Tag: Triple Crown

Richard Mandella is optimistic Forbidden Kingdom can still make the Runhappy Santa Anita Derby (G1) April 5 after the son of 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah missed a scheduled work Friday due to an elevated temperature.

“He has not had another temperature,” the Hall of Fame trainer reported Saturday morning. “It will be day by day; there's no plan. We'll take him one day at a time.”

“I'm hoping we can still make the Santa Anita Derby, but it will depend on him.

“So far, it looks good. I don't think it's a problem to miss the first work (since his last race, an impressive front-running victory in the San Felipe Stakes [G2] March 5), because we've got time for a couple more.

“Everything will have to go right, and so far, it is.”

The post Mandella To Take It Day By Day With SA Derby Hopeful ‘Kingdom’ appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Barber Road moved closer to a scheduled start in the $1.25 million Arkansas Derby (G1) April 2 with a half-mile work over a fast track Saturday morning at Oaklawn.

Breezing immediately following the surface renovation break, Barber Road covered the distance in :48.20 under exercise rider Elexander Aguilar. Clockers caught Barber Road in :25 for his opening quarter and galloping out five furlongs in 1:01 and six furlongs in 1:14.80.

Barber Road, on the outside, breezed with stablemate Greatheart, a 3-year-old Empire Maker colt who is winless in two career starts. Both horses worked from the half-mile pole to the regular finish line. Greatheart also was credited with a half-mile in :48.20.

Barber Road, who races for former Walmart executive William Simon, was breezing for the first time since finishing third, beaten a half-length, in the $1 million Rebel Stakes (G2) at 1 1/16 miles Feb. 26. The Rebel was Oaklawn's final major prep for the 1 1/8-mile Arkansas Derby.

“Today, we were just doing a little maintenance half-mile in company to keep him fresh and on his toes,” trainer John Ortiz said. “We were trying to see a better gallop out, just something really strong after the wire. So, he went nice and steady. I got him in :48 and change and like a minute galloping out, so that's kind of what I wanted to see. He looked a lot more fresh. He's been acting fresher and I'm hoping that's going to be the key to get him a little quicker out of the gate, get him a little bit closer to the lead.”

The consistent Barber Road finished second in Oaklawn's first two Kentucky Derby points races –Smarty Jones Stakes at 1 mile Jan. 1 and Southwest Stakes (G3) at 1 1/16 miles Jan. 29 – and has never been worse than fourth in seven career starts. Barber Road ranks 12th on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard with 18 points, according to Churchill Downs. A top four finish in the Arkansas Derby likely would secure Barber Road a spot in the Kentucky Derby, which is limited to 20 starters.

Ortiz said Barber Road will have his final work for the Arkansas Derby March 26.

Nominations to the Arkansas Derby closed Friday, with post positions to be drawn March 27. The Arkansas Derby will offer 170 points (100-40-20-10, respectively) to the top four finishers toward starting eligibility for the Kentucky Derby.

Other horses pointing for the Arkansas Derby include star filly Secret Oath for Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas, Un Ojo (Ricky Courville), Chasing Time (Steve Asmussen), We the People (Rodolphe Brisset) and Cyberknife (Brad Cox).

The post Barber Road ‘Nice And Easy’ In Oaklawn Breeze appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Tami Bobo's Simplification returned to the Gulfstream Park worktab Saturday morning for the first time since scoring a dominating 3 ½-length victory in the Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth (G2) March 5 at the Hallandale Beach, Fla. track.

The Antonio Sano-trained 3-year-old son of Not This Time breezed five furlongs in 1:01.81 under jockey Jose Ortiz before galloping out six furlongs in 1:14.85.

“It was a very good work. The horse worked in hand. He went very easy,” Sano said. “The gallop was good. The horse came back very good. That's what's important for me.”

Simplification rated well off the early pace before making a sweeping move to the lead and drawing away with authority to capture the Fountain of Youth. In the Feb. 5 Holy Bull (G3), the Florida-bred colt, who had won the Jan. 1 Mucho Macho Man with a strong front-running performance, broke last from the starting gate but recovered well enough following a wide trip to finish second behind loose-on-the-lead White Abarrio.

Trainer Kenny McPeek sent Lucky Seven Stable's Smile Happy and Rattle N Roll to the Gulfstream track to breeze in company following the break Saturday morning. Rattle N Roll on the inside and Smile Happy on the outside were credited with a joint bullet workout after breezing five furlongs in 58.81.
“They worked super. They both needed a steady one and they both zipped along,” McPeek said. “I was really pleased with both of them.”

McPeek said he hadn't yet chosen between the Curlin Florida Derby (G1) April 2 and the Blue Grass (G1) April 9 at Keeneland for Smile Happy's next start. Rattle N Roll, who finished fifth in the Fountain of Youth, is being pointed to next Saturday's Louisiana Derby (G1) at Fair Grounds.

Smile Happy closed to be second behind loose-on-the-lead Epicenter in the Risen Star (G2) February 19 in his 2022 debut after winning both of his races, including the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) at Churchill Downs, in 2021.

OGMA Investments and Jack Hardin Towell Jr.'s O Captain, who closed from last to finish third in the Fountain of Youth at 87-1, breezed five furlongs at Gulfstream in 1:01.14 Saturday morning. The Gustavo Delgado-trained son of Carpe Diem, who broke his maiden at first asking and finished third in the Limehouse in his two prior starts, is being pointed to the Florida Derby.

The post Simplification Gets Easy Breeze At Gulfstream appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Forbidden Kingdom, an early favorite for the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby and a leading contender for the G1 Runhappy Santa Anita Derby on April 9, missed a scheduled work Friday for that race due to a minor temperature.

“He had a slight temperature at the end of the morning yesterday,” Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella said Friday from Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif., where Forbidden Kingdom is stabled. “It's down today and his bloodwork is good, so we're hoping it passes quickly.”

A 3-year-old son of 2015 Triple Crown champion American Pharoah, Forbidden Kingdom was a front-running daylight winner of his last two starts, the G2 San Vicente Stakes at seven furlongs on Jan. 29 and the G2 San Felipe Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on March 5.

The missed workout would have been Forbidden Kingdom's first breeze since the San Felipe.

Owned by MyRacehorse and Spendthrift Farm LLC, the chestnut colt earned $240,000 for his San Felipe victory, in addition to 50 qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby on May 7.

The post Forbidden Kingdom Misses Scheduled Breeze Due To ‘Slight Temperature’ appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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