Horse Racing News

Trainer Tim Ice returned to the scene of his greatest successes Thursday when he arrived at Belmont Park with seven of his horses who had wintered at Oaklawn Park. Unfortunately, none of those horses was named Summer Bird.

The perfection that Tuscan Evening has displayed with three stakes wins this year has gone to her head.

In the late going of Friday's Grade 3 Doubledogdare Stakes at Keeneland, tire tracks from the starting gate posed more of a challenge to victorious Haka than her four opponents.

Gone Astray had quite a lucrative 3-year-old campaign avoiding the heavyweights of the division, banking nearly $800,000. The bulk of that bankroll came from his 9 1/4-length victory in the $1 million Pennsylvania Derby.

Trainer Marty Wolfson said he took away Matchless Orinda's most potent weapon -- her speed -- when he attempted to stretch her out to a mile in the Grade 3 Sabin Stakes at Gulfstream in February.

Sweet Goodbye, riding a three-race winning streak that includes the Grade 2 Barbara Fritchie Handicap, already was a solid contender in Saturday night's $250,000 Sugar Maple Stakes at Charles Town.

Wesley Ward has never run a horse in the Kentucky Derby, but that prospect seemed ever closer after Pleasant Prince finished second four weeks ago in the Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park.

Belmont Park in New York should be a prime candidate for the 2011 Breeders' Cup and part of a permanent three- or four-track rotation for the event, Belmont officials said in a letter sent to Breeders' Cup board members Thursday.

The spring meet at Keeneland has coincided with an unofficial comeback tour for graded stakes winners trained by Jonathan Sheppard.

The plan for Bourbon Bay has gone perfectly this year - he is unbeaten in three starts over 1 1/2 miles on turf, including two stakes.