Jockey Ramon Dominguez rode four winners at Aqueduct March 29, including both $100,000 divisions of the New York Stallions Stakes, putting an exclamation point on his record-setting Big A inner dirt track championship.
Graded stakes winner Mayakovsky was represented by his first winner Aug. 20 when his daughter Mine Or Who's won at 1 1/16 miles on grass in 1:43 at Saratoga.
The first reported foal sired by grade III winner Mayakovsky is a filly born Feb. 6 at Anne Morgan and Tim Little's Mill Creek Farm near Saratoga, N.Y.
Graded stakes winner Mayakovsky has been retired from racing for stallion duty at Tim Little and Anne Morgan's Mill Creek Farm
Grade III winner Mayakovsky had his first official workout of 2003 Wednesday, logging five furlongs in :59 4/5 handily at Santa Anita under Tony Farina.
Michael Tabor's Mayakovsky escaped a life-threatening injury in Saturday's $500,000 Barretts/CTBA Turf at Santa Anita.
Longshot Adminniestrator closed powerfully in the stretch to get up by a nose at the wire over Music's Storm in the $500,000 Barretts/CTBA Sunshine Millions Turf Stakes Saturday at Santa Anita.
Patrick Biancone and Fabian Ouaki's grade 1 winner Whywhywhy, who hasn't started since a 10th-place finish in the Bessemer Trust Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I) at Arlington Park Oct. 26, worked an impressive half-mile in :47 1/5, breezing, at Santa Anita Wednesday morning.
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Mayakovsky, a strapping dark bay or brown son of Matty G, raced to a front-running one-length victory in a one-mile turf race at Santa Anita Thursday. After the race, trainer Patrick Biancone proclaimed the Florida-bred 4-year-old on course for the $1 million Sunshine Millions Classic at 1 1/8 miles on the dirt at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 25.
Not the least disheartened by Mayakovsky's ninth-place finish in the seven-furlong Malibu Stakes (gr. I) at Santa Anita on opening day, trainer Patrick Biancone says the 4-year-old Florida-bred is ready to go as he prepares for the $1 million Ocala Breeders' Sales Classic at 1 1/8 miles in the Sunshine Millions at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 25.
Santa Anita kicks off its annual meeting Thursday with an intriguing 11-horse field in the $200,000 Malibu Stakes (gr. I) for 3-year-olds.
Approximately an hour after he became racing's leader in purse money won by a jockey, Pat Day was in a private jet on his way from Saratoga Springs for a riding engagement in the West Virginia Derby at Mountaineer Park. The celebration had to wait.
Trainer Todd Pletcher didn't have any trouble ranking Left Bank's victory in the 75th Whitney Handicap on 5-year-old horse's lengthy list of accomplishments.
Listen Here closed from far back with a rush in deep stretch to claim victory in the $150,000 Amsterdam Stakes (gr. II) for 3-year-olds at Saratoga Park Saturday.
The 7-year-old son of Relaunch is set to defend his title in the $500,000 Sword Dancer Invitational (gr. I) on August 10. Beau's Town, Mayakovsky are ready for stakes tries as well.
More than a handful of stakes hopefuls were spotted at Saratoga.
Gotham Stakes (gr. III) winner Mayakovsky will not start in the inaugural running of the Matt Winn Handicap at Churchill Downs Saturday, but will instead be pointed toward the seven-furlong Riva Ridge Stakes (gr. II) on the Belmont Stakes undercard.
The Michael Tabor-owned pair of Mayakovsky and Shah Jehan were among nine horses entered for the Derby Trial (gr. III), which highlights Saturday's opening day card at Churchill Downs.
Gotham Stakes (gr. III) winner Mayakovsky drilled five furlongs in :58 1/5 Sunday at Churchill Downs as he prepares for Saturday's Derby Trial Stakes (gr. III) at the Louisville track.
Mayakovsky, winner of the Gotham and fourth in the Santa Anita Derby, breezed four furlongs in :47.20 for trainer Patrick Biancone at Churchill Downs on Tuesday.
Starlight Stable's Harlan's Holiday, winner of the Florida Derby (gr. I), breezed four furlongs in :47.60 over a "sloppy" track in his final major training move before a scheduled run in Saturday's Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (gr. I) at Keeneland.
We are well aware that the term 3-year-old analysis this year is an oxymoron. Maybe 3-year-old guesses would be more suitable a title. But the trouper that we are, we will attempt to link the word analysis with 3-year-old and try to make some kind of sense of this weekend's stakes, which actually look crystal clear compared to what is in store for us the following weekend.
"Citgo Racing to the Kentucky Derby," the NTRA-produced series on the ESPN networks, will air a live doubleheader Saturday consisting of the Santa Anita Derby (gr. I) and the Illinois Derby (gr. II). The show will air Saturday from 5-6 p.m. (EST) on ESPN.
Michael Tabor's Gotham Stakes (gr. III) winner Mayakovsky, set to start in Saturday's Santa Anita Derby (gr. I), worked a half-mile in :48 1/5, breezing, over a fast Santa Anita main track Tuesday morning immediately after the renovation break.
U S S Tinosa tuned up for Saturday's Santa Anita Derby (gr. I) with a four-furlong work at Golden Gate Fields Sunday morning. Also working were stablemate Cappuchino, Medaglia d'Oro, Holdthehelm, Jack's Silver, Charioteer, Habibti, and Raven Power. Also, Patrick Valenzuela has been named to ride Mayakovsky in the Santa Anita Derby.
Gotham Stakes (gr. III) winner Maykovsky is definite for the April 6 Santa Anita Derby (gr. I), trainer Patrick Biancone said Saturday, but Royal Gem has been declared from the race due to a quarter crack.
The fields for the major Kentucky Derby preps continue to take shape, leaving the connections of several horses searching for new jockeys for their charges.
Came Home, winner of the San Vicente and San Rafael Stakes this year, worked a sharp six furlongs in 1:13 2/5 in preparation for the April 6 Santa Anita Derby.
Michael Tabor's Gotham Stakes (gr. III) winner Mayakovsky drilled five furlongs in :58 3/5 at Santa Anita Wednesday and is now under consideration for the Santa Anita Derby. Trainer Bobby Frankel may run turf stakes winner Royal Gem in the 1 1/8-mile Kentucky Derby prep.
MAYAKOVSKY
Almost every leading contender for the Kentucky Derby (gr. I) is among the 102 3-year-olds nominated to the 78th running of the $750,000Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (gr. I) to be run on Saturday, April 13 during Keeneland's spring meeting.
As usually happens in a year like this, a second wave hit the beach this past weekend, bringing with it some new goodies, while washing some of the old deposits out to sea.
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Both coming off extended layoffs, Mayakovsky outruns Saarland in the Gotham.
Bettors at Aqueduct on Sunday will basically be clueless when it comes to wagering on the one-mile Gotham Stakes. The two overwhelming favorites in the field of seven, Saarland and Mayakovsky, not only will be making their first start of the year, they have absolutely nothing in common.
Michael Tabor's Mayakovsky, who will represent the West Coast Triple Crown hopefuls in Sunday's $200,000 Gotham S. (gr. III) at Aqueduct, was put through his final preparations for the one-mile event with a bullet half-mile work in :46, breezing, over Santa Anita's main track on Tuesday.
Trainer John Sadler said San Rafael Stakes fifth-place finisher Pelirrojo will miss two to three months of training after coming out of the race with a "hot knee," rendering the 3-year-old son of Flying Continental off the Kentucky Derby trail.
The $200,000 Gotham Stakes, to be run Sunday March 17, could draw a talented group of 3-year-olds from different parts of the country, including two big-name colts from last year who will be making their 3-year-old debut. Coming up from Florida will be Remsen winner Saarland, who was unable to get a 7-furlong allowance race at Gulfstream to fill on three occasions.
Mayakovsky, who broke Saratoga's 5-furlong track record in his career debut before finishing second to Came Home in the Hopeful Stakes, displayed some of that blazing speed Thursday morning, working 6 furlongs in a bullet 1:10 4/5 at Santa Anita.
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Trainer Juan "Paco" Gonzalez shipped Came Home to Saratoga to avoid running against Officer and the gambit proved successful Saturday when Came Home drew off to a two-length victory in the $200,000 Hopeful Stakes. The winning time of 1:21.94 marks the fastest running of the Hopeful at its present distance of seven furlongs.
Mayakovsky made a spectacular racing debut when he sped 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:03 1-5 in Wednesday's third race at Saratoga, breaking a 55-year-old track record.
