Horse Racing News on March 2, 2011

Jockey Martin Pedroza won the Santa Anita Handicap in his first try on the longshot Martial Law in 1989 and has spent the last two decades trying to duplicate the feat.

While Mucho Macho Man will skip the 1 1/8-mile Florida Derby, trainer Rick Dutrow said there is a chance that Flashpoint could make his two-turn debut in the Grade 1 fixture.

Stay Thirsty will try to step out of the shadow of his more heralded stablemate Uncle Mo and step onto the Triple Crown trail when he heads a field of nine entered to run in Saturday's Grade 3, $250,000 Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct.

Mucho Macho Man, winner of the Grade 2 Risen Star, will return to Fair Grounds to have his final Kentucky Derby prep in the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby on March 26.

Square Face, an unraced 3-year-old, was euthanized as a result of injuries suffered in a morning workout at Santa Anita on Wednesday, the 11th horse lost because of injuries or accidents in training or racing on the sand-and-clay main track.

Breeders' Cup will cap the number of players who can participate in a $10,000 buy-in handicapping tournament held in conjunction with the November event at 125 this year, up from 120, the organization announced on Wednesday.

Starting the rapidly improving Kilograeme over 1 1/16 miles for the first time in Saturday's $250,000 Santa Anita Oaks against a highly talented field is not a concern, trainer Mike Mitchell insists.