Racing News

Fair Grounds Oaks (gr. II) runner-upFiftyshadesofgold will be pointed to the $175,000 Eight Belles Stakes (gr. III) Friday, May 2 at Churchill Downs instead of the Longines Kentucky Oaks (gr. I).

Dennis "Peaches" Geier, assistant to trainer Bret Calhoun, told Churchill Downs the daughter of My Golden Song   will opt for the Eight Belles, a seven-furlong race for 3-year-old fillies on Friday's Oaks undercard. 

Fiftyshadesofgold's two stakes wins have come in sprints. She won last year's six-furlong Debutante Stakes at Churchill Downs and she opened this season with a clear victory in the seven-furlong Two Altazano Stakes at Sam Houston Race Park. 

Coming into Sunday’s (April 27) $10,000 Koochie Stake at Balmoral Park, all eyes were focused on trainer Dirk Simpson’s star Bailey’s Wish, who dominated the division most of last season. But when all was said and done it was a different Simpson trainee who was toting home top honors as driver John De Long guided Say No Mo to a two length victory in a career best of 1:59.3 at odds of 51-1.

Given a perfect steer by the red-hot De Long, the daughter of Bands Gold Chip-Not So Kosher floated away from post position nine, eventually finding a good early spot in third as High Balance (Casey Leonard) sped away from the gate to lead the field through splits of :30, 1:01 and 1:30.2.

Masterfully securing racing room after a prolonged first over bid by Green Acres (Jon Anderson) came up short, De Long moved his charge into position and the four-time winner in in 2013 responded beautifully, trotting home in a brisk :28.3 to pull off the shocking upset. Lora Lee Breeze (Matt Krueger) parlayed a perfect two-hole trip into a second place check while High Balance held on for third. Bailey’s Wish, the 4-5 favorite of the betting public, made an early break and was never a threat while finishing a distant eighth.

Lightly raced Frost Free Hanover stalked from the pocket, then fired through the Lightning Lane to capture Monday’s (April 21) $33,750 championship of the TSM Photo Bugger Trot for 3-year-old colts and geldings at The Meadows.

Although he won last week on the engine, Frost Free Hanover rated kindly for Tony Hall before his decisive move that put away the leader, Andover The Gold. TheCantab Hall-Free Spirit gelding scored in a career-best 1:56.1, two lengths better than the rallying Jett Star. Upfront Billy Boy was third.

Leslie Zendt, who trains Frost Free Hanover and owns with Bill Zendt, Sig Wolkomir and Fred Kayne, said she worried that he wouldn’t respond well when asked to pass inside.

James Arrison’s homebred Flattering Bea, a stakes winner locally, will hope for a quick early pace when she faces nine other fillies and mares in the $200,000Sugar Maple Stakes at Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races April 19.

The seven-furlong Sugar Maple, which is presented by CANTER Mid-Atlantic, is one of four open stakes on the Saturday evening program highlighted by the $1.5 million Charles Town Classic (gr. II). It is scheduled as race 12 with a post time of 9:45 p.m. EDT.

The first race on the 14-race program is set for 5 p.m. The Classic goes at 10:30 p.m.

Tony Morgan picked up his second five win night of the meet on Tuesday night (April 15) at Rosecroft Raceway.

Morgan won the featured $11,000 Open Pace with Winbak Carl, lighting up the toteboard to the tune of $73.20.

Leaving from post eight, Morgan tucked in fifth as Bad Man Sam (Mike Beaver) sped through fractions of :26.1, :55.4 and 1:23.4 on the sloppy oval. Morgan tipped out past the half and wore down the favorite, scoring in 1:54. Varsity Hanover (Kim Vincent) was second and Star Recruit (Art Stafford, Jr.) was third.

Cammikey powered to the lead at the quarter and romped through the slop to capture his second straight series victory in Tuesday’s (April 15) Visible Gold Pace at The Meadows.

Somesizesomestyle took the other $17,500 division in the event for 3-year-old colts and geldings. The series final is set for Tuesday, April 22.
 
Cammikey won his opening series split with a decisive quarter-pole move and followed the same script Tuesday, scoring for Brian Zendt in 1:54.3. Early leader Mattamerican was second, 3/4 lengths back, with Dealin Dan third. Bill Zendt trains Cammikey, a son of Somebeachsomewhere-Always Cam, for owner/breeder Cam Land LLC.

Yonkers Raceway has announced the purses for both of its ongoing series, the George Morton Levy Memorial and Blue Chip Matchmaker.

The finales, set for Saturday night (April 26) offer antes of $567,000 (Levy) and $371,400 (Matchmaker). The enhanced purses include all starting fees--$1,000 per start in the Levy and $800 for each work night in the Matchmaker.

Waterford Stable's Summer Front will try to win the Miami Mile Handicap (gr. IIIT)for a second straight year when the 5-year-old son of War Front   faces an expected 11 rivals in the turf race for 3-year-olds and older Saturday, April 19 atCalder Casino & Race Course.

Summer Front enters Saturday's race after an off-the-board finish as the 2-1 favorite in the Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap (gr. IT) Feb. 9 at Gulfstream Park. While a grade I victory has eluded Summer Front, he has registered seven career stakes wins at six different tracks, including four graded events.

Trained by Christophe Clement, Summer Front won last year's Miami Mile by 1 1/2 lengths after he rallied from seventh early as the 9-10 favorite.

Ed Mullinax probably would be happy if UF Rockin Dragon turns out to be a little bit like his mother.

A longtime harness racehorse owner, Mullinax campaigned UF Rockin Dragon’s dam, Up Front Dragonfly, and saw her win 28 races and earn $579,718 despite sitting out her 2-year-old season. She was lightly staked, with her most lucrative victory coming in the $100,000 Pennsylvania Sire Stakes championship in 2005. Otherwise, her wins came in the opens and upper level conditioned classes.

“She was probably the best mare I ever had,” Mullinax said. “My trainer didn’t think much of her as a 2-year-old, so she wasn’t eligible to a whole lot. She made her money the hard way.”

Aaron Merriman, Ronnie Wrenn Jr. and Josh Sutton have become today's road warriors of harness racing, piling on the miles to drive horses and produce surprising numbers of winners.

All three have one track in common. They all head to Northfield Park to race on Monday through Thursday, the local track's four-day racing schedule for much of the season. Then it's off to the races somewhere else for the weekend.

"They are all really good guys, good drivers and ambassadors of the sport," said Ayers Ratliff, track announcer and publicist at Northfield Park. "When they're on the road, or have some down time, they tweet about racing, including the horses they'll be driving."

Trainer John Sadler has a threesome set to run in the $100,000 Las Cienegas Stakes (gr. IIIT) on the hillside turf course April 12 at Santa Anita Park, led by recent stakes winner Sky High Gal.

Seven older fillies and mares will contest the Las Cienegas at about 6 1/2 furlongs. The race is the first of two graded stakes on Saturday's program at Santa Anita, and is carded as the fifth race with a 2:30 p.m. scheduled post. Later on the card, older horses battle in the $200,000 Potrero Grande (gr. II) at 6 1/2 furlongs on the main track.

Hronis Racing's Sky High Gal exits a game head victory in her seasonal debut over the downhill course, leading throughout in the restricted Wishing Well Stakes. A four-time winner from seven starts, the 4-year-old daughter of Leroidesanimaux   won last year's listed Blue Norther Stakes and posted a close fourth-place finish in the Sen. Ken Maddy Stakes (gr. IIIT) last November. She is seeking her first graded win with Rafael Bejarano aboard for the first time from post 5.

Joan Dalphon and Elanor Laws’ Don’t Ya Know ($16.60, Allan Davis) won his second straight race on Monday (April 21) with a 7-1 upset in the $17,000 Open Pace on opening day at Harrington Raceway in 1:52.1.

The 4-year-old Western Ideal gelding followed Feel Like A Fool into second-over position on the outside and hit his best stride in the stretch to pass tiring pacesetter Manhattan Rusty N and outkick a bottled up Lollipop Kid, who shook loose late for second, for a one length win. Feel Like A Fool was third.

Trained by Jason Skinner, it was the fourth win of the year for the winner. It was one of five wins on the program for driver Davis.

Kid Cruz, a four-length winner of the March 8 Private Terms Stakes at Laurel Park, takes a step toward a possible Preakness (gr. I) start as the 120-pound highweight in the $100,000 Federico Tesio Stakes April 19 at Pimlico Race Course.

The Kentucky-bred son of Lemon Drop Kid   faces eight sophomore rivals in the 1 1/16-mile Tesio, which also attracted stakes winners Oliver Zip andJoint Custody, as well as unbeatenGround Control. The last of four stakes worth $100,000 apiece on Saturday's Pimlico card, the Tesio is race 10 with a scheduled post time of 5:24 p.m. EDT.

Trained by Linda Rice for owners Vina Del Mar Thoroughbreds and Black Swan Stable, Kid Cruz was scheduled to run in the Wood Memorial Stakes (gr. I) at Aqueduct Racetrack April 5 but was withdrawn a day before the race because of a sore shoulder. He was under consideration for the April 19 Illinois Derby (gr. III) but landed in this spot instead.

Three $15,000 divisions of the Bobby Weiss Series for 3- and 4-year-old fillies and mares were held at a sloppy, snowy Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs on Tuesday night (April 15).

Juddmonte Farms' Emollient, 2-for-2 at Keeneland after notching double grade I wins at the Lexington oval, finds a softer spot in the $100,000 Hilliard Lyons Doubledogdare Stakes (gr. III) Friday, April 18.

The 4-year-old Empire Maker filly earned her two grade I victories at Keeneland in the Central Bank Ashland (gr. I) last spring and the Juddmonte Spinster (gr. I) in the fall, taking the American Oaks (gr. I) at Hollywood Park in between. Only three fillies—Take Charge Lady (2002), Optimistic Gal (1976), and Doubledogdare herself (1956) had accomplished that double.

After her Juddmonte Spinster victory for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, Emollient left Keeneland to run a good fourth in the Nov. 2 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (gr. IT). She made her season debut March 16 in the Santa Ana Stakes (gr. IIT) going 1 1/8 miles on the Santa Anita Parklawn, finishing fourth after pressing the pace.

Dough Dough and Clementine Dream each controlled matters on the front end as heavy favorites to win races in the Bobby Weiss Series at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs on Wednesday night (April 9).

I Like My Boss continued his domination in the Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund 3-year-old male trot class and kept his record perfect on Wednesday (April 9) by winning the third of four $100,000 DSBF finals this week on the penultimate day of the Dover Downs season.

Driver Jonathan Roberts was content to sit back sixth until reaching the backstretch, then he uncorked I Like My Boss and the altered son of Don Boss Vita-Wild One roared to the front and then pulled away for his fourth win of the year. It was his career seventh straight, while winning his second $100,000 DSBF final at Dover Downs in five months, this one an easy 1:57.4 effort. Briefs Or Boxers (Carlo Poliseno) was a game second with Toolbox (Bill Long) coming along for third.

One-time Brandywine driving-champion Bob Shahan trains, co-bred and co-owns I Like My Boss with Jimmy and Ashley Parsons. I Like My Boss has now won $75,000 this year and $145,000 lifetime.