Newsletter

Santa Anita Sham Stakes

Davona Dale Stakes

Around the Track

Balmoral and Maywood Harness

Thoroughbred Racing Action

Harness Stakes Action

—————————————————————————————————————————————–

Santa Anita Sham Stakes
Is There A Kentucky Derby Contender Looming?

This Saturday, an evenly matched field of ten has been entered for Saturday’s $150,000 Sham Stakes for three-year-olds at Santa Anita Park. The 1 1/8-mile race on the Pro-Ride synthetic track is a prep for the $750,000 Santa Anita Derby on April 3rd.

The Grade III Sham Stakes lacks a standout and Outlaw Man could earn a spot in another Kentucky Derby prep with a strong effort. Outlaw Man will try a synthetic track and a stakes for the first time for Saturday’s race. Garrett Gomez has the mount on Outlaw Man, although Alex Solis, who was aboard for the maiden win.

Solis has the mount on Alphie’s Bet, who was second in the California Breeders’ Champion Stakes at Santa Anita on December 26th.

Kettle River, who has won his last two races, entered the Sham after missing a week of training because of illness earlier this month. Kettle River in his fourth career start the colt will break from post two with Brice Blanc riding.

Since finishing sixth in his debut race at Saratoga last August, Kettle River has won two straight. He began 2010 with an allowance race victory at Santa Anita on January 6th. Kettle River has earnings of $52,000 coming into his stakes debut. Brice Blanc, who rode Kettle River in both wins, has the call once again.

Trainer Bob Baffert has the likely favorite in The Program, who comes off a first-level allowance victory by a nose going 1 1/16 miles over the track on February. 3rd. He ran fourth, 1 1/2 lengths behind his victorious stablemate Lookin At Lucky, in last December’s CashCall Futurity at Hollywood Park.

The Program, has won two of seven starts and $116,860 for his owners. Martin Garcia, who has been aboard for both of The Program’s victories, retains the mount.

The Florida-bred Nextdoorneighbor comes into the Sham after breaking his maiden at Santa Anita last month. The colt will be ridden by Mike Smith from the far outside post. Nextdoorneighbor began his career last November with a second-place finish at Hollywood Park. He followed that effort with a fourth at Santa Anita on opening day in December. Nextdoorneighbor has earnings of $36,840.

Setsuko has attracted attention after a three-length win over maiden special weight rivals at Hollywood Park in mid-December, and trainer Richard Mandella elected to run him back in a 1 1/8-mile turf allowance at Santa Anita on January 27. Setsuko has raced around two turns in his last five starts with a win, a pair of seconds, and a pair of thirds. Rafael Bejarano retains the mount.

Post-time for the Sham Stakes is scheduled for 7:07 p.m. EST. The Sham is scheduled as the eighth race on a nine-race program.  The full field for the Sham Stakes is below:

PP	Horse	A/S	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer
1	The Program (KY)	3/C	M Garcia	118	B Baffert
2	Kettle River (KY)	3/C	B Blanc	118	E G Harty
3	Straightomidnight (CA)	3/C	O A Berrio	116	A C Avila
4	Outlaw Man (VA)	3/C	G K Gomez	116	K G McPeek
5	Setsuko (KY)	3/C	R Bejarano	116	R E Mandella
6	Wolf Tail (CA)	3/C	C Sutherland	116	D F O’Neill
7	Viva Macho (FL)	3/G	S R Amador	116	M K Cho
8	El Mirage King (KY)	3/C	T Baze	116	M S Han
9	Alphie’s Bet (CA)	3/C	A O Solis	116	A Barba
10	Nextdoorneighbor (FL)	3/C	M E Smith	116	M Machowsky

Davona Dale Stakes
Three Year Olds Fillies Looking to Kentucky Oaks

This Saturday’s Grade II $150,000 Davona Dale Stakes at Gulfstream Park might just produce the 2010 Kentucky Oaks favorite.  A field of eight 3-year-old fillies will run the one turn – one mile race over the Hallandale oval.

The Davona Dale tops a 10-race Saturday program that also includes a pair of Grade 3 stakes for older fillies and mares, the one-mile Sabin on the main track and the 1 3/8-mile The Very One on the grass. The Sabin will feature the local return of the reigning Davona Dale and Bonnie Miss champion, Justwhistledixie.

Headlining the Davona Dale Bickersons, who romped by seven lengths in the Forward Gal Stakes over the same Gulfstream strip on January 31st while soundly defeating champion 2-year-old filly She Be Wild.

Bickersons made four consecutive starts on synthetic surfaces prior to the Forward Gal, including a win in the Moccasin Stakes at Hollywood Park and a fifth-place finish in the Hollywood Starlet while closing out her 2-year-old season the following month. Bickersons, will break from post 4. Trainer Kelly Breen assigned Joe Bravo to ride once again.

Carrying top weight of 122 pounds and one of the likely favorites is Sassy Image, entering off three consecutive stakes wins for trainer Dale Romans. Sassy Image won the Pocahontas at Churchill Downs in November, then came back less than four weeks later to an easy win in the two-turn Golden Rod. Robby Albarado retains the mount.

Making her first start on dirt is Santa Ynez Stakes  winner Amen Hallelujah, who earned her first stakes win in the seven-furlong Santa Ynez after running third in a pair of Grade I races as a 2-year-old. Amen Hallelujah has been shipped in from California last month and The Davona Dale will be her first start on dirt.  Amen Hallelujah took the worst of it at the post position draw, getting the rail for her local debut. Eclipse Award winning rider Julien Leparoux will ride.

Lightly raced but good-looking filly Christine Daae will also garner a lot of support in the Davona Dale who won by nearly nine lengths while breaking her maiden at Gulfstream last month. This will be Christine Daae’s first stakes test. Replacing Bravo in the irons will be veteran rider Corey Nakatani, and they drew post 6.

Also returning from the Forward Gal is runner-up Joanie’s Catch, a 51-1 longshot. Joanie’s Catch has been second in her last three tries, all in stakes company. Joanie’s Catch has finished second in five of her six starts since winning the Brave Raj last fall at Calder.

Paco Lopez has the mount.

Completing the lineup are undefeated Comic Marvel who is undefeated from two career starts following nice maiden and allowance wins, Grade 3-placed Mambo Fever, and Female Drama. Post time is set for 4:43 p.m. EST for Gulfstream’s feature.

Around the Track
Info for the Race Handicapper

Derby Trail

The 3-year-old colt Maximus Ruler will miss the Louisiana Derby, and won’t race again until late spring or early summer, trainer Clark Hanna said Wednesday afternoon.

Maximus Ruler, had been pointed to last Saturday’s Risen Star Stakes after finishing second in the Jan. 23 Lecomte Stakes, but was withdrawn from Risen Star consideration five days before the race with a bruised hoof.

Dryfly is off the Derby trail. Trainer Lynn Whiting said Tuesday the beginning of a stress fracture was diagnosed in the horse’s left knee following his ninth-place finish in the Grade 3, $250,000 Southwest at Oaklawn last Saturday.

Balmoral and Maywood Harness
Tracks Reduce Wager Minimum

Harness fans in Chicagoland and beyond now have the ability to “Bet a little to Win a lot” while wagering on both Balmoral Park and Maywood Park. Both tracks are reducing the wagering minimum on both Trifecta and Superfecta bets.

Balmoral, which already offers 10-cent Superfecta wagering every night and 50-cent Trifecta wagering on Sunday nights, will make the change to offering both wagers on every racing card starting Wednesday, March 3.

The change to 10-cent Superfecta and 50-cent Trifecta wagering will be implemented at Maywood Park starting on Thursday, March 4.

Trifecta pools at Balmoral Park on Sunday night’s have increased since the change was made to go to 50-cent Trifectas.

Thoroughbred Racing Action
Weekend Stakes Action

Both three and four year olds get the lion’s share of the stakes action this weekend. BetAmerica offers all of your Derby and Oaks wanna-bees this weekend. Watch and wager on these stakes races…all on BetAmerica.com.

Friday – February 26

• Delta Downs: Green Oaks, $75,000, 3yo f, 8f.
• Delta Downs: Sportsman’s Paradise, $75,000, 3yo, 8f.

Saturday – February 27

• Fair Grounds: Allen Lacombe Memorial Handicap, $60,000, 4&up, f/m, 8f (turf).
• Gulfstream Park: Davona Dale Stakes – G2, $150,000, 3yo f, 8f.
• Gulfstream Park: Sabin Stakes – G3, $100,000, 4&up, f/m, 8f.
• Gulfstream Park: The Very One Stakes – G3, $100,000, 4&up, f/m, 11f (turf).
• Laurel Park: Miracle Wood Stakes, $50,000, 3yo, 7f.
• Oaklawn Park: Mountain Valley Stakes, $60,000, 3yo, 6f.
• Santa Anita: Sham Stakes – G3, $150,000, 3yo, 9f.
• Sunland Park: Borderland Derby, $100,000, 3yo, 8.5f.
• Tampa Bay Downs: Wayward Lass Stakes, $50,000, 4&up, f/m, 8.5f.
• Turfway Park: John Battaglia Memorial Stakes, $100,000, 3yo, 8.5f.

Sunday – February 28

• Gulfstream Park: Mac Diarmida Stakes – G2, $150,000, 4&up, 11f (turf).
• Santa Anita: Crystal Water Handicap, $100,000, 4&up, 8f (turf).
• Sunland Park: Island Fashion Stakes, $50,000, 3yo f, 8f.

Harness Stakes Action
This Weekend’s Stakes Action

BetAmerica.com still has great harness action from the East Coast to the West Coast, from Canada and the U.S. Watch and Wager on these Harness stakes races this week:

Friday – February 26

• Yonkers: Hopeful, $10,000, 3yo, Filly, Pace

Saturday – February 27

• Yonkers: Hopeful, $10,000, 3yo, C&G, Pace