horseracing

A DECISION on the participation of Grands Crus in the Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup in March will not be rushed, according to the seven-year-old's rider Tom Scudamore.

RACING will take place at Uttoxeter on Saturday after the course was deemed fit for racing following an inspection.

Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra and her six-day old colt by fellow dual Horse of the Year Curlin, were taken to the Rood and Riddle Equine Clinic in Lexington, Kentucky, as a precautionary measure after her delivery for pain management related to the birth.

Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas, announced the track's 2012 Spring Thoroughbred Season features 12 stakes, down from 19 in 2011, including two graded stakes, with purses totaling $1.3 million.

I’m going to be on Horse Racing Radio Network’s weekly Equine Forum tomorrow (Saturday)...

Aaaawwww. They're so cute! New mom Rachel and her baby boy. Below is a Stonestreet Farm...

Just as the man without a tie should not be automatically disparaged as a cad – a truth that continues to elude certain racecourses in the 21st century, notably Ascot last weekend – so the jockey who "slides tamely" from his mount must not be treated as a crook.

Hurricane Fly finally resurfaces at Leopardstown tomorrow, albeit in something of a no-win situation.

Champion mare Rachel Alexandra and her six-day old colt by 2007 and 2008 Horse of the Year Curlin, were taken to the Rood and Riddle Equine Clinic in Lexington as a precautionary measure on Friday after her delivery for pain management related to the birth, Stonestreet Farm said in a release. Rachel Alexandra, the 2009 Horse of the Year, has been under the care of Dr. Bonnie Barr, who is ensuring both mother and foal are doing well.

“Rachel has proven to be an extraordinary mother and taking to her feisty colt right away,”  said owner Barbara Banke. “I’m a Rachel-chondriac. We are taking every precaution to ensure that Rachel and her colt are healthy and happy.”

Assuming no unforeseen issues, mother and foal are expected to return to Stonestreet Farm in a couple of days.

Rachel Alexandra delivered the Curlin colt, her first foal, Sunday afternoon at Stonestreet. The bay youngster was 125 pounds at the time of his birth.

Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin wasn't nearly as surprised as the bettors at Aqueduct last November when Consortium swept to victory by nearly five lengths at 13-1 in his debut.

The complexion of Saturday's two turf stakes at Santa Anita has changed considerably since entries were taken, for both morning-line favorites are out. Caracortado, the 4-5 choice in the Sensational Star, is forced to skip the race with a foot problem. Unzip Me, pegged at 5-2 in the Valentine Dancer, will instead contest the $70,000 Wishing Well Stakes on Sunday.

Jay Em Ess Stables et al's Boys at Tosconova continued his comeback in winning fashion on Friday when holding Groupie Doll by three parts of a length in the 4TH race at Gulfstream Park.

Godolphin Racing's promising sophomore Alpha will likely turn in a work for next Saturday's Grade 3, $200,000 Withers Stakes on either Sunday or Monday at Belmont Park.

On a raw, stormy day, Apprehender was like a lightning strike in his debut at Oaklawn Park on Thursday and showed he is a contender for the Grade 3, $250,000 Southwest Stakes on February 20.

I felt pretty good after my two rides on Friday and I'll feel even better when I've had a winner.

Supermare Black Caviar returned to action with an effortless victory in Friday's Group 2 Australia Stakes at Moonee Valley, bringing her career record to a flawless 17-for-17. The world's top-rated sprinter, and Australian Horse of the Year, didn't break a sweat as she treated the overmatched field like a punching bag.

Here is the preview for Sunday’s Grade III Holy Bull Stakes from the Gulfstream Park publicity staff:

Undefeated champion Hansen will get his first litmus test of the year on Sunday as he launches his 3-year-old campaign in Sunday’s Grade III, $400,000 Holy Bull Stakes going a mile at Gulfstream Park.

 

Jockey Ramon Dominguez will be in the irons aboard Hansen for trainer Mike Maker after they teamed up for a stunning wire-to-wire victory by a head over heavy favorite Union Rags in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile  at Churchill Downs on Nov. 5. Owned by Dr. Kendall Hansen and Sky Chai Racing, the handsome son of Tapit will head into the Holy Bull as the 6-to-5 morning line choice against five others. “We’ve had no bumps in the road,” said Maker of Hansen’s training ahead of his return to competition. “Hopefully, that trend continues.”

 

Hansen has never been headed in each of his three starts and won his first two career starts at Turfway Park by a combined 25 1/2 lengths.

 

“It’s no different than a closer. You’re dependant on the pace,” Maker said of the colt’s running style. “You just hope no one makes him go quicker earlier than he has to.”

 

Starlight Stable’s Algorithms leads the cast of challengers who will try and upset the newly-crowned champ.  A son of Bernardini, Algorithms has won both of his career stars, his debut at Belmont Park in June by 5 ¼ lengths and a hard-fought one-length allowance score at 6 ½ furlongs here on Dec. 16. Leading Gulfstream jockey Javier Castellano gets the return call aboard Algorithms, the  5-to-2 choice in the morning line.

  “He’s trained very well,” said Todd Pletcher, trainer of Algorithms.  “His first two races have been excellent, he’s bred to stretch out and we’re optimistic he’s a top-level colt.”

  Godolphin Racing’s Consortium finished a game second as the 4-to-5 favorite to Algorithms in the on Dec. 16, beaten a length, and comes back in the Holy Bull with jockey John Velazquez aboard for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin. The Kentucky homebred is also a son of highly-successful Darley stallion Bernardini and won his only previous start at Aqueduct on Nov. 12 by 4 ¾ lengths.

  Jacks or Better Farm’s homebred Fort Loudon also makes his first start since the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Churchill in which he finished seventh with a wide trip from the far outside post 13, beaten nine lengths for it all by Hansen. Jockey Rajiv Maragh rides Fort Loudon for trainer Stanley Gold. The son of Awesome of Course swept the three ‘open’ divisions of the Florida Stallion Stakes at Calder before the Juvenile.

  Completing the field for the Holy Bull are Lori and George Hall’s My Adonis, Elvis Trujillo; and Mark Bacon’s Silver Max, Julien Leparoux.

Three-time Grade I winner and champion Summer Bird sired his first reported foal on Jan. 26 when a colt was born at Fred Hertrich’s Watercress Farm in Paris, KY.

 

The dark bay or brown colt is out of the Bluegrass Cat mare She Cat, a half-sister to multiple stakes winners including Grade III winner Palmeiro. Watercress Farm is the breeder.

 

On his run to being named the 2009 champion 3-year-old male, Summer Bird joined Easy Goer as the only sophomores ever to win the Belmont Stakes, Travers Stakes and Jockey Club Gold Cup  in the same season, He retired to stud as a multimillionaire after amassing career earnings of $2,323,040.

 

Summer Bird bred 148 mares in his first season at stud in 2011. By Birdstone, Summer Bird is out of the Summer Squall mare Hong Kong Squall, which is the direct family of Tapit. He stands at WinStar Farm for a fee of $15,000 stands and nurses.