Horse Racing News

For many of the fillies and mares in Saturday's $300,000 Sunshine Millions Distaff at Santa Anita, the race is the start of a 2011 campaign. For Evening Jewel, there is a chance it could be her last race.

Cost of Freedom returns from a seven-week freshening as the favorite in the $200,000 Sunshine Millions Sprint. Eight entered the six-furlong sprint, including an improved Florida shipper that will provide Cost of Freedom his main threat.

A dominant winner of the Grade 1 La Brea Stakes to kick off the Santa Anita season, Switch returns to action Jan. 30 seeking her second grade I triumph in a row in the $250,000 Santa Monica Stakes (Grade 1) for trainer John Sadler.

The withdrawal of Boys At Tosconova leaves a wide open field of nine sophomores to contest the $400,000 Holy Bull Stakes (Grade 3) at Gulfstream Park Jan. 30, the first major step toward the Grade 1 Florida Derby this spring.

The race book at the Red Rock Resort and Spa will be filled to the rafters Friday and Saturday when 305 horseplayers compete for the $500,000 first-place prize and title of 2010 Handicapper of the Year.

Ann and Jerry Moss, owners of 2010 Horse of the Year Zenyatta, announced Wednesday that their wildly popular 7-year-old mare will be bred to Bernardini for her first mating.

Kathmanblu asserted her class through the stretch, outfinishing Excited by 1 1/4 lengths to register a popular victory in Saturday's $100,000 Sweetest Chant at Gulfstream Park.

Wilkinson, a Dec. 10 maiden winner here, captured the Grade 3, $96,000 Lecomte, wearing down slow-pacesetting Pants on Fire while rallying up the rail under Garrett Gomez.

Former claimer Calibrachoa became a graded stakes winner and remained unbeaten in two starts for owner Mike Repole and trainer Todd Pletcher when he held off Independence War by a half-length in the Grade 3, $98,000 Toboggan Stakes Jan. 22 at Aqueduct.

Trainer Bob Baffert continued his domination of the young 2011 Santa Anita meet when Euroears scored an easy front-running 2 1/4-length upset in the Grade 2, $150,000 Palos Verdes Stakes, dealing odds-on favorite Smiling Tiger a third consecutive defeat.