Feb 16, 2012
Force Freeze Looks to Make the Grade
Gulfstream Park, Florida
For as well as he has run in his career, it’s easy to forget that Force Freeze is not yet a graded stakes winner. The 6-year-old gelding will finally try to change that tag Feb. 18 when he makes his season debut in the $150,000 Gulfstream Park Sprint Championship (gr. II).

The gelding by Forest Camp will face seven in the seven-furlong main track event. Among his top challengers are grade I winner Capt. Candyman Can, recent allowance winner Simba's Story, and the clearly improving 4-year-old Troilus, who has won three straight races in South Florida.
Post time for the Saturday feature is set for 4:45 p.m. EST.
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Feb 5, 2012
Triple Crown Nominations Soar
Union Rags
Headed by 2-year-old champion male Hansen, 397 horses were nominated to the Triple Crown series before the Jan. 21 early nomination deadline, representing a 9.1% increase over the 364 nominated during the early nominating period in 2011.

View a complete, sortable list of the nominees.





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Feb 1, 2012
Mare's battle:
Miami, FL
The Florida SPCA remains guarded over the prognosis for a thoroughbred mare found emaciated and injured in southwest Miami-Dade County on Saturday night.
The charity suspects the mare, identified through her markings as Foolish Treasure, was abandoned.
She continues under treatment at the society's rescue ranch. Her prognosis is guarded, it said.
"The injury to her ankle is old," society president Jeanette Jordan said. "The bones and tendons have become infected."
Foolish Treasure ran her last race at Tampa Bay Downs Racetrack in April 2008 as a three-year-old. "After 2008, she falls off the radar," Jordan said.

She had six starts at Tampa Bay, and her best place was third from a field of 11. According to records Foolish Treasure was trained at the time by Manuel Criollo and owned by Francis Rover. Foolish Treasure was born on May 21, 2005, and is by Running Stag and out of the Fly So Free mare Jill's Zi Zi. More info...

Feb 1, 2012
Game On Dude to go in Sunday's San Antonio
Santa Anita, CA
Game On Dude was less than sixteenth of a mile from winning the Breeders' Cup Classic at Churchill Downs last November when jockey Chantal Sutherland sensed victory.
"I could touch it," she said last weekend at Santa Anita. "It was right there."
Racing firmly on the rail, Game On Dude led by a length. Just when he seemed clear of 11 rivals, Drosselmeyer caught him in the middle of the track, rallying to win by 1 1/2 lengths.
Game On Dude was a clear second, and the loss changed everything. Gone were year-end titles such as Horse of the Year and older male of the year, and Sutherland's chance to be the first woman rider to win America's richest race. More info...

Jan 28, 2012
Boys At Tosconova Takes Gulfstream Allowance
Gulfstream, FL
Boys At Tosconova, a grade I winner at 2, appeared ready to rejoin the stakes ranks Jan. 27 with a game triumph over the filly Groupie Doll in the $51,000 allowance feature at Gulfstream Park (VIDEO).

In winning his third straight allowance race, Boys At Tosconova carried top weight of 123 pounds while defeating five opponents.

“He’s shown up the last three times and it’s time for us to start going in stakes again now,” said trainer Rick Dutrow Jr.
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Jan 28, 2012
TRF Retraining Program Funded by Foundation
New York
The Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation has partnered with the Harriet E. Pfleger Foundation, NYRA, NYTHA, The Jockey Club, Jockey’s Guild, and the Wallkill Correctional Facility to create a program to retire, rehabilitate, and retrain up to 100 Thoroughbreds per year from New York tracks.

With a start-up grant of $225,000 from the Pfleger Foundation and funding commitments from NYRA and NYTHA, the TRF will make significant capital improvements to the current TRF farm at the Wallkill Correctional Facility to accommodate the increased activity

“Every Thoroughbred racehorse should be given a life after retirement,” said Linda Pfleger Edwards, trustee for the Harriet E. Pfleger Foundation. “We are proud that the principals of New York racing have partnered with us and the TRF to make this model program a reality.”

Read more: http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/67193/trf-retraining-program-funded-by-foundation#ixzz1kkeW7OhQ More info...

Jan 26, 2012
Teddy’s Promise seeks continued success in Santa Monica Stakes
Santa Anita, CA
After earning an upset victory at odds of 16.50-to-one in the La Brea Stakes (G1), Teddy’s Promise will not sneak up on her rivals so easily in the $300,000 Santa Monica Stakes (G1) on Saturday at Santa Anita Park.

A field of seven fillies and mares is entered for the seven-furlong Santa Monica, led by Teddy’s Promise.

The four-year-old Salt Lake filly picked a fine spot to earn her first stakes win, running clear down the stretch in the La Brea Stakes to win by 2 1/4 lengths in her most recent start. Teddy’s Promise had previously gone unplaced in three stakes attempts, and had stuck to optional claiming races for five starts prior to the La Brea Stakes on December 31. She enters the Santa Monica Stakes on a three-race winning streak. More info...

Jan 26, 2012
State-breds showcased in Florida Sunshine Millions
Gulfstream Park, FL
Many of Florida’s top state-breds, including two Eclipse Award winners, will compete on Saturday at Gulfstream Park in the six races of the Florida Sunshine Millions.

Previously open to both Florida and California-breds and split between Gulfstream and Santa Anita Park, the two tracks will host their own separate editions of the Sunshine Millions in 2012, restricted to the state-breds of each track’s home state.

Mucho Macho Man, a stalwart of last year’s Triple Crown trail, highlights the main event, the $400,000 Florida Sunshine Millions Classic Stakes. The four-year-old son of Macho Uno took a five-month break after a Triple Crown season that included a win in the Risen Star Stakes (G2) and third-place finishes in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) and the Louisiana Derby (G2). He came back on November 9 to win an optional claiming race at Aqueduct by 5 ¾ lengths in his most recent start. More info...

Jan 26, 2012
Animal Kingdom gets ready for Gulfstream with breeze
Gulfstream Park, FL
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Jan 26, 2012
Musir Easy Winner of Al Rashidiya
Dubai
The anticipated battle between defending champ Presvis and Musir never materialized as Musir sailed home an easy winner of the $200,000 Al Rashidiya-Sponsored by Dubai Duty Free (UAE-IIT) at Meydan Racecourse Jan. 26. The nine-furlong turf contest was the highlight of the sixth night of racing in the Dubai World Cup Carnival.

It was the second straight stakes victory of the meet for the Mike de Kock-trained Musir. The son of Redoute's Choice scored a win in the Al Maktoum Challenge-Round 1 Sponsored by Etisalat (UAE-III) two weeks ago.

Read more: http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/67164/musir-easy-winner-of-al-rashidiya#ixzz1kasxVq00 More info...