AT THE POST
DAY 7 of 57
ESTIMATED ATTENDANCE 2,750 ON-TRACK HANDLE $224,060 OFF-TRACK HANDLE $2,356,452
TOTAL HANDLE $2,580,512
TODAY’S SIMULCAST SCHEDULE Aqueduct, 11:20 a.m.; Laurel Park, 11:30 a.m.; Gulfstream Park, 11:35 a.m.; Fair Grounds, 1 p.m.; Golden Gate, 2:45 p.m.; Santa Anita, 3 p.m.; Penn National, 5 p.m.; Turfway Park, 5:15 p.m.; Delta Downs, 5:40 p.m.; Charles Town, 6 p.m.; Daytona Beach, 6:25 p.m. (greyhounds); Derby Lane, 6:30 p.m. (greyhounds); Sam Houston, 7 p.m.
THURSDAY’S STAR
Jockey David Cohen rode three horses to first place at the wire, including winners in back-to-back races. Cohen led 5-to-1 Bolitar ($11.80, $6.20, $4) to victory in the third race, defeating Sophisticated Bling by 23/4 lengths. Cohen stayed hot in the fourth, taking 11-1 Colour Guard ($23.80, $8.80, $5.40) to the winner’s circle by a neck over Pickford. Cohen capped his three-victory day by winning the eighth race on Our Majesty. Our Majesty ($4.40, $3.20, $2.40) held off Katalust and jockey C.J. McMahon by just under a length.
SPORTING CHANCE ZIPS
Grade 1 winner Sporting Chance emerged in good order from Monday’s bullet workout and remains a candidate to make his 3-year-old debut in the $500,000 Southwest Stakes on Feb. 19, Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas said Thursday morning. Breezing over a fast surface under David Cohen, Sporting Chance zipped 5 furlongs in 1:00.40 – best of 47 works recorded at the distance – with a final quarter-mile in :23.40 and galloped out 6 furlongs in 1:13.60, according to clockers. “Very impressive,” Lukas said. “The thing that surprised me the most was the strength of the gallop out. If he had worked 1:13, I would have been impressed, too, let alone gallop out [1:13]. It was really a nice work. Very pretty.” Sporting Chance (knee chip) hasn’t started since winning the $350,000 Hopeful Stakes on Sept. 4 at Saratoga. Monday’s work was the third at Oaklawn since Jan. 9 for Sporting Chance, a son of 2000 Horse of the Year Tiznow who was purchased for $575,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale by Lukas’ longtime clients, William Mack and Robert Baker. Lukas said Sporting Chance will work again Monday or Tuesday.
RED RUBY’S DEBUT
Lightly raced Red Ruby will make her 3-year-old debut in the $125,000 Martha Washington Stakes, trainer Kellyn Gorder said Thursday morning. The gray daughter of Tiznow finished second in her Oct. 29 debut at Keeneland before breaking her maiden in her last start, the Nov. 25 “Stars of Tomorrow II” card at Churchill Downs. The 1-mile Martha Washington will be the third consecutive route race for Red Ruby, who races for Sandra Sexton and Brandi Nicholson. “She’s still a little green, but she’s starting to mature, I think, there mentally,” Gorder said. “I just think she’s kind of pretty special.”