Horse Racing - Pletcher contingent hits track

Pletcher contingent hits track


By Marty McGee

Trainer Todd Pletcher had all seven of his potential Kentucky Derby starters on the track at Churchill Downs on Wednesday morning, including the filly Devil May Care, who is now under consideration for both the Derby and Kentucky Oaks.

Pletcher remained uncommitted as to both her status and that of two of his other 3-year-olds, Interactif and Discreetly Mine. They are among the top 20 horses on the graded earnings list but were described as still being "on the bubble" by their trainer after training on Wednesday.

"Right now we're preparing everybody as if they might run in the Derby," said Pletcher. "They all have enough earnings to get into the race, but some will have to have key works this weekend to earn their way into the race."

Wednesday marked the first local appearance of Eskendereya, who is just about everybody's favorite to win the Derby. Eskendereya galloped an easy 1 1/4 miles after the renovation break.

"He galloped exactly the way I expected him to this morning," said Pletcher. "He was curious and looking around, but he got over the ground well."

Pletcher said he was also pleased what he sees from Super Saver.

"He takes to this track better than anywhere, but like all of these horses, we'll know more after they work this weekend," said Pletcher.

Pletcher also said no decision regarding whether Devil May Care might run in the Derby or Oaks would be made until after her next work.

"She's had the benefit of working with some of these other good 3-year-olds in my barn this winter, and I know she can stick with them, and I'm also confident she'll like a mile and one-quarter and even a mile and one-half," Pletcher said.

Horse Racing - Careless Jewel

Careless Jewel won't duck Rachel


By Marty McGee

LEXINGTON, Ky. - No, Josie Carroll isn't monitoring every move that Rachel Alexandra makes, but she does have more than a passing interest in where the superstar filly shows up next.

That's because Carroll intends to have Careless Jewel make her 4-year-old debut at Churchill Downs on the April 30 Kentucky Oaks undercard in the Grade 2, $400,000 La Troienne Stakes, a race often mentioned as a possible next start for Rachel Alexandra.

"You're always looking for the easiest spot you can find for your horses," said Carroll, who trains Careless Jewel for the Donver Stable of Donna and Vern Dubinsky. "There's nothing easy about Rachel. But we are pointing to the La Troienne whether or not she goes."

Owner Jess Jackson has been coy about his immediate plans for Rachel Alexandra, the 2009 Horse of the Year who was second at 1-20 in her only start this year, the March 13 New Orleans Ladies. Rachel Alexandra has had two workouts since shipping to Churchill late last month and is scheduled for another one Monday.

Careless Jewel, unraced since finishing last as the favorite in the Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic last fall, was scheduled to work Saturday over the Polytrack at Keeneland as she continues to progress toward the 1 1/16-mile La Troienne. Julien Leparoux will have the mount on Careless Jewel for the first time, said Carroll.

"Everything seems to be falling into place for her," said Carroll. "After the La Troienne, we'd just have to see what happens and make plans from there."

Prior to her disappointing Breeders' Cup effort, Careless Jewel won five straight races, most notably the Grade 2 Delaware Oaks and Grade 1 Alabama in huge romps.

Among the other 24 fillies and mares nominated to the La Troienne is Zardana, winner of the New Orleans Ladies.

Horese Racing - Zenyatta

Zenyatta loving Oaklawn's dirt
By Jay Privman

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Although she has trained and raced almost exclusively on synthetic surfaces, being based in Southern California, Zenyatta ran one of the best races of her life here at Oaklawn Park two years ago in the Apple Blossom, and she went around the main track Thursday morning as if reunited with an old friend.

"She was bouncing on the track," said her exercise rider, Steve Willard, after Zenyatta took a one-lap gallop on the one-mile track. "She loves real dirt. She was happy as a pig in pie."
Zenyatta is scheduled to go for her 16th straight win, without a defeat, in the Apple Blossom on Friday.
Zenyatta's owners, Jerry and Ann Moss, were at the track on Thursday morning and were part of a large contingent that followed Zenyatta to the track for her routine gallop shortly after the mid-morning renovation break. Her presence was noted by the local horsemen, who lined the bridle path leading to the track to get a glimpse of the champion mare.
Jerry Moss said Zenyatta will travel quite a bit this year.
"Our focus is on the Breeders' Cup, as it has been the last two years," he said. "We'll be happy to show up at Churchill Downs. We want to let everybody see her. We're proud of her. She's a star."

Horese Racing - Zenyatta

Zenyatta takes a spin around Oaklawn oval

By Jay Privman

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Zenyatta on Wednesday morning took her first tour of the Oaklawn Park main track since her arrival 24 hours earlier, making one lap around the one-mile dirt oval with her regular exercise rider, Steve Willard.

Zenyatta went out shortly before the 8:30 a.m. renovation break, earlier than she usually trains at home at Hollywood Park. Both Willard
and Zenyatta's trainer, John Shirreffs, said they went early because of threatening weather in the area on Wednesday morning, which was forecast to worsen as the day went on.
"She handled everything great," Willard said.

When Zenyatta went to the track, only a misty drizzle was falling. There are thunderstorms forecast for Wednesday afternoon, but the
National Weather Service is predicting gorgeous weather the rest of the week, with a high temperature of 71 degrees on Friday, when the unbeaten Zenyatta will attempt to go 16-0 in the Apple Blossom.

Zenyatta won the Apple Blossom two years ago. That is her only prior start on dirt. Wednesday marked the first time she had been on dirt since last May at Churchill Downs, when she arrived there for an intended 2009 debut in a race from which she was subsequently scratched because of a sloppy track.

Horse Racing - Eskendereya

Eskendereya has tools of classic winner


By David Grening

Let others speculate how many horses trainer Todd Pletcher will bring to this year's Kentucky Derby. As far as Pletcher is concerned, it's not about quantity, it's about quality.

"Hopefully, we show up with one and with the right one," said Pletcher, who still seeks his first Derby trophy after having gone winless with 24 starters in nine previous attempts.

Given the results of the early Derby prep races and with several more preps remaining, it's not inconceivable that Pletcher could have as many as seven starters in the Churchill Downs starting gate on May 1.

Though Pletcher could never publicly rank his Derby prospects - which alphabetically include Aikenite, Discreetly Mine, Eskendereya, Interactif, Mission Impazible, Rule, and Super Saver - he said Tuesday that Eskendereya belongs at the top of any national list of prospects, behind only Lookin At Lucky, the 2009 juvenile champion.

Both horses will run this weekend, with Eskendereya starting in the $750,000 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct and the Bob Baffert-trained Lookin At Lucky in the $750,000 Santa Anita Derby.

Pletcher believes Eskendereya has all the tools to be effective in the Triple Crown races, which start with the Kentucky Derby at 1 1/4 miles and conclude with the Belmont Stakes at 1 1/2 miles.

"The one thing that we've been very confident in all along is he wants to run the distances of the classic races," Pletcher said. "I don't see a mile and a quarter or even a mile and a half being a problem. He has natural stamina, he's physically a strong horse. He holds up to his races."

Zayat

Zayat wears his heart on his sleeve

By Glenye Cain Oakford

LEXINGTON, Ky. - You couldn't make up a better story. Thoroughbred owner Ahmed Zayat, pursued by his bank for allegedly defaulting on $34 million in loans, files for bankruptcy and cheats the bank's attempt to take over his 200-horse stable, then turns up with Eskendereya, a hot prospect for the Kentucky Derby.
It's the kind of melodrama that's made Zayat one of Thoroughbred racing's most intriguing and controversial owners. He's also highly successful. A 47-year-old Egyptian entrepreneur, Zayat got into the game in 2005 and is North America's second-leading owner by earnings. He was among North America's top three leading owners in 2007 and 2009. Ask people who know him how they would describe Zayat, and the word you'll hear most often is "passionate." That's frequently followed by "tough," meant in both senses: strong but also potentially difficult to deal with.
Zayat, who resides in Teaneck, N.J., has countersued Fifth Third over their $34 million lawsuit. In interviews he's described the bank and its associates as "very bad people" trying to push him to financial ruin.

"My goal was to rise to the highest level of the sport by having the best-bred and best-raised horses, and I was going to commit a lot of my funds," Zayat said of his entry into racing. "And I put in a lot of money, tens of millions of dollars. People are mistaken about what happened to me. I was a very good businessman and still am. What happened to me financially was not a failure of Zayat Stable, it was a failure of the market. And there's a huge difference."

Eskendereya (pronounced es-ken-DARE-ee-uh) could make some of those problems fade. He is slated to run in the April 3 Wood Memorial in his final prep for the Derby. He cost Zayat $250,000 at the 2008 Keeneland September yearling sale, but his value jumped into the millions after his 8 1/2-length victory in the Feb. 20 Fountain of Youth. Rumored suitors have included Stonestreet Stables owner Jess Jackson and International Equine Acquisitions Holdings, but Zayat won't name names.

Bloodstock experts generally value Eskendereya, who is by Giant's Causeway, at $6 million to $8 million. The price would jump with a Wood victory, a Derby win, or, better yet, the Triple Crown. Horses with Derby chances still command top dollar, but a hard fall in prices for stallion prospects means Eskendereya would be a harder sell after the Triple Crown, unless he keeps winning and becomes a must-have for stud farms.

Dubai World Cup

D'Etat to run in Dubai World Cup

Racing: Vision D'Etat has been given the green light to run in today's Dubai World Cup (5.45pm Irish time).

The Eric Libaud-trained five-year-old had been a slight doubt for the race after Emirates Racing Authority officials called for the horse to be examined this morning.

Vision D'Etat has, however, now been passed fit for the $10million showpiece at Meydan.

Gerard Bush, chief steward of the Emirates Racing Authority, said today: "The Emirates Racing Authority today examined Vision D'Etat, trained by Eric Libaud, who is declared for race eight at Meydan on the 27th of March 2010.

"The horse has been passed fit by the veterinary officer and is deemed suitable to race."

Vision D'Etat, four times a Group One scorer, is favourite to win the race with several British bookmakers.

Horse Racing - D. Wayne Lucas

Lukas trio headed for Turfway
By Mary Rampellini

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas has his best 3-year-old crop in years wintering at Oaklawn Park, with top seeds Dublin and Tidal Pool training toward starts in next month's Arkansas Derby and Fantasy Stakes. The barn will also be active in 3-year-old stakes on March 27, with a trio of promising young horses headed to Turfway Park.

Lukas said he plans to send Northern Giant to the Kentucky track for the Grade 2, $500,000 Lane's End; Activity Report for the $100,000 Rushaway; and Absinthe Minded for the Grade 3, $125,000 Bourbonette.

"Calvin Borel's going to ride them all," he said.

Northern Giant last raced on Feb. 20 when he was third in the Grade 2, $300,000 Risen Star at Fair Grounds. Prior to that race, he was an 11-length maiden special weight winner at Oaklawn on Feb. 4.

Activity Report was a first-level allowance winner around two turns at Oaklawn on Jan. 16. He then shortened up and finished third to Comedero in the $60,000 Mountain Valley at six furlongs Feb. 27.

Absinthe Minded just missed in a first-level allowance March 4.

Horse Racing

Zenyatta still perfect
By Steve Andersen


ARCADIA, Calif. - Zenyatta displayed her brilliance, and continued perfection, in Saturday's $250,000 Santa Margarita Handicap at Santa Anita, extending her winning streak to 15 races.
In her first start since a historic win in the Breeders' Cup Classic here in November, Zenyatta used her customary come-from-behind style to win the Santa Margarita by a comfortable 1 1/4 lengths over 51-1 Dance to My Tune.
To remain unbeaten after 15 starts, jockey Mike Smith improvised through the final quarter-mile. Instead of bringing Zenyatta to the outside, where she has typically rolled home past her overmatched rivals in the last few years, Smith guided the 6-year-old mare through traffic and reached the front just past the sixteenth pole.
Smith did not strike Zenyatta with his whip. He did not need to.
"I wish I could say I contributed," Smith said. "I might have done a little steering, but that was about it."
The victory put Zenyatta on course for the Apple Blossom Handicap at Oaklawn Park on April 9, where she may face the 2009 Horse of the Year, Rachel Alexandra. Minutes before Zenyatta's win, Rachel Alexandra was beaten in her 2009 debut in the New Orleans Ladies by Zardana, who like Zenyatta is trained by John Shirreffs.
In the Grade 1 Santa Margarita, Zenyatta ($2.60) ran 1 1/8 miles in 1:48.20, while carrying top weight of 127 pounds.
She was last in a field of eight to the final turn, when Smith guided Zenyatta inside of Pretty Unusual and began closing ground. Zenyatta had moved past the back of the field and into fifth place with a furlong remaining. Extending her stride through the stretch, Zenyatta quickly closed on leader Dance to My Tune and reached the front when Smith guided her to the outside of that mare before the sixteenth pole.
The style of the win left Shirreffs stunned.
"Isn't it amazing?" Shirreffs said. "I have so much faith in Mike. When you have a big X on your back, things don't always happen. You find yourself in places in races you need to get away from."
Dance to My Tune, the longest shot in the field, set fractions of 23.88 and 47.69 seconds and ran on late to finish second, a nose in front of Floating Heart. Trained by Jerry Hollendorfer, Dance to My Tune was sixth in the minor Wishing Well Handicap on Feb. 12.
"When [Zenyatta] was blocked, we had a chance, but it didn't last very long," said Hollendorfer's assistant, Dan Ward. "She couldn't have run better - couldn't ask for more than that."
Floating Heart ran credibly, considering she seemed agitated in the saddling enclosure, where hundreds of fans were watching Zenyatta's every move.
Floating Heart, trained by Todd Pletcher, was third in the Grade 2 La Canada Stakes for 4-year-old fillies here on Feb. 14.
"I think we needed to be realistic," said Pletcher's assistant, Michael McCarthy. "This is what we were hoping for. It's nice to finish within two lengths of [Zenyatta]."
Zenyatta earned $150,000, improving her career earnings to $5,624,580.
"She's a super athlete," Shirreffs said. "She can do it all. How are you going to be better than perfect?"
Despite the drama through the stretch, Smith is convinced that Zenyatta was not fully extended in the Santa Margarita.
"I wanted her to have an easy race, her first race back and carrying 127," he said. "I don't know what to say," Smith said. "I'm her biggest fan, and I have the best seat in the house."
"I think she'll get something out of it. She wasn't really tired at all. It's as easy of a race as she's had. It's just phenomenal."

(p.s. I took Zenyatta and matched her with a 50-1 shot for an exacta in this race and won a nice bunch of change. I got the tip from Sportsbook.com)

Horse Racing

Zayat cleared to race in California

By Matt Hegarty

Ahmed Zayat, the owner of Zayat Stables and leading Kentucky Derby contender Eskendereya, has been cleared to race in California after questions were raised about Zayat's possible associations with bookmakers, but probes are continuing in both Kentucky and New York, according to racing regulators in the states.

Kirk Breed, the executive director of the California Horse Racing Board, said in a statement Friday that the board did not have sufficient evidence to revoke Zayat's racing license based on a preliminary investigation into the associations.

The questions about the associations were raised after Zayat listed loans he made to Michael and Jeffrey Jelinksy on papers he filed in bankruptcy court. The Jelinsky brothers pleaded guilty to felony charges of illegal bookmaking in early 2009.

The court papers said that Zayat loaned $155,000 to Michael Jelinksy in November 2006 and loaned $455,000 to Jeffrey Jelinksy in September 2007. The brothers did not repay the loans. In addition, the court papers listed two smaller loans to members of the Jelinksy family in late 2007 and early 2008.

Zayat has said that he loaned the money to the family members because they were struggling financially. He said that he believed that Michael and Jeffrey Jelinsky were gambling on horses professionally in Las Vegas when he made the loans, and he has disputed that he knew the brothers were operating a bookmaking business.

In his statement, Breed said that CHRB investigators had determined that Zayat made the loans prior to the convictions. "Therefore, we can't see any reason to pull the license of Mr. Zayat," Breed said. "As more information becomes available, we will certainly look into it."

In Kentucky and New York, however, racing regulators said on Tuesday that their investigations into the matter were ongoing.

Joe Mahoney, a spokesman for the New York State Racing and Wagering Board, said that New York's rule prohibits racing licensees from associating with any bookmakers, regardless of whether the bookmakers have been convicted.

"The assertion that the person made the loans prior to the bookmaker being convicted does not obviate the need to conduct a thorough and complete review," Mahoney said.

Lisa Underwood, the executive director of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, said that investigators for the commission have talked to various state and federal authorities and have conducted an interview with Zayat's attorney.

"We are still gathering information, so the inquiry remains open," Underwood said. She also said that the California determination would not have a bearing on Kentucky's investigation because of different standards in state rules on the associations of licensees.

Horse Racing

Lukas brings Wow Wow Wow for Gotham
By David Grening

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - There have been limited sightings of D. Wayne Lukas-trained horses during Aqueduct's winter meeting the last few years. But with the chance to get a 3-year-old on the Triple Crown trail, Lukas has shipped Wow Wow Wow to New York for Saturday's Grade 3, 250,000 Gotham Stakes.

Wow Wow Wow, owned and bred by Saratoga socialite Marylou Whitney, was one of 10 nondescript 3-year-olds entered for the Gotham, which offers $150,000 in graded stakes earnings and is also a stepping-stone to the Grade 1 Wood Memorial to be run here on April 3. Wow Wow Wow has won 2 of 7 starts for Lukas, who has not run a horse over the inner track since Dec. 7, 2007.

Peppi Knows, who won the Whirlaway here on Feb. 6, is one of only two stakes winners entered in the field set to contest 1 1/16 miles around two turns over the inner track. Turf Melody is the other.

In his only stakes try, Wow Wow Wow finished eighth of 12 in the Smarty Jones Stakes at Oaklawn Park on Feb. 13. Lukas said the colt was hampered by starting from post 12 and "never got untangled that day." Wow Wow Wow, a son of Broken Vow, came back with a front-running victory in a first-level allowance from post 10 at Oaklawn on Feb. 13.

"He's really getting better. He's one of those that around this time of year is getting the idea what he's supposed to," Lukas said. "He's a strong, big, powerful-running horse."

For the third straight race, Wow Wow Wow was saddled with the extreme outside in the 10-horse Gotham, but his speed may allow him to overcome that draw. Corey Nakatani has the call.

Lukas has never won the Gotham. Since 1985, he is 0 for 10 - he started two horses in 1990 - with his best finish being Pancho Villa, second in 1985 as the even-money favorite.

"We're due," Lukas said.

One of the surprise entrants in the Gotham was Three Day Rush, who finished third in the Whirlaway and who was initially being pointed to the Fred "Cappy" Capossela going six furlongs. His connections are willing to give Three Day Rush, a son of Harlan's Holiday, another shot around two turns.

From the rail out, the Gotham field is: Three Day Rush, Yawanna Twist, Nacho Friend, Awesome Act, I've Got the Fever, Peppi Knows, Shrimp Dancer, Turf Melody, Afleet Again, and Wow Wow Wow.

The Gotham is one of three stakes on an 11-race Saturday card that begins at 1 p.m. Eastern. The card also includes the Grade 3, $100,000 Toboggan for older sprinters and the $65,000 Capossela Stakes for 3-year-old sprinters.

The late pick four, which has a guaranteed pool of $250,000, will be held on races 8 through 11.