Articles
Alternation returns in Essex Handicap at Oaklawn
Jennifer Hoyt
Oaklawn Park
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – The last time Oaklawn fans saw Alternation he was closing late to get fifth in the 2011 Arkansas Derby, a race that he seemed destined to win early in the season after two impressive allowance race victories. Pin Oak Stud’s regally bred son of Distorted Humor, now four, returns to Oaklawn ready to redeem himself in Saturday’s $100,000 Essex Handicap where he was installed as the 2-1 morning line favorite and…
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Handicapping
$250,000 up for grabs in Sam F. Davis at Tampa
Ron Correll
Senior Columnist
Tracksideview.com
The 2012 Kentucky Derby trail gets a little more crowded this weekend with the Withers at Aqueduct, the Robert Lewis at Santa Anita and the Sam F. Davis at Tampa Bay Downs. All three races are graded stakes, which is very important when a colt needs graded earnings to fill one of the 20 positions in the starting gate on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs.
Matt Pappis will handicap the…
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View from the Grandstand
Saratoga summer is special for two young interns
Bob Hill
Staff writer
Tracksideview.com
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Many young adults outside the region where Gabriella Brown and Matt Pappis live probably would not appreciate just how special their internships were at Saratoga Race Course this past summer.
If you told most unknowing high school and college students that Matt and Gabi spent the summer in the press box of the Yankees or Red Sox or that they had provided support to the media covering the NFL,…
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Race Results
(Edited Santa Anita Park report)
ARCADIA, Calif. – Scratched from last Sunday’s one mile, $100,000 Valentine Dancer Stakes to run in Friday’s $70,150 Aristotle Purse, La Sombre enhanced her reputation for consistency with a clear-cut victory as the odds-on favorite in the competition for fillies and mares at 6½ furlongs over Santa Anita’s hillside turf course.
Under a vigorous hand ride by Martin Garcia, the 5-year-old California-bred daughter of Unusual Heat defeated 7-2 second-choice Lofty Ambition by 1½ lengths while…
(Edited Gulfstream Park report)
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Emcee came within less than two-fifths of a second of equaling the Gulfstream Park track record for seven furlongs while winning the featured ninth race.
Making the second start of his career, the 4-year-old son of Unbridled’s Song scored by six lengths with a blistering 1:20.83 clocking. The track record for seven furlongs of 1:20.45 was set in 2005 by Mr. Light.
Emcee vied for pacesetting honors with long shot Macarthur Causeway…
Graham Ross
Fair Grounds
NEW ORLEANS, La. – Pop-A-Top LLC’s Raiseanothergator, away alertly and quickly in command, made or forced the pace with William Reed’s Surley throughout the early going but drew off in the stretch run to win Friday’s 16th renewal of the $40,000 South Mississippi Owners and Breeders Stakes at Fair Grounds by 4 1/4-lengths.
Trained by Tom Amoss and ridden by James Graham, Raiseanothergator returned mutuels of $6.20, $2.80 and $2.40, accomplished the six furlongs in…
(Edited Santa Anita Park report)
ARCADIA, Calif. – Don Perico, a 5-year-old gelded son of In Excess, terminated a six-race losing streak when scoring a wire-to-wire victory under leading rider Joel Rosario in Thursday’s $59,750 Black Rock Purse for California-breds at 6½ furlongs over Santa Anita’s hillside turf course.
Rosario, who had ridden Donald J. Valpredo’s homebred throughout the drought, sent Don Perico to a clear lead early in his second try over the unique downhill layout, and he gamely…
Graham Ross
Fair Grounds
NEW ORLEANS, La. – Gainesway Thoroughbreds’ Small Kitchen, reserved just off the pace of the early leaders in Thursday’s $46,000 Fair Grounds feature for maiden sophomore fillies, gained the advantage entering the lane and drew off the rest of the way for a 5 3/4-length score in the six- furlong sprint.
Trained by Mike Maker and ridden by Rosie Napravnik, the Kentucky-bred daughter of Corinthian toured the three-quarter mile distance in 1:10.95, earned the $27,600…
(Edited Gulfstream Park report)
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Jon and Sarah Kelly’s 3-year-old colt Faretti made an auspicious career debut in the fourth race maiden special test at five furlongs on turf, rallying from fifth after a slow start to get up for a nose victory under leading jockey Javier Castellano for trainer Christophe Clement.
A son of Tale of the Cat, Faretti was a $125,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase and paid $8.60 for $2 to win as he was…
Picking Winners
Santa Anita has both the Robert Lewis and Strub Saturday Bob Hill
and Kat Kubik
Staff writers
Tracksideview.com
Race 6, Santa Anita – Robert B. Lewis Stakes G2 – 1 1/16 miles for three-year-olds – post time: 6:05 p.m. EST
The Robert Lewis is the first two-turn Derby prep race to be run at Santa Anita this winter and spring in the lead-up to the first Saturday in May. All but New Mexico invader Isn’t He Clever (1) is based in California. The Robert Lewis will be…
Race Preview
Alpha will try to take big step Saturday in Withers at Aqueduct 
Jenny Kellner
NYRA/Aqueduct Racetrack
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – On the first Saturday in May, only 20 hopefuls will get to line up in the starting gate for the Kentucky Derby. On Saturday afternoon at Aqueduct Racetrack, seven 3-year-olds will try to take a big step on the road to the Derby in the 132nd running of the Grade 3, $200,000 Withers.
“The Withers is an important race because it’s graded and you don’t get to run in the Derby…
Racetrack Reports
State of Play fit and ready for season debut in Sam F. Davis 
(Edited Tampa Bay Downs report)
OLDSMAR, Fla. – Assistant trainer Heather Craig doesn’t care if anyone thinks Grade II winner State of Play looks fat. When she saddles the colt for his 3-year-old debut in Saturday’s Grade III, $250,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs, she knows she’ll be sending out a fit horse.
Owned by Barry Irwin’s Team Valor International and trained by H. Graham Motion, the connections of 2011 Kentucky Derby winner and Eclipse champion Animal…
Iron Maidens
El Padrino steps on Derby trail with allowance win at Gulfstream 
(Edited Gulfstream Park report)
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – The Todd Pletcher-trained El Padrino stamped himself as a horse to watch on the road to the Kentucky Derby Saturday at Gulfstream Park with an emphatic two-length victory over a field of talented 3-year-olds in the seventh race.
The son of Pulpit ($7.20) settled in fourth under jockey Javier Castellano along the backstretch run of the 1 1/16mile allowance before kicking in through the stretch to win comfortably.
“He’s a nice colt.…
NTRA Releases
Thoroughbred retirement group unveils N.Y. retraining program NYRA release
Organizations from every corner of the Thoroughbred industry have come together to support a new program created by the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation to develop second careers for horses racing at New York Racing Association tracks. The program, forged from a $225,000 start-up grant from the Harriet E. Pfleger Foundation, will provide rehabilitation and retraining for as many as 100 horses a year. NYRA, the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association and The Jockey Club, as well as the New…
Trainers and Jockeys
Prado a frequent visitor to Gulfstream winner’s circle again (Edited Gulfstream Park report)
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Edgar Prado has been making the most of his opportunities during the 2011-2012 meeting at Gulfstream Park, having already visited the winner’s circle on five more occasions than he did during the entire 2011 meeting.
The Hall of Fame jockey, who has ridden the winner’s of 6,523 races and $237 milion in purses, had somehow experienced a startling slow-down in business the past few years, particularly last year at Gulfstream when he…
