Horse Racing News

Winter Memories, whose explosive turn of foot propelled her to four graded stakes wins last season, including the Grade 1 Garden City, makes her four-year-old debut Saturday in the Grade 3, $150,000 Beaugay at Belmont Park.

An overflow field of 21 passed the entry box the morning of May 2 for the Kentucky Derby May 5. The field for the 138th Run for the Roses is restricted to 20 horses based on graded stakes earnings. Also-eligibles are allowed for the first time this year.

Anita Cauley's On Fire Baby, winner of the Honeybee Stakes in her last start and the 4-1 co-second choice for the May 4 Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs, will break from the rail.

Trainer Larry Jones removed Mark Valeski from Kentucky Derby consideration on Tuesday morning, opening a slot for the D. Wayne Lukas-trained Optimizer, who was waiting on the graded-earnings bubble for several days.

Trainer Mike Harrington called Creative Cause's workout "perfect in my book" after the gray/roan colt covered a half mile in :47 4/5 at Churchill Downs April 30 over a fast track.

Alpha worked a brisk five furlongs in :59.54 April 28 on the Belmont Park training track for his final tune-up heading into the first Saturday in May.

Stonestreet Stables' Hierro broke his maiden over the Churchill Downs main track as a juvenile and returned a winner under the Twin Spires April 28 in the $200,000 The Cliff's Edge Derby Trial.

Chappell Alpine Farm's Hudson Landing is unlikely to be moving away from trainer Blaine Wright anytime soon after a half-length victory in Saturday's Grade 3, $150,000 San Francisco Mile at Golden Gate Fields.

He only defeated three horses in a scratched-filled edition of the $142,500 Westchester Stakes, but To Honor and Serve could not have looked any better in his season debut April 28 at Belmont Park

Endorsement made a name for himself when taking the Grade 3 Sunland Derby by three lengths in 2010 but an injury sidelined the son of Distorted Humor until December 2011.