at 1 1/16 miles April 1.

Early King Cotton probables include Flash of Mischief for trainer Karl Broberg and Tejano Twist for 2015 Oaklawn training champion Chris Hartman.

Flash of Mischief won the inaugural $150,000 Ring the Bell Stakes at 6 furlongs Dec. 10 at Oaklawn in his last start. Late-running Tejano Twist has won his last three starts, including a Jan. 6 allowance sprint at Oaklawn.

The King Cotton is a major local prep for the $500,000 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap (G3) at 6 furlongs April 15.

The post Cox-Trained Jace’s Road, Corona Bolt Among Eight Expected For Oaklawn’s Southwest appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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