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

Soaring Empire to take shot in Florida Derby

By Mike Welsch

Soaring Empire, an impressive seven-furlong allowance winner here earlier in the meet, has tossed his hat in the ring for next Saturday's Grade 1 Florida Derby, said trainer Cam Gambolati.

Soaring Empire, a son of Empire Maker, is owned by Rick Pitino's Ol Memorial Stable and Clinton Glasscock. Soaring Empire has won 2 of his 3 starts, with his lone loss a third-place finish in the Grade 3 Iroquois at Churchill Downs in his 2-year-old finale.

"We've weighed the options and decided to go ahead and give him a chance," said Gambolati. "His race here was very good to win after getting nailed at the start. I know we're a little behind the eight-ball, but they only get one chance."

Soaring Empire is scheduled to have his final work for the Florida Derby on Sunday morning at Palm Meadows.

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.

Horse Racing

Motion poised for a big day

By Steve Andersen

Santa Anita Posted 3/2/2010, 3:30 pm


ARCADIA, Calif. - Saucey Evening and Smart Seattle may provide trainer Graham Motion with a breakthrough day at Santa Anita on Thursday.

Motion's small California stable has had one win from 12 starters this winter, but he could have a winner, or two, on Thursday for owner George Strawbridge's Augustin Stable.

"It's been a little bit of a frustrating meeting, more than anything getting the right distances," Motion said by phone earlier this week from the East Coast. "Hopefully, we'll get a shot on Thursday."

Saucey Evening, the champion California-bred 2-year-old filly of 2008, has drawn the rail in the second race, an allowance over 1 1/16 miles on the synthetic main track. The $52,000 race will be her first start since a sixth in the Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf over 1 1/8 miles on Jan. 30. That distance may have been beyond her reach, Motion said.
"I think, in retrospect, it was a bit of a stretch," Motion said. "Hopefully, we can get a good handle on her."

A winner of 4 of 13 starts and $354,939, Saucey Evening won the Starine Stakes over a mile on turf at Hollywood Park last December and was third in the Cascapedia Stakes over seven furlongs on the synthetic track here last October.

"We want to get her in a conservative spot," Motion said of Thursday's race. "She seems to be training well. I think the Hollywood Park race is much more a true bearing of her ability."

Saucey Evening races from off the pace and must catch Lady Alex, who has won three of her last four starts and is expected to be favored.

Thursday's seventh race over 1 1/16 miles will be Smart Seattle's first start on a synthetic track since a second in the Jessamine Stakes at Keeneland in October.

Smart Seattle was fourth as the 2-1 favorite in an optional claimer over a mile on turf here Jan. 29 under jockey Rafael Bejarano, her first start since a ninth-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf in November.
"I thought Rafael had nowhere to go in the last quarter-mile," Motion said. "I thought it was a very competitive race as well."

Motion also has Zilva, seventh in the BC Juvenile Fillies last November, in Thursday's seventh race, but said she could be scratched in favor of Saturday's Santa Anita Oak.

Horse Racing

SANTA ANITA, Calif. (AP) -Blame the Wine beat Be Driven by a half-length Thursday in the $48,800 optional claiming feature at Santa Anita.

Ridden by Omar Berrio, Blame the Wine covered 7 furlongs in 1:23.28 and paid $6, $3.40 and $2.20 as the 2-1 second choice. Be Driven returned $5.40 and $3, while 6-5 favorite A Clever Ten paid $2.10 to show.

The victory, worth $28,800, increased Blame the Wine's earnings to $97,360.

Midnight Rage opened a 6-length lead down the backstretch and entered the stretch ahead by 2 before faltering. Berrio drove Blame the Wine between horses in the closing stages to win.



Sportsbook Horse Results

Horse Racing

Churchill Downs Posted 2/25/2010

Kentucky Oaks has 143 nominations

She Be Wild and Blind Luck are among the 143 fillies nominated to the 136th Kentucky Oaks, set for April 30 at Churchill Downs. The complete list of nominations can be found at churchilldowns.com. Churchill officials said nominations to the May 1 Woodford Reserve Turf Classic were to be released Friday.

Horse Racing

February 23 2010
From the AP wire:

Bob and Todd's excellent adventures carry on after a winning weekend in Kentucky Derby prep races.

The exceptional results leave Bob Baffert and Todd Pletcher training six of the horses in the AP's latest Run to the Roses Top 10 list of Kentucky Derby contenders.

Baffert's Lookin At Lucky remains No. 1 while awaiting his 3-year-old debut in the San Felipe at Santa Anita on March 13. Conveyance won the Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park on Saturday, giving Baffert the No. 3 prospect as well.

Pletcher, meanwhile, hit the trifecta with victories in three Derby preps. Eskendereya romped by 8 1/2 lengths in the Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream Park, Discreetly Mine won the Risen Star by 1 1/2 lengths at the Fair Grounds, and Connemara took the El Camino Real by three-quarters of a length at Golden Gate Fields.

The results leave Pletcher with four top-10 horses - No. 2 Eskendereya, No. 4 Rule, No. 5 Discreetly Mine and No. 9 Connemara.

Baffert has won the Derby three times. Pletcher is 0-for-24, but excited.

``You've got to be excited when they perform like that in these kind of races at this time of year,'' Pletcher said following Eskendereya's second straight win in 2010 and third overall on the dirt. ``I was particularly pleased with the way he finished. I don't think we've ever gotten to the bottom of him.''

The next stop for the chestnut son of Giant's Causeway is likely the Florida Derby on March 20, and then onto Churchill Downs for the Derby on May 1.

Discreetly Mine bounded onto the Derby trail with a wire-to-wire, 1 1/2-length win over Tempted to Tapit in the 1 1-16-mile Risen Star. The son of Mineshaft won for just the second time in seven starts, but is headed next to the Louisiana Derby on March 27.

``I expected him to be on the lead ... and he looked happy galloping along,'' winning rider Javier Castellano said. ``I am very satisfied with the way the race developed.''

Connemara, the 13-10 favorite, rallied from last in the nine-horse field and won the 1 1/8-mile El Camino Real by 1 1/4 lengths - the colt's third win in four starts. Another son of Giant's Causeway, Connemara is likely to run next in the Santa Anita Derby on April 3.

``He's improving with every race and extra distance won't hurt this colt at all,'' winning jockey Russell Baze said.

And then there's Baffert. With Martin Garcia subbing for regular rider Garrett Gomez, 9-5 favorite Conveyance raced to an early lead and held off Dublin by three-quarters of a length in the Southwest Stakes. The gray colt is now 4 for 4 and headed next to the Santa Anita Derby.

The Southwest was rescheduled from Feb. 13, when icy conditions forced a postponement.

New in this week's top 10 are Discreetly Mine, Hutcheson winner D'Funnybone, Connemara and Tempted to Tapit. Out are Buddy's Saint (ninth in the Fountain of Youth after being jostled at the start), Sidney's Candy, American Lion and Lentenor, who ran second in an allowance race at Gulfstream last Wednesday.

Several races Saturday could produce Kentucky Derby prospects: the Sham at Santa Anita, the Borderland Derby at Sunland Park and the John Battaglia Memorial at Turfway Park.
---
Keep an eye on: Buddy's Saint, Caracortado, Noble's Promise, Sidney's Candy, Super Saver.




1. Lookin At Lucky (Bob Baffert, trainer; Garrett Gomez, jockey): 2-year-old champion worked 6 furlongs in 1:15.40 on Monday at Santa Anita ... winner in 5 of 6 starts in 2009 ... only loss was runner-up in BC Juvenile ... Next start: San Felipe (March 13, Santa Anita, synthetic) ... Derby future wager odds: 8-1.
2. Eskendereya (Todd Pletcher, John Velazquez): Romped by 8 1/2 lengths in Fountain of Youth ... 2 for 2 in 2010 ... son of Giant's Causeway is 3 for 3 overall on dirt ... Next start: Florida Derby (March 20, Gulfstream, dirt) ... Odds: 22-1.
3. Conveyance (Baffert, Gomez): Gray colt is 4-for 4 after three-quarter length win in Southwest ... Transition to dirt went smoothly with rider Martin Garcia subbing for Gomez ... Next start: Santa Anita Derby (April 3, Santa Anita) ... Odds: 33-1.
4. Rule (Pletcher, Velazquez): Sam F. Davis winner has four-race winning streak ... Training in south Florida ... Next start: Undecided ... Odds: 24-1.
5. Discreetly Mine (Pletcher, Javier Castellano): Won Risen Star by 1 1/2 lengths ... Son of Mineshaft may have it together after losses to other Derby contenders ... Next start: Louisiana Derby (March 27, Fair Grounds, dirt) ... Odds: 3-2 (mutuel field).
6. Jackson Bend (Nick Zito, Jeremy Rose): Second again, this time in Fountain of Youth ... Game little colt has 5 wins, 3 seconds in 8 starts ... Next start: Florida Derby ... Odds: 27-1.
7. D'Funnybone (Rick Dutrow, Edgar Prado): Won 7-furlong Hutcheson by length ... Dutrow of Big Brown fame back in Derby hunt ... Throw out 13th-place finish in BC Juvenile on synthetics ... Next start: Undecided ... Odds: 3-2 (mutuel field).
8. Dublin (D. Wayne Lukas, Terry Thompson): Solid second in Southwest to kick of 2010 campaign ... Lukas encouraged as he looks for fifth Derby win ... Next start: Rebel (March 13, Oaklawn Park, dirt) ... Derby odds: 20-1.
9. Connemara (Pletcher, Russell Baze): Won El Camino Real Derby by three-quarters of a length ... Still much to prove, but we're talking Pletcher trainee here ... Next start: Santa Anita Derby ... Odds: 3-2 (mutuel field).
10. Tempted to Tapit (Steve Klesaris, David Cohen): Loved gray colt's runner-up effort in Risen Star ... Son of Tapit purchased in '08 for $18,000 ... Next start: Louisiana Derby ... Odds: 3-2 (mutuel field).

Horse Racing