Juan Arriagada, the owner and trainer of Valiant Virtue, has to be congratulated for the excellent job he did with the 5-year-old son of First Dude, who returned from a layoff of nearly 13 months to win the third race at Tampa Bay Downs yesterday in a virtual breeze. In his …
Although owners and trainers love to be blessed with a barnful of stakes and allowance runners, every so often a claimer comes along who endears itself to everybody in the barn in various ways, especially by making numerous visits to the winner’s circle and paying his or her own way. Ragatagtag, …
First Dude gained his second stakes-placed runner of 2022 when Lady Milagro finished third in the $100,000 Ruthless Stakes at Aqueduct yesterday. The 3-year-old filly owned and bred by Dianette Rivas and Amanda Laderer shot to the lead with Eric Cancel in the 7-furlong race and posted fractions of :22.72 and …
Very quietly, a 7-year-old mare by First Dude has been making headlines in Puerto Rico, winning her last five races in a row, and seven of her last eight. Sunset Paula Jo, bred by Maria Montez Haire, has been taken to new heights by jockey Edwin Castro, winning by a neck …
After headline writers’ nemesis Hoorayhoorayhooray finished second in three of his first four starts at Gulfstream Park, it didn’t appear as though the 3-year-old gelding by Bahamian Squall would remain in the maiden ranks much longer. He resolved that problem in yesterday’s fourth race, a $53,000 maiden special weights test at seven furlongs. …
Rogue Too survived a horrible trip in the Likely Exchange Stakes at Turfway Park last evening, never having a realistic chance to vie for the major share of the $100,000 purse. However, with Rogelio Miranda keeping to the task, the 6-year-old daughter of First Dude rallied to finish third in the race at …
It isn’t often handicappers can get an $11 win price from a horse who won her previous race by nearly 17 lengths. Unless, of course, if that previous victory had come 7 1/2 months ago. That was the case with Speedy Dudette, a 4-year-old Louisiana-bred daughter of First Dude who won …
First Dude and Bahamian Squall now have three winners each through the first nine days of January after the victory of Steel City Dude, who added another early track record yesterday over the new Tapeta course at Gulfstream Park. The 3-year-old gelding, favored at 3/2 with leading rider Luis Saez, engaged …
One day after Bahamian Rhapsody lowered the ‘about’ 5 1/2-furlong track record to 1:04.92 over Gulfstream Park’s new Tapeta course, Marcelino followed suit and lowered the ‘about’ 5-furlong mark to :57.04. The 6-year-old gelding by First Dude sat second under Jose Morelos, two lengths behind pace-setter Malraux through blazing fractions of …
Bahamian Squall’s quick start in 2022 stretched into Friday, when Bahamian Rhapsody became winner No. 3 in opening week with a record-breaking run at Gulfstream Park under Javier Castellano. The 4-year-old filly bred by Linda S. Pastor scored by a neck racing ‘about’ 5 1/2 furlongs over the Tapeta surface after …