Archived News

My Indy Kitty is entered to run in Saturday's 4th race at Golden Gate which is a Maiden $20,000 Claiming race for fillies and mares, 3-years-old and up, going 1 1/16 miles on the turf. She drew post position 9 and jockey David G Lopez is named to ride.

My Indy Kitty is currently 15-1 in the Daily Racing Form morning line.

The purse for this race is $12,000.

First race post time is 12:45 PM and My Indy Kitty's race is Race 4 which is scheduled to go off at 2:15 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Golden Gate for a fun day of racing.

The Flower Alley filly breezed on Wednesday working 2 furlongs in 24.1 over the Hollywood Park track in an unpublished work.

We spoke with trainer John Sadler after the breeze and John said, "This is her first breeze. I’m delighted with this work. She galloped out in 37.4. At this stage of the game the time means nothing. The important thing is how she went and she went very nicely and looked very good doing it. She worked totally within herself. The plan is to build a base and move her forward. She’s a very nice filly; she continues to do everything we ask her to do. There are no negatives.”

John will work the filly back on a 6 to 7 day work schedule gearing her up for her debut which is expected to be during the Oak Tree meet.

Salt Water Reign rallied to a 1 3/4 length victory against allowance foes on Monday at Finger Lakes. Monday’s win marks the sixth career win for Salt Water Reign. All of her wins have been in allowance races with the exception of her maiden breaker which was a Maiden Special Weight race. Salt Water Reign has now raised her career earnings to more than $217,000.

Salt Water Reign broke alertly from the gate and found herself vying for the lead with 22-1 Rockin Sarah to her outside and 20-1 Sister Speed to her inside on the rail. Citrine, the odds on 3-4 favorite and apparent lone speed in the race broke in the air and was slammed at the start taking her out of the race and changing the race flow from the start. They raced that way down the backstretch and Citrine was hustled up to the front to join the pacesetters as the quarter went in 22.26. Veteran jockey John Davila was able to immediately see the three-way speed duel developing with two 20-1 horses and the over-used favorite. John allowed Salt Water Reign to relax and she settled in along the rail as the other three horses battled it out up front and they opened up a three-length advantage. They entered the turn with Rockin Sarah on the lead and Citrine pressing her to the outside every step of the way. Sister Speed began to drop back and Salt Water Reign was still about four lengths behind. The half went in 45.83. As they came out of the turn and to the top of the stretch Rockin Sarah was still in front but Salt Water Reign rallied up the rail and was only about a length off the tiring leaders. They rolled down the stretch with Salt Water Reign taking the lead and drawing away. She won by an eventual 1 3/4 lengths and the final time went in 1:05.61 for the 5 1/2 furlongs.

We spoke with Hibiscus Stables CEO Mike Oliveto after the race. Mike said, “This win underscores the intangible value in having expert trainers as part of our team. Steve Klesaris and Chris Englehart are superior horsemen and I’d put their expertise up against any trainer in the game. Salt Water Reign is a 6-year-old race mare now and she has already run through all of her state-bred conditions along with the open company N1X and N2X. Finding the right spot for her was and is a continuing challenge. Steve unselfishly recommended shifting her to Finger Lakes and Chris knew exactly where to place her. I couldn’t be happier for the partners, the team, and especially for Salt Water Reign. She’s a classy mare and she’s been so good to us. She deserves this win. She has a lot of heart. She’ll always be a very special horse to me.”

Salt Water Reign earned $11,880 for Monday's victory.

We’ll see how Salt Water Reign comes out of the race and trainer Chris Englehart will point her accordingly.

Slamentine breezed Saturday working 4 furlongs from the gate in 49.4 over the Delaware Park dirt track. That work was 17th best out of 72 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "He worked fine. He’s still going to need one more breeze before he we can get him back into a race. We’ll have to point to something early in the Belmont meet.”

Steve will breeze Slamentine back on roughly a 6-day work schedule gearing him back up for his return race which should be at the beginning of the Belmont meet.

Salt Water Reign is entered to run in Monday's 8th race at Finger Lakes which is a N2X Allowance Optional Claimer for New York State-bred fillies and mares, 3-years-old and up, going 5 1/2 furlongs. She drew post position 3 and leading jockey John Davila, Jr. is named to ride. Davila is currently leads the Finger Lakes jockey standings with 97 wins and a 35% winning percentage.

Salt Water Reign is currently the 2-1 Daily Racing Form morning line favorite in the race. She's the DRF consensus second choice in the race. One DRF handicapper selects her to win the race and one DRF handicapper selects her as his second choice in the race.

The purse for this race is $19,800.

First race post time is 1:10 PM and Salt Water Reign's race is Race 8 which is scheduled to go off at 4:19 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Finger Lakes for a fun day of racing.

Gold Raptor Breezed on Wednesday working 4 furlongs in 49 flat over the Saratoga turf training track with the dogs up. That work was 8th best out of 26 at the distance. The bullet went in 48.2.

We were present for the breeze. Gold Raptor worked in company with another horse named Obviously Tuesday. Gold Raptor was to the outside. Obviously Tuesday had worked over the turf twice before and Obviously Tuesday prefers the turf to the dirt. They circled the track with Gold Raptor about a length behind Obviously Tuesday. Gold Raptor came to him in the turn but continued down the lane off Obviously Tuesday’s flank. Gold Raptor didn’t outfinish Obviously Tuesday and crossed the wire about a length behind.

We spoke with trainer Linda Rice after the breeze and she said, “It’s difficult to conclude anything off of this work. I would have preferred that Gold Raptor outfinish Obviously Tuesday but the fact that Obviously Tuesday has had prior turf experience negates much of anything else. It’s possible that Obviously Tuesday likes the grass more or is just more fit. In the end I’m not entirely sure what to conclude or if there is anything to conclude at this time. I’ll think it over and decide what to do next.”

We’ll see how Gold Raptor comes out of the breeze. Linda will continue to work with Gold Raptor and then make a determination in terms of next steps.

The Roman Ruler colt, now named Roman Thunder, Breezed on Tuesday working 4 furlongs in 49.26 over the Belmont Park dirt training track. That work was 5th best out of 28 at the distance. It had begun to rain prior to the breeze and the track was beginning to get wet. Although the track was labeled “fast” there was a noticeable amount of moisture in it. The bullet went in 49.06 and those horses most definitely breezed before the rain.

We spoke with trainer Linda Rice’s assistant, Abby, before the breeze and she said, “I put Roman Thunder in with a new workmate today. He had been outworking all his other workmates and they’re no competition for him. I told the rider to do the half in about 49 and gallop out in about 1:03.”

We also spoke with the exercise rider immediately after the breeze and he said, “My hands are sore from trying to hold him back. He’s so strong. He could have gone much faster. You’ve got a very talented horse here.”

After the breeze Abby then added, “The breeze went in 49.1 and he galloped out in 1:03.1 so I’m extremely happy that he did exactly what I wanted him to do. I’m so excited. He went so well. I’m running out of horses to work him with. I can’t wait to get him to the races.”

We were present for the breeze and were able to observe how it unfolded. Roman Thunder worked around the track to the outside of his workmate. He went around with his workmate and was more or less toying with her. When he reached the 1/16 pole he began to draw away. Even under wraps he extended his lead and crossed the wire in hand in a gallop. He then galloped out really well. So far he’s done everything asked. He continues to look physically impressive. He stands about 16.1 hands and just exudes class and professionalism.

Linda will continue to work Roman Thunder getting him ready for his debut which Linda is targeting for the Belmont Fall meet, possibly in September.

Salt Water Reign breezed on Saturday working 4 furlongs in 52 flat over the Finger Lakes track. That work was 17th best out of 24 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer Chris Englehart after the breeze and Chris said, "She hasn’t raced in a while and I knew that she’d come up short for her next race if I didn’t work her. She went OK but her ankles and a stifle are bothering her. I’m going to have to treat her for that. We’ll next try to get her into a race on August 30.”

We’ve been having a great deal of difficulty getting any of Salt Water Reign’s races to fill. Chris is now pointing Salt Water Reign to a New York-bred Allowance N2X going 5 ½ furlongs at Finger Lakes on August 30.

My Indy Kitty breezed Saturday working 4 furlongs in 50.4 over the Golden Gate Fields track. That work was 37th best out of 54 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer OJ Juaregui after the breeze and OJ said, “She worked well. Her last two breezes were good and she’s doing fine. That will be her last breeze before we enter her in the turf race at Golden Gate for September 4.”

OJ is pointing My Indy Kitty to a Maiden race going 1 1/16 mile on the turf at Golden Gate on September 4.

Slamentine breezed Saturday working 4 furlongs in 49.4 over the Delaware Park dirt track. That work was 20th best out of 57 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "He worked fine. He’s getting closer to his return race. ”

Steve will breeze Slamentine back on roughly a 6-day work schedule gearing him back up for his return race which, we hope, will be in the second half of the Saratoga meet but now more likely the beginning of the Belmont meet.

Slamentine breezed on Tuesday working over one of the grass courses at Fair Hill Training Center. It’s not an oval track. It’s more of a 2.5 furlong straight run where a horse can be blown out. There’s no clock so the work is not timed.

We spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "He went OK. He goes better over the turf. Overall he’s doing fine and he’s coming along. He’s probably still going to need 3 more breezes before he’s ready to race. I plan to breeze him 5 days apart weather permitting.”

Steve will breeze Slamentine back on a 5-day work schedule gearing him back up for his return race which, we hope, will be in the second half of the Saratoga meet but now more likely the beginning of the Belmont meet.

Gold Raptor Breezed on Sunday working 4 furlongs in 52.67 over the Belmont Park dirt training track. That work was 38th best out of 40 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer Linda Rice’s assistant, Abby, after the breeze and she said, “Gold Raptor’s rider really messed up the first part of the breeze. He was extremely slow getting to the 1/16 and the first 1/8th went in 14+ seconds. That was much slower than I wanted. The half went in 52.3. My intention was to get the half in something closer to 48 or 49. Despite all that Gold Raptor galloped out strong in 1:05 flat. The entire breeze was in hand. Although the breeze didn’t go off as planned it’s perfectly fine and we’ll just consider it a maintenance work. This has no effect on his training or his progress.”

Linda will continue to work with Gold Raptor getting him ready for his debut which is expected to be at Saratoga.

Roman Thunder, Breezed on Sunday working 4 furlongs in 49.97 over the Belmont Park dirt training track. That work was 17th best out of 40 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer Linda Rice’s assistant, Abby, after the breeze and she said, “I’m very pleased with this breeze. He worked a half in 49.4 and galloped out in 1:05. He did it exactly the way I wanted. He worked in hand, nice and easy. This was his first half mile breeze and he continues to do everything exactly as asked. I couldn’t possibly be more pleased.”

Linda will continue to work Roman Thunder on a gentle work schedule getting him ready for his debut which Linda is targeting for the Belmont Fall meet.

My Indy Kitty breezed Saturday working 4 furlongs in 49.4 over the Golden Gate Fields track. That work was 31st best out of 45 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer OJ Juaregui after the breeze and OJ said, “That was a good breeze. The rider didn’t have to ask her for anything and she did it on her own more or less. She gave a little more run in that breeze than she has shown in the past. I changed her medication and put her back on Regu-Mate and it seems to have helped. She seems to train better on Regu-Mate. I’ll probably breeze her back again this weekend. We’re still pointing her to the turf race on September 4.”

OJ is pointing My Indy Kitty to a Maiden race going 1 1/16 mile on the turf at Golden Gate on September 4.

Slamentine breezed on Tuesday working 4 furlongs in 50.4 over the Fair Hill Training Center dirt track. That work was the 6th best out of 8 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "He worked OK. He worked in company with a 2-year-old filly named Sneakers. Slamentine worked in front and then I allowed Sneakers to come up next to him. He went OK. We scoped him after the breeze and there was still no sign of the chondritis that had been bothering him so that’s good news. I’ll plan to work him back in about 6 days and we’ll see where we are.”

Steve will breeze Slamentine back on a 6-day work schedule gearing him back up for his return race which, we hope, will be in the second half of the Saratoga meet.

My Indy Kitty breezed Saturday working 5 furlongs in 1:03.6 over the Golden Gate Fields track. That work was 37th best out of 44 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer OJ Juaregui after the breeze and OJ said, “She worked a little slow but she worked alone. She’s doing OK. I’m going to work her back next weekend and gear her up for a race at Golden Gate on September 4. She’s never raced on the grass before and I think it’s a good time to try her there so that’s the current plan.”

OJ is pointing My Indy Kitty to a Maiden race going 1 1/16 mile on the turf at Golden Gate on September 4.

Gold Raptor Breezed on Thursday working 3 furlongs in 35.2 over the Belmont Park dirt training track. That work was the bullet out of 15 at the distance in a breeze labeled as “handily”.

We spoke with trainer Linda Rice’s assistant, Abby, after the breeze and she said, “I’m totally ecstatic over that effort. I told the rider to just let him go about his business and to not ask him for much. I was expecting something in 36 and change or 37 and change. To get 35.2 without being asked is phenomenal. Furthermore he galloped out in 48.2 and 1:02.3. After this he’s extremely close to his debut.”

We were present for the breeze. Gold Raptor worked to the inside of his workmate. They went around the track head to head and Gold Raptor’s rider sat motionless in the saddle. Around the 1/16 pole he gave Gold Raptor a quick tap and he responded pushing in front of his workmate and sticking his head in front at the wire. What was visibly noticeable was that despite the fast time he had plenty of run at the wire and was in full extension. In the gallop-out Gold Raptor blew past his workmate and finished about 10 lengths ahead of him. The rider was all smiles and had nothing but positive things to say. Back at the barn Gold Raptor was hardly puffing. The final time doesn’t truly convey how impressive this breeze really was.

Linda Rice, who’s in Saratoga, was so impressed with Abby’s report that she wants to bring Gold Raptor to Saratoga to get him ready for his debut.

Linda will continue to work with Gold Raptor. He’s next slated to get some gate schooling beginning in a few days. Linda will continue getting him ready for his debut which is expected to be at Saratoga.

The Roman Ruler colt, now named Roman Thunder, Breezed on Thursday working 3 furlongs in 37.2 over the Belmont Park dirt training track in an unpublished work. Had the work been published it would have been about 4th best out of 15 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer Linda Rice’s assistant, Abby, after the breeze and she said, “I’m very pleased with this breeze. I used an apprentice jockey for this breeze because this kid has an excellent internal clock in his head. I asked him to go a nice easy 37 and change and gallop out 50 and change and that’s pretty much exactly what he did. The 3 furlongs went in 37.2 and he galloped out in 50.2. Additionally, his workmate was looking all over the place and was in and out but Roman Thunder came around the turn with his ears pricked and he was very focused and to task. He was much more professional in the way that he went. It was a very nice work and exactly what I wanted at this stage. He really outshined his workmate. I couldn’t possibly have asked for more.”

We were present for the breeze and were able to observe elements of the work that are not readily noticeable in just the final time. Roman Thunder went about his business very professionally. He worked outside his workmate and as they were approaching the wire there was another horse out there galloping bobbing and weaving in and out from the 2-path to the 3-path. Roman Thunder could have checked or lugged out but instead he kept his composure and just blew through the hole that appeared when the other horse drifted back out to the 3-path. That showed that Roman Thunder has a cool head and isn’t afraid to squeeze through a hole. This is very meaningful for such a young and inexperienced horse. Additionally he continues to look impressive physically as he continues to fill out.

Linda will continue to work Roman Thunder on a gentle work schedule getting him ready for his debut which Linda is targeting for the Belmont Fall meet.

Slamentine breezed on Monday working 3 furlongs in 38.4 over the Fair Hill Training Center dirt track. That work was the only 3 furlong work of the day at the distance.

We spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "He worked well and came out of it in good order. We scoped him after the breeze and there was no sign of the chondritis that had been bothering him so the treatments are doing their job and are being effective. I’ll breeze him back in about 5 days and then we’ll be on our way."

Steve will breeze Slamentine back on a 5-day work schedule gearing him back up for his return race which, we hope, will be in the second half of the Saratoga meet.

Salt Water Reign breezed on Tuesday working 5 furlongs from the gate over the Finger Lakes track in 1:02.2. That work was 4th best out of 21 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer Chris Englehart after the breeze and Chris said, "She worked nice and she came out of it well. She’s ready for her next race. We’re ready to start to look for a race for her.”

Chris will see how Salt Water Reign comes out of the breeze and begin to look for an appropriate race for her, possibly a New York-bred N3X Allowance going 6 furlongs at Finger Lakes on August 5.

Gold Raptor Breezed on Wednesday working 3 furlongs in 37.2 over the Belmont Park dirt training track in an unpublished work.

We spoke with trainer Linda Rice’s assistant, Abby, after the breeze and she said, “He worked in company and he went 37.2 and galloped out in 51.3. It was a fantastic work and he galloped out beautifully. He galloped out in hand and he still went past his workmate. His breeze was much the best.”

Linda will continue to work Gold Raptor on a 10 to 12-day work schedule getting him ready for his debut which may very well be at Saratoga.

The Roman Ruler colt Breezed on Wednesday working 3 furlongs in 39.4 over the Belmont Park dirt training track in an unpublished work.

We spoke with trainer Linda Rice’s assistant, Abby, after the breeze and she said, “I just wanted to go nice and easy with him. He worked in company but I told the rider to work him in hand. It was a nice easy 3 furlong breeze. I didn’t want to ask too much of him this early in the game. It was a nice work and he did it the right way. He was very professional.”

Linda will continue to work the Roman Ruler colt on a gentle work schedule getting him ready for his debut which Linda is targeting for the Belmont Fall meet.

My Indy Kitty is entered to run in Saturday's 10th race at Sacramento which is a Maiden $8,000 Claiming race for fillies and mares, 3-years-old and up, going 1 mile. She drew post position 1 and jockey Enrique Gonzalez is named to ride.

My Indy Kitty is currently the 5-2 Daily Racing Form morning line second choice in the race. Two DRF handicappers select her as their second choice in the race.

The purse for this race is $8,500.

First race post time is 1:45 PM and My Indy Kitty's race is Race 10 which is scheduled to go off at 6:14 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Sacramento for a fun day of racing.

Slamentine breezed on Monday working 3 furlongs in 37.6 over the Delaware Park dirt track. That work was 3rd best out of 9 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "He breezed well, however we scoped him after the work and he’s got chondritis. We’re going to have to put him on a course of antibiotic and restrict him to walking for about 10 days. The condition is very treatable and he should be able to go right back into training. It will push his next start back a bit though, possibly towards the end of the Saratoga meet."

Steve will manage and treat Slamentine’s chondritis and get that under control then train him up to his next race which, we hope, will be in the second half of the Saratoga meet.

My Indy Kitty breezed Sunday working 4 furlongs in 51.2 over the Golden Gate Fields track. That work was 73rd best out of 87 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer OJ Juaregui after the breeze and OJ said, “That time seems wrong. I think the clockers made a mistake. I got her going in 49.3 and galloping out in 1:02 and change. I worked her alone and I told the rider to not do too much because we plan to race her next weekend. It was just a freshener. She’s doing fine and she should be ready for the race on Saturday.”

OJ is pointing My Indy Kitty to a Maiden race going 1 mile at Sacramento on July 17.

Gold Raptor Breezed on Tuesday working 3 furlongs in 37.3 over the Saratoga dirt training track. That work was 17th best out of 38 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer Linda Rice after the breeze and she said, “Gold Raptor continues to breeze superbly. As in the past, he worked in company with his usual workmate and he did it just the right way. So far he continues to do everything I’ve asked him to do. He’s coming along nicely. He still has a little growing up to do so his debut may be pushed back to the second half of the Saratoga meet but his work ethic is fantastic.”

Linda will continue to train Gold Raptor in Saratoga getting him ready for his debut which may very well be at Saratoga.

My Indy Kitty ran third on Friday at Pleasanton after a difficult trip beaten by a strong 9-5 favorite.

My Indy Kitty, breaking from the extreme outside post, broke alertly and jockey Enrique Gonzalez made the decision to hustle her up to the front and then try to drop down to the rail rather than take back. Unfortunately almost every other horse to her inside had the same idea and entering the first turn she was caught 5-wide. The turns at Pleasanton are tight and by the time she came out of the turn she was shuffled to the near back of the pack and gave up as many as 10 lengths which was devastating. Going down the backstretch Gonzalez again made the decision to get up to the front runners and midway down the backstretch My Indy Kitty again had to contend with a wall of five horses spread across the track. Again Gonzalez had to make a decision and rather than tuck in behind them and risk getting trapped he swung around them. He finally had clear sailing to the front and he had My Indy Kitty engage Jettie Ann, the pace setter. Another horse, Best of the Bunch, had the same idea and My Indy Kitty wound up as much as 3-wide in that turn and coming out of the turn wide she again lost ground by as many as 4 or 5 lengths. The track was speed favoring and the pace setting Jettie Ann, who was also the favorite, got a rail trip and went wire to wire and My Indy Kitty settled for third after getting what was possibly the very worst of the trip. It’s interesting that she posted a career high Beyer Speed Figure of 52 and one wonders what would have been the outcome had she drawn an inside post.

We spoke with trainer OJ Jauregui after the race and he said, "She ran a better race than it appeared on paper because she was trapped so wide. Additionally the turns here at Pleasanton aren’t banked like other tracks making it that much more difficult when you’re outside. We’ll bring her back next time and hopefully she’ll draw a better post."

We also spoke with Hibiscus Stables CEO Mike Oliveto after the race and Mike said, "With her outside post and the flow of the race she received the worst possible trip imaginable. I think Enrique did the best that he could but he couldn’t control what the horses around him did. Outside posts and difficult trips are all part of racing."

My Indy Kitty earned $1,300 for Friday's 3rd place finish.

We'll see how My Indy Kitty comes out of the race and OJ will point her accordingly.

Gold Raptor Breezed on Tuesday working 4 furlongs in 50.6 over the Saratoga dirt training track. That work was 33rd best out of 54 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer Linda Rice after the breeze and she said, “Although the clockers put Gold Raptor down for a 4 furlong work it was really a 3 furlong work with a gallop-out. The clockers timed the gallop-out which is not uncommon. Gold Raptor breezed superbly and came out of the work in good order. Like last week, he worked in company with the same horse and did well. Both horses are work mates and they do well together. He’s doing fantastic.”

Linda will continue to train Gold Raptor in Saratoga getting him ready for his debut which may very well be at Saratoga.

My Indy Kitty is entered to run in Friday's 9th race at Pleasanton which is a Maiden $8,000 Claiming race for fillies, 3-years-old, going 1 mile 70 yards. She drew post position 9 and jockey Enrique Gonzalez is named to ride.

My Indy Kitty is currently the 7-2 Daily Racing Form morning line third choice in the race. One DRF handicapper selects her as his second choice in the race and one DRF handicapper selects her as his third choice in the race.

The purse for this race is $8,000.

First race post time is 12:45 PM and My Indy Kitty's race is Race 9 which is scheduled to go off at 4:55 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Pleasanton for a fun day of racing.

Slamentine is entered to run in Tuesday's 7th race at Delaware Park which is a Maiden Special Weight for 3-year-olds and up, going 6 furlongs. He drew post position 11 and jockey Rosie Napravnik is named to ride. Napravnik is currently ranked second in the Delaware Park jockey standings with 22 wins and a 16% winning percentage.

Slamentine is currently 6-1 in the Daily Racing Form morning line.

The purse for this race is $38,000.

First race post time is 1:15 PM and Slamentine's race is Race 7 which is scheduled to go off at 3:57 PM.

Salt Water Reign is entered to run in Thursday's 3rd race at Belmont Park which is a $20,000 Claiming N1Y race for fillies and mares, 3-years-old and up, which have not won a race since January 20, 2010, going 6 furlongs. She drew post position 5 and jockey David Cohen is named to ride. Cohen is currently ranked sixth in the Belmont Park jockey standings with 22 wins and a 14% winning percentage.

Salt Water Reign is currently the 7-2 Daily Racing Form morning line third choice in the race in a very evenly matched field. She's the DRF consensus third choice in the race. Two DRF handicappers select her as their second choice in the race and one DRF handicapper selects her as his third choice in the race.

The purse for this race is $25,000.

First race post time is 1:00 PM and Salt Water Reign's race is Race 3 which is scheduled to go off at 2:04 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Belmont Park for a fun day of racing.

Slamentine breezed on Wednesday working 4 furlongs in 50.4 over the Delaware Park dirt track. That work was 15th best out of 37 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "That was just a refresher. There’s a Maiden Special Weight here at Delaware next Tuesday. Rather than shipping him to New York I’m going to enter him here and allow him to get some valuable race experience right here in his own back yard. He’ll get used to the paddock and being in a race. We can do all that without having to ship."

Steve is pointing Slamentine to debut in the Maiden Special Weight going 6 furlongs at Delaware Park on Tuesday, June 22.

Gold Raptor Breezed on Tuesday working 3 furlongs in 37.3 over the Saratoga dirt training track in an unpublished work.

We were present for the breeze and Gold Raptor went very well. He worked in company with another horse. Gold Raptor started in front and Linda had the other horse come to him. They breezed out of the turn and through the lane next to each other and Gold Raptor held his position to the inside.

We spoke with trainer Linda Rice after the breeze and she said, “I instructed the rider to go easy since it is only Gold Raptor's second breeze and he’s a relatively young horse. He did it very nicely. I’m very pleased.”

Linda will continue to train Gold Raptor in Saratoga getting him ready for his debut.

Slamentine breezed on Saturday working 5 furlongs from the gate in 1:01.2 over the Delaware Park dirt track. That work was the bullet out of 19 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "That was a decent breeze. Not bad. He was much more focused with the hood on. I think he’ll need one more work and then we can look to enter him."

Steve plans to work Slamentine back in about 6 days and then to point him toward his debut.

Salt Water Reign is entered to run in Wednesday's 2nd race at Delaware Park which is a $25,000 Claiming N2Y race for fillies and mares, 3-years-old and up, going 6 furlongs. She drew post position 5 (Program Number 6) and jockey Rosie Napravnik is named to ride. Napravnik is currently third in the Delaware Park jockey standings with 15 wins and a 16% winning percentage.

Salt Water Reign is currently the 2-1 Daily Racing Form morning line favorite. She’s the DRF consensus third choice in the race. One DRF handicapper selects her to win the race.

The purse for this race is $27,000.

First race post time is 1:15 PM and Salt Water Reign's race is Race 2 which is scheduled to go off at 1:42 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Delaware Park for a fun day of racing.

Slamentine breezed on Saturday working 5 furlongs in 1:02 flat over the Delaware Park dirt track. That work was 6th best out of 23 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "That was his first 5 furlong breeze. He went OK. I’ll work him back in about 6 days and I’m going to work him in blinkers next time. Today the rider said he was looking around a bit. So I’ll work him next week from the gate, in company, with the blinkers on and that should have him ready for us to begin looking for a race for him."

Steve plans to work Slamentine back in about 6 days and then to point him toward his debut.

Lord Greystoke is entered to run in Monday's 9th race at Charles Town, which is a $5,000 Claiming race for 3-year olds and up which have never won two races going 4 1/2 furlongs. He drew post position 4 and jockey Luis Perez is named to ride. Perez rode Lord Greystoke in his last race which was an easy victory in which he drew off to win by 4 lengths.

Lord Greystoke is currently the 5-1 Daily Racing Form morning fourth choice in the race. He’s the DRF consensus second choice in the race. One DRF handicapper selects him to win the race.

The purse for this race is $11,000.

First race post time is 1:00 PM and Lord Greystoke’s race is Race 9 which is scheduled to go off at 4:12 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Charles Town for a fun day of racing.

Gold Raptor Breezed on Thursday working 3 furlongs in 35.2 over the Belmont Park dirt training track. That work was the bullet out of 15 at the distance in a breeze labeled as “handily”.

We spoke with trainer Linda Rice’s assistant, Abby, after the breeze and she said, “I’m totally ecstatic over that effort. I told the rider to just let him go about his business and to not ask him for much. I was expecting something in 36 and change or 37 and change. To get 35.2 without being asked is phenomenal. Furthermore he galloped out in 48.2 and 1:02.3. After this he’s extremely close to his debut.”

We were present for the breeze. Gold Raptor worked to the inside of his workmate. They went around the track head to head and Gold Raptor’s rider sat motionless in the saddle. Around the 1/16 pole he gave Gold Raptor a quick tap and he responded pushing in front of his workmate and sticking his head in front at the wire. What was visibly noticeable was that despite the fast time he had plenty of run at the wire and was in full extension. In the gallop-out Gold Raptor blew past his workmate and finished about 10 lengths ahead of him. The rider was all smiles and had nothing but positive things to say. Back at the barn Gold Raptor was hardly puffing. The final time doesn’t truly convey how impressive this breeze really was.

Linda Rice, who’s in Saratoga, was so impressed with Abby’s report that she wants to bring Gold Raptor to Saratoga to get him ready for his debut.

Linda will continue to work with Gold Raptor. He’s next slated to get some gate schooling beginning in a few days. Linda will continue getting him ready for his debut which is expected to be at Saratoga.

My Indy Kitty breezed Monday working 5 furlongs in 1:02.6 over the Hollywood Park track. That work was 38th best out of 46 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer Ron Ellis after the breeze and Ron said, “I worked her in blinkers to try to keep her a bit more focused in the early stages. She went fine. This was to get her ready for the race on Sunday.”

Ron is pointing My Indy Kitty to a Maiden race going 7 1/2 furlongs at Hollywood Park on May 30.

Gold Raptor Breezed on Saturday working 3 furlongs in 38.05 over the Saratoga dirt training track. That work was 27th best out of 38 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer Linda Rice after the breeze and she said, “That was his first breeze since the sale. It was a nice work. I’m very happy with the way that he went. It was very nice. I’d have to say that it was perfect.”

Linda will continue to train Gold Raptor getting him ready for his debut.

Slamentine breezed on Saturday working 4 furlongs in 50.60 over the Delaware Park dirt track. That work was 31st best out of 45 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "We worked him a nice easy 4 furlongs. He worked alone and it was more like a maintenance work. We’ll work him back next week. He should be getting close."

Steve plans to work Slamentine next week on roughly a 7 day work schedule moving him forward towards his debut.

Slamentine breezed on Friday working 4 furlongs from the gate in 48 flat over the Delaware Park dirt track. That work was the bullet out of 30 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "Last time he was sluggish getting out of the gate but this time he was quick to get out. He’s a quick horse and it was a quick work. He went a nice 4 furlongs but he got tired galloping out to 5. It’s going to take a few more works to get him ready."

Steve plans to work Slamentine next week on roughly a 7 day work schedule moving him forward towards his debut.

William Thomas scored an easy victory on Monday taking the field gate to wire, as he customarily does, and drawing off to win by 8 lengths in a hand ride to notch his second win in a row and fourth overall as he pushed his career earnings up over $100,000.

William Thomas, breaking from the 2nd post, snapped instantly out of the gate as he normally does and immediately found himself on the lead down the backstretch about a length in front of the rest of the field as the quarter went in 22.52. They raced that way into the turn with William Thomas on an easy lead. Jockey John Davila, Jr. was a statue in the irons as they came through the turn. The half went in an easy 46 flat. They came out of the turn with William Thomas opening up by about 2 lengths. He drew off in a hand ride down the lane and won by an eventual 8 lengths.

William Thomas was claimed out of this race for $10,000.

We spoke with jockey John Davila, Jr. after the race and he said, "It was an easy win but the horse was very short-strided especially down the stretch. It was a nice win, however."

We also spoke with trainer Chris Englehart after the race and he said, "I don’t feel bad about getting claimed in this spot. We got the win purse but you could see that the horse wasn’t feeling comfortable out there. He was very rough changing leads at the 1/16 pole and his stride was very short indicating that he’s not comfortable extending. This race was a bit misleading because there was absolutely no speed. William Thomas basically galloped down the backstretch and that’s why he had so much gas left in the tank at the end. If the new owners bring him back in an allowance race I can promise you William Thomas won’t get an easy lead like he did today. He’s going to have to run hard and who’s to say what the outcome will be."

We also spoke with Hibiscus Stables CEO Mike Oliveto after the race and Mike said, "Claiming races are like poker in that you can never divulge a horse’s condition. That’s why we’ve been close to the vest in our general announcements but the partners are well aware that William Thomas has chips in his knees and it was Steve Klesaris’ strategy to run him in easy races where we were almost assured the win rather than putting him in against tougher and risking exacerbating the knee issues. We stayed in front of the problem and we were able to bank two win purses plus the claim price and avoid a long layoff and/or costly surgery. It’s very disappointing to lose such a successful horse but his physical issues make his upside very limited and we were able to avoid tough situation down the road."

William Thomas earned $8,040 for Monday's victory.

Lord Greystoke scored a convincing victory on Sunday brushing off a horse that attempted to duel with him then drawing off in a hand ride to win by four lengths to break his maiden in convincing fashion at Charles Town.

Lord Greystoke, breaking from the 7th post, broke alertly from the gate and jockey Luis Perez tried for the lead however 3-1 Skip the Patton wanted the lead as well and he out-sprinted Lord Greystoke to the front. They raced down the backstretch with Skip the Patton on the lead on the rail and Lord Greystoke to his outside about a length behind. Luis allowed Skip the Patton to do the all the heavy lifting as the quarter went in 22.11. As they approached the turn Luis decided to turn up the heat and he moved Lord Greystoke up to pressure Skip the Patton and they entered the turn two abreast. As they raced through the turn Lord Greystoke was just cruising along as JD Acosta on Skip the Patton was riding that horse pretty hard. As Lord Greystoke put his head in front it was fairly clear that the race was over as Luis gave Lord Greystoke a tap on the right and then a tap on the left to keep him interested. The half went in a soft 47.01 and Lord Greystoke simply drew off and coasted under the wire in a hand ride.

We spoke with trainer Jeff Runco after the race and he said, "There isn’t much to say. It was straightforward. He ran a great race."

We also spoke with Hibiscus Stables CEO Mike Oliveto after the race and Mike said, "He went off at 2-5 and ran to his odds. We’re all very excited to have Lord Greystoke break his maiden and get on the board. He won impressively so the hope is that we can get him to get on a roll and get a few pictures on the wall for the partners."

Lord Greystoke earned $6,600 for Sunday's victory.

We'll see how Lord Greystoke comes out of the race and trainer Jeff Runco will point him accordingly.

Lord Greystoke is entered to run in Sunday's 2nd race at Charles Town, which is a $5,000 Maiden Claiming race for 3, 4, and 5-year-olds going 4 1/2 furlongs. He drew post position 7 and jockey Luis Perez is named to ride.

Lord Greystoke is currently the 9-5 Daily Racing Form morning favorite in the race. He’s the DRF consensus selection to win the race. One DRF handicapper selects him to win the race, one DRF handicapper selects him as the second choice in the race, and one DRF handicapper selects him as the third choice in the race.

The purse for this race is $11,000.

First race post time is 1:00 PM and Lord Greystoke’s race is Race 2 which is scheduled to go off at 1:24 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Charles Town for a fun day of racing.

William Thomas is entered to run in Monday's 2nd race at Finger Lakes, which is a Claiming $10,000 N4L for 3-year-olds and up which have never won four races going 5 1/2 furlongs. He drew post position 2 (Program Number 3) and jockey John Davila, Jr. is named to ride. Davila currently leads the Finger Lakes jockey standings with 14 wins and a 42% winning percentage.

William Thomas is currently the 5-2 Daily Racing Form morning line favorite in the race. He's the DRF consensus selection to win the race. Two DRF handicappers select him to win the race.

The purse for this race is $13,400.

First race post time is 1:10 PM and William Thomas' race is Race 2 which is scheduled to go off at 1:37 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Finger Lakes for a fun day of racing.

My Indy Kitty is entered to run in Wednesday's 6th race at Hollywood Park which is a Maiden $25,000 Claiming race for fillies and mares, 3-years-old and up, going 7 furlongs. She drew post position 9 and jockey Tyler Baze is named to ride. Baze currently leads the Hollywood Park jockey standings with 14 wins and a 30% winning percentage.

My Indy Kitty is currently the 7-2 Daily Racing Form morning line second choice in the race. She's the DRF consensus selection to win the race. Two DRF handicappers select her to win the race and two DRF handicappers select her as their second choice in the race.

The purse for this race is $15,600.

First race post time is 1:00 PM and My Indy Kitty's race is Race 6 which is scheduled to go off at 3:35 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Hollywood Park for a fun day of racing.

My Indy Kitty breezed Friday working 5 furlongs in 1:02.2 over the Hollywood Park track. That work was 26th best out of 39 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer Ron Ellis after the breeze and Ron said, “She went fine. It’s only 5 days until the race so I didn’t want to kill her.”

Ron is pointing My Indy Kitty to a Maiden race going 7 furlongs at Hollywood Park on May 5.

Salt Water Reign is entered to run in Wednesday's 8th race at Belmont Park which is a N2X Allowance Optional Claimer for New York State-bred fillies and mares, 3-years-old and up, going 6 furlongs. She drew post position 5 and jockey David Cohen is named to ride. Cohen currently has a 22% winning percentage on the year.

Salt Water Reign is currently 5-1 in the Daily Racing Form morning line in a race where the favorite is 3-1. One DRF handicapper selects her as his third choice in the race.

The purse for this race is $40,000.

First race post time is 1:00 PM and Salt Water Reign's race is Race 8 which is scheduled to go off at 4:45 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Belmont Park for a fun day of racing.

Slamentine breezed on Wednesday working 3 furlongs from the gate in 36.4 over the Delaware Park dirt track. That work was 5th best out of 15 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "That work was OK. He went well. He hesitated a little coming out of the gate but we’ll get that taken care of next time. Otherwise he’s coming along."

Steve plans to work Slamentine next week on a 5 to 7 day work schedule moving him forward towards his debut.

Salt Water Reign breezed on Saturday working 3 furlongs over the Delaware Park dirt track in 36.2. That work was the bullet out of 38 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "She’s ready for us to run her back and that work was a tightener. We have some options. There is a NY-bred N2X Allowance at Belmont Park on May 2 and there’s a $40,000 Claiming race at Delaware Park on May 10. We’ll take a look at both of those options and continue to look for some others.”

Steve will continue to work with Salt Water Reign trying to get her ready for a race while he looks for an appropriate race in which to enter her.

My Indy Kitty breezed Friday working 5 furlongs from the gate in 1:02.2 over the Hollywood Park track. That work was 22nd best out of 29 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer Ron Ellis after the breeze and Ron said, “She’s at a point now where she’s fit enough to enter her going 7 furlongs. As soon as the next book is out at Hollywood Park I’ll look for something for her at 7 furlongs that makes sense.”

Ron will point My Indy Kitty up to her next race which should be in the early part of May.

Salt Water Reign breezed on Friday working 3 furlongs over the Delaware Park dirt track in 36.4. That work was 3rd best out of 9 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "She went well. She should be ready for a race soon. As we’ve discussed it’s an ongoing challenge to find a race for her because she’s run through her conditions. We’ll get her ready and then look for a spot where she fits."

Steve will continue to work with Salt Water Reign trying to get her ready for a race while he looks for an appropriate race in which to enter her.

My Indy Kitty breezed Thursday working 5 furlongs in 1:04.6 over the Hollywood Park track. That work was 18th best out of 20 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer Ron Ellis after the breeze and Ron said, “She worked fine. I had her work alone for the first part of the breeze then had another horse come to her in the second part to the wire to teach her to battle in the late stages of a race. She’s not yet ready to go 1 1/16 so I’ll try to run her in her next race going 7 furlongs. She’ll still need one more breeze next week and then I’ll start to look for a race for her. There’s nothing written in the Hollywood Park condition book but they write a lot of extras there and I’ll begin to keep an eye out for an appropriate race.”

Ron will train My Indy Kitty up to her next race which will be in the early part of the upcoming Hollywood Park meet.

Lord Greystoke ran a very strong second on Sunday at Charles Town after a troubled start.

Lord Greystoke, breaking from the 3rd post position, came out of the gate perhaps a step slow and was immediately slammed by the horse breaking to his direct outside. This took him out of contention and he quickly found himself at the back of the pack as they moved down the backstretch. Jockey Luis Perez immediately went to work to hustle Lord Greystoke up into contention as he picked off horses down the backstretch moving him to fourth place as they entered the turn. The quarter went in 22 flat. They raced through the turn with 9-2 Stored Cobra on top and 6-5 Unsung Encore half a length behind and to his outside with Lord Greystoke about two lengths off the leader to the outside and making up ground rapidly. As they rounded the turn Stored Cobra began to run out of gas and Unsung Encore moved to the lead as Lord Greystoke rallied up to the outside to contend. They came out of the turn with Lord Greystoke going extremely wide and he gave up many lengths as a result of that. They came down the lane with Unsung Encore pulling away and Lord Greystoke having re-rally past horses that he had already passed after giving up ground to them out of the turn. He moved back past Stored Cobra and PassOnMomsImage to move up to second however Unsung Encore was well clear at this point by more than four lengths. The final time went in 52.59.

We spoke with trainer Jeff Runco after the race and Jeff said, "He broke a bit slow but made a nice move getting back into contention. He was just second best today. You have to remember that this is his first time going four and a half furlongs so he’s still learning that kind of racing. We should get through this condition. He’ll probably go off the favorite next race and he should win."

We also spoke with Hibiscus Stables CEO Mike Oliveto after the race and Mike said, “We didn’t get the best of trips in this race. He broke slow, got bumped, had to be hustled up and then he came out of the turn extremely wide. Despite all that he finished with a lot of run and was game all the way to the end. We took chips out of his knee last May and he just didn’t return anywhere near the same horse. That often happens unfortunately. The name of this game is running them where they fit so we made the decision to move him to Jeff at Charles Town and drop him to where he can win. We’ll do our best to get a photo for the partners and then let take Lord Greystoke take us as far as he’ll go. We expect to have some fun with him.”

Lord Greystoke earned $2,200 for Sunday's race.

We'll see how Lord Greystoke comes out of the race and Jeff will bring him back most likely in the Maiden Claiming $5000 race at Charles Town on April 25.

William Thomas took the field gate to wire and dug in gamely down the stretch holding off a late charge to win his third race for Hibiscus Stables on Saturday winning by a nose in an exciting photo.

William Thomas, breaking from the 5th post, broke sharply from the gate as he customarily does and jockey David Cohen wasted no time hustling him to the front moving in front of the rest of the pack by a length. They raced that way down the backstretch with 6-1 Extinguish about a length behind on the rail as the quarter went in a blistering 22 flat. They raced that way through the turn with William Thomas setting the pace and Extinguish about a length behind and to his outside. As they neared the end of the turn Extinguish began to make a move to the outside just as they approached the eighth pole. The half went in a wicked 45 flat. William Thomas hugged the rail all the way down the stretch as Extinguish attempted to wear him down to his outside. Extinguish gained ground with every step but William Thomas dug in gamely. As they passed the sixteenth pole it appeared that Extinguish had dead aim and was about to pass and may have possibly put a nostril in front but William Thomas refused to be denied and held him off in a photo and won the race by a narrow nose as the beneficiary of a head-bob. The final time went in 1:10.96 on a day when early speed was not doing well and the track was playing mostly to closers.

We spoke with jockey David Cohen after the race and he said, "I wanted to get him out there and clear so he could relax a little without too much going on around him. He was fully extended at the wire, though. He worked hard for this one."

We also spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the race and he said, "He ran hard and the time was fast for the day. It was a good win for him and for us."

We also spoke with Hibiscus Stables CEO Mike Oliveto after the race and Mike said, "This was such a gutsy performance by this horse. I’m so proud of him. He’s had a habit of letting other horses past him in the stretch. It’s great to see him finally show some heart and dig in. I think everyone thought that Extinguish was going to pass him in the lane. He dug in and repelled that threat like a true champ. I can’t be any more proud. Steve did a fantastic job getting him back to the races and really showed what a superior horseman he really is and David rode him exactly the right way. Dave likes to be on the front end and so does William Thomas so these two are a very good fit for each other. Just an extraordinary job all around."

William Thomas earned $10,800 for Saturday's victory.

We'll see how William Thomas comes out of the race and trainer Steve Klesaris will point him accordingly.

My Indy Kitty breezed Friday working 4 furlongs in 49.6 over the Hollywood Park track. That work was 11th best out of 16 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer Ron Ellis after the breeze and Ron said, "She went OK. She’s not ready to go 1 mile and 1/16 yet so I’ll have to breeze her more before we can enter her."

Ron will train My Indy Kitty up to her next race which will be in the early part of the upcoming Hollywood Park meet.

Lord Greystoke is entered to run in Sunday's 2nd race at Charles Town, which is a $5,000 Maiden Claiming race for 3, 4, and 5-year-olds going 4 1/2 furlongs. He drew post position 3 and jockey Luis Perez is named to ride.

Lord Greystoke is currently the 4-1 Daily Racing Form morning line second choice in the race. One DRF handicapper selects him as the second choice in the race and one DRF handicapper selects him as the third choice in the race.

The purse for this race is $11,000.

First race post time is 1:00 PM and Lord Greystoke’s race is Race 2 which is scheduled to go off at 1:24 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Charles Town for a fun day of racing.

William Thomas is entered to run in Saturday's 6th race at Aqueduct, which is a Claiming $15,000 N3L for New York state-breds 4-year-olds and up which have never won three races or 4-year-olds going 6 furlongs. He drew post position 5 and jockey David Cohen is named to ride. Cohen currently has a 22% winning percentage nationally in 2010.

William Thomas is currently the 2-1 Daily Racing Form morning line favorite in the race. He's the DRF consensus selection in the race. Two DRF handicappers select him to win the race.

The purse for this race is $18,000.

First race post time is 1:00 PM and William Thomas' race is Race 6 which is scheduled to go off at 3:23 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Aqueduct for a fun day of racing.

Lord Greystoke breezed Saturday working 3 furlongs in 35.6 at Charles Town. That work was 3rd best out of 31 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer Jeff Runco after the breeze and Jeff said, "He worked nicely in company with another horse. He did it all on his own. We’ll enter him into that race next Sunday.”

Jeff is pointing Lord Greystoke to a Maiden Claiming $5,000 going 4.5 furlongs at Charles own on April 11.

William Thomas breezed on Saturday working 4 furlongs in 49.8 over the all-weather training track at Fair Hill Training Center. That work was 11th best out of 25 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "He went OK. I think we’re ready to take a shot with him in a race next Saturday."

Steve is pointing William Thomas to a race at Aqueduct next Saturday.

Slamentine breezed on Friday working 3 furlongs in 39.1 over the Delaware Park dirt track. That work was 7th best out of 9 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "I’ve been working him a few times now and he’s getting tired going 3 furlongs. This often happens when a horse ships in from Florida that’s 4 furlongs fit down there. I don’t know why but it’s not uncommon. That’s why I always back them up one furlong when they ship in. Otherwise he’s got a great attitude and he’s very professional. I’ll keep working with him breezing him every 5 to 7 days moving him forward."

Steve plans to work Slamentine next week on a 5 to 7 day work schedule miving him forward towards his debut.

Portuguesemano'war is entered to run in Saturday's 2nd race at Charles Town which is a $5,000 Claiming race is going 7 furlongs for 4-year-olds and up which have not won a race since November 3, 2009; races where entered for $4,000 or less not considered in the eligibility. He'll be breaking from post position 4 and jockey Erick Ramirez is named to ride. Ramirez is currently ranked third in the Charles Town jockey standings with 31 wins and a 21% winning percentage.

Portuguesemano'war is currently the 6-1 Daily Racing Form morning line fourth choice in the race. He’s the DRF consensus third choice in the race. One DRF handicapper selects him to win the race.

The purse for this race is $11,000.

First race post time is 7:15 PM and Portuguesemano'war's race is Race 2 which is scheduled to go off at 7:39 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Charles Town for a fun evening of racing.

My Indy Kitty breezed Tuesday working 4 furlongs in 50.4 over the Hollywood Park track. That work was 15th best out of 19 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer Ron Ellis after the breeze and Ron said, "This was a nice easy half. She’s doing OK after her brief illness. I’m going to bring her along and then look for a race in the first Hollywood Park condition book."

Ron will point My Indy Kitty to her next race which will be in the early part of the upcoming Hollywood Park meet.

Salt Water Reign ran a strong second on Thursday at Aqueduct beaten by a very solid 3-5 favorite while returning from a layoff.

Salt Water Reign, breaking from the sixth post, broke very alertly and veteran jockey Alan Garcia prompted her into contention from the outset. Rosie’s Promises, part of the 3-5 entry with City Broad immediately showed that she wanted control of the pace and Garcia wisely backed off. As they traveled down the backstretch Rosie’s Promises was in front and City Broad, Salt Water Reign, and 7-1 My Anguilla were spread three across the track about a length behind. As they approached the half mile pole Rosie’s Promises continued to set the pace, My Anguilla had moved up to her outside about a length off the lead, City Broad was on the rail about two lengths off the lead, and Salt Water Reign was relaxing in the two-path about three lengths off the lead. The quarter went in 23 flat. They traveled that way almost lockstep through the turn. My Anguilla then rolled up to challenge Rosie’s Promises while Salt Water Reign followed up behind her. Exiting the turn about a length separated the four horses as the half went in 58.4. As they raced into the stretch Salt Water Reign had swung out into the three-path and had racing room in front of her. City Broad appeared to briefly be trapped behind horses. Around the eighth pole City Broad found some racing room and squeezed through a hole and moved to the lead. Salt Water Reign did her best to move up on the outside but City Broad was just better on this day. City Broad won fairly easily and Salt Water Reign moved past Rosie’s Promises and My Anguilla and got up for second. The final time went in 1:11.2.

We spoke with jockey Alan Garcia after the race and he said, "She tried real hard. We simply were beaten by a better horse today. She was second best."

We also spoke with Hibiscus Stables CEO Mike Oliveto after the race and Mike said, "To be totally honest I handicapped the race and I didn’t see why City Broad was bet down to 3-5. I thought the race was more evenly matched than that. I guess I was wrong. Coming out of the turn I thought we had dead aim but a nice hole opened up for City Broad and that horse had plenty of run in the lane. She’s a really nice horse and it looks like Tom is going to have a lot of fun with her. We’ll take our check and move on."

Salt Water Reign earned $8,400 for Thursday's 2nd place finish.

We'll see how Salt Water Reign comes out of the race and Steve will point her accordingly.

Slamentine breezed on Wednesday working 3 furlongs in 39 flat at Delaware Park in an unpublished work.

We spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "That was a nice, easy 3 furlong work. This horse goes about his business very professionally. He goes out to the racetrack, goes about his business, then comes back to the barn and eats. He doesn’t get all wound up and he’s not high-strung. He’s really a pleasure to have in the barn."

Steve plans to work Slamentine in company from the gate sometime next week as he prepares him for his debut which should be sometime in April.

Salt Water Reign is entered to run in Thursday's 5th race at Aqueduct which is a N2X Allowance Optional Claimer for New York State-bred fillies and mares, 3-years-old and up, going 6 furlongs. She drew post position 7 (program number 5) and veteran jockey Alan Garcia is named to ride. Garcia currently has a 15% winning percentage at the Aqueduct meet.

Salt Water Reign is currently 9-2 in the Daily Racing Form morning line. One DRF handicapper selects her as his third choice in the race.

The purse for this race is $42,000.

First race post time is 1:00 PM and Salt Water Reign's race is Race 5 which is scheduled to go off at 2:56 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Aqueduct for a fun day of racing.

Salt Water Reign breezed on Thursday working 4 furlongs over the Delaware Park dirt track in 50 flat. That work was 4th best out of 8 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "She breezed OK. They’re going to write a New York-bred N2X next week which would probably be a good spot for her. I hope to have her ready for that race when it comes up."

Steve will continue to work with Salt Water Reign trying to get her ready for a race while he looks for an appropriate race in which to bring her back.

My Indy Kitty breezed Thursday working 5 furlongs in 1:02.2 over the Hollywood Park track. That work was 8th best out of 12 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer Ron Ellis after the breeze and Ron said, "I worked her in company and she went well. As I’ve said before, this horse needs to have a workmate to keep interested otherwise she loses focus. She went fine and we’ll just keep her pointed to that race on March 21."

Ron will point My Indy Kitty to her next race which is a Maiden race going a flat mile on March 21.

Salt Water Reign breezed on Wednesday working 4 furlongs over the Delaware Park dirt track in 50 flat. That work was 4th best out of 8 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "She breezed OK. I’m trying to get her through her issues. I hope to have her ready for a race later in the month."

Steve will continue to work with Salt Water Reign trying to get her ready for a race while he looks for an appropriate race in which to bring her back.

William Thomas breezed on Tuesday working 4 furlongs in 50.2 over the all-weather training track at Fair Hill Training Center. That work was 4th best out of 9 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "He went OK. I’m just bringing him along. We all know the issues with this horse. I’ll just continue working with him until I can get him to a point where he can compete in a race."

Steve will continue to work with William Thomas until he feels he has him at a point where he can be competitive in a race and then enter him accordingly into an appropriate race.

Portuguesemano'war is entered to run in Sunday's 2nd race at Charles Town which is a $5,000 Claiming race is going 6 1/2 furlongs for 4-year-olds and up which have not won a race since October 7, 2009; races where entered for $4,000 or less not considered in the eligibility. He'll be breaking from post position 2 and jockey Erick Ramirez is named to ride. Ramirez is currently ranked third in the Charles Town jockey standings with 18 wins and a 19% winning percentage.

Portuguesemano'war is currently the 2-1 Daily Racing Form morning line favorite in the race. He’s the DRF consensus selection to win race. One DRF handicapper selects him to win the race and two DRF handicappers select him as their second choice in the race.

The purse for this race is $11,000.

First race post time is 1:00 PM and Portuguesemano'war's race is Race 2 which is scheduled to go off at 1:24 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Charles Town for a fun afternoon of racing.

My Indy Kitty breezed Wednesday working 5 furlongs in 1:03.2 over the Hollywood Park track. That work was 14th best out of 16 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer Ron Ellis after the breeze and Ron said, "She worked alone and as usual she went fine for about 4 furlongs and then lost interest. She really needs to work in company. That’s OK today because we’re still a few weeks away from a race so I didn’t want to ask her to do too much. There’s a race in the new condition book for March 21 that I’m pointing her toward."

Ron will point My Indy Kitty to her next race which is a Maiden race going a flat mile on March 21.

Salt Water Reign breezed on Tuesday working 3 furlongs over the Delaware Park dirt track in 37 flat. That work was the bullet out of 12 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "She’s doing OK. I hope to have her ready for a race later in the month."

Steve will continue to work with Salt Water Reign trying to get her sharp while he looks for an appropriate race in which to bring her back.

William Thomas breezed on Tuesday working 4 furlongs in 50.6 over the all-weather training track at Fair Hill Training Center. That work was 6th best out of 12 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "He went OK. We all know the issues with this horse. We’ll keep doing what we’re doing trying to get him right and then run him at that time."

Steve will continue to work with William Thomas until he feels he has him at a point where he can be competitive in a race and then enter him accordingly into an appropriate race.

Salt Water Reign was scratched from Thursday’s race on the decision of Steve Klesaris. Steve is now pointing Salt Water Reign to a race at Aqueduct sometime in March.

Lord Greystoke is entered to run in Sunday's 9th race at Aqueduct, which is a $15,000 Maiden Claiming race for New York state-breds 4-years-old and up going 6 furlongs. He drew post position 5 and leading jockey Ramon Dominguez is named to ride. Dominguez currently leads the Aqueduct jockey standings with 84 wins and a 31% winning percentage.

Lord Greystoke is currently the 2-1 Daily Racing Form morning line favorite in the race. He’s the DRF consensus selection to win the race. Three DRF handicappers select him to win the race. One DRF handicapper selects him as his best bet of the day. One DRF handicapper selects him as his second choice in the race.

The purse for this race is $15,000.

First race post time is 12:30 PM and Lord Greystoke’s race is Race 9 which is scheduled to go off at 4:18 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Aqueduct for a fun day of racing.

My Indy Kitty breezed Wednesday working 5 furlongs in 1:03.4 over the Hollywood Park track. That work was 6th best out of 7 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer Ron Ellis after the breeze and Ron said, "I had her go an easy 5 furlongs. I’m pointing her to her next race in late March so I didn’t want her to do too much in this work."

Ron will point My Indy Kitty to her next race which should be sometime in late March.

Portuguesemano'war ran a very credible third on Wednesday after returning from a brief layoff. He gave a good account of himself and finished in the money and earned a check.

Portuguesemano'war, breaking from the rail, got out of the gate perhaps a step slow. Dynamic Dino at 14-1 caught a flyer from the extreme outside and out-sprinted the entire field into the first turn and vied for the lead along with 8-5 Madman. They raced that way through the first turn with Madman on the lead, Dynamic Dino off his flank, Royal Rahy behind them and Portuguesemano'war about a length behind him. The quarter went in 23.3. They raced into the backstretch with Madman and Dynamic Dino dueling on the lead and Royal Rahy falling out of it as Portuguesemano'war worked his way up the rail into third about a length behind the leaders. By the time they reached the far turn Dynamic Dino fell back and Portuguesemano'war moved up and Portuguesemano'war found himself boxed in a bit as Madman had a clear go of it about a length ahead on the lead. The half went in 48.1. As they raced through the turn Madman opened up a bit and Portuguesemano'war moved up with him separating from the rest of the pack by about a length. They moved into the top of the stretch with Madman on top and Portuguesemano'war making a bid to his outside. As they reached the sixteenth pole 12-1 Gone Racin came rolling up down the center of the track. The three quarters went in 1:15.2. Gone Racin was full of run in deep stretch and went past Portuguesemano'war and Madman and went on to win as Madman stayed on for second and Portuguesemano'war for third.

We spoke with trainer Tim Hooper after the race and Tim said, "He was coming back off a short layoff and he also missed some days of training due to poor weather. He was tight for this race but could have been a little tighter. He just got a little tired in the stretch. I think he’ll get a lot out of this race and should improve next time. It’s clear that he fits at this level."

We also spoke with Hibiscus Stables CEO Mike Oliveto after the race and Mike said, “It’s pretty obvious that he fits this condition at Charles Town as was evidenced by the fact that he went off the favorite. He’s a horse that likes to be on the lead and the pace in this race didn’t exactly go his way. He doesn’t really have a late punch which is what’s necessary to win sprinting. I think his ideal distance is 7 furlongs, 7 1/2 furlongs, maybe a mile. Even though we had the rail, when Dynamic Dino hustled out there at 14-1 along with Madman and Gerry made the decision to take back it made sense at the time to not engage in a speed duel with a longshot. We had to chase Madman around the track and we couldn’t get to him in the end. We’ll bring Portuguesemano'war back next time and see how it goes.”

Portuguesemano'war earned $1,100 for Wednesday's race.

We'll see how Portuguesemano'war comes out of the race and Tim will point him accordingly.

Salt Water Reign breezed on Monday working 3 furlongs over the Delaware Park dirt track in 38.2. That work was 13th best out of 31 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "She went OK. I’m trying to sharpen her up a bit for Thursday’s race."

Steve will continue to work with Salt Water Reign while he tries to get her where he wants her for Thursday’s race.

Lord Greystoke breezed Monday working 4 furlongs in 48.88 over the dirt training track at Belmont Park. That work was 8th best out of 67 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer Linda Rice after the breeze and Linda said, "He worked OK; maybe a little better than some of his prior breezes. I wanted to sharpen him up a bit in anticipation of a possible race this weekend. Additionally, since we never know if the race is going to fill, I wanted to make sure that he didn’t go too long without a breeze.

Linda is pointing Lord Greystoke to a Maiden Claiming $15,000 going 6 furlongs at Aqueduct on February 28.

Salt Water Reign is entered to run in Thursday's 7th race at Aqueduct which is a $35,000 Claiming race for fillies and mares 4-years-old and up going 6 furlongs. She drew post position 1 and jockey Rosie Napravnik is named to ride. Napravnik is currently ranked fifth in the Aqueduct jockey standings with 26 wins and a 12% winning percentage.

Salt Water Reign is currently the 7-2 Daily Racing Form morning line second choice in the race.

The purse for this race is $36,000.

First race post time is 12:30 PM and Salt Water Reign's race is Race 7 which is scheduled to go off at 3:20 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Aqueduct for a fun day of racing.

Portuguesemano'war breezed Saturday working 4 furlongs over the Penn National dirt track in 53 flat. That work was 52nd best out of 55 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer Tim Hooper after the work and Tim said, "That was just a leg-stretcher. I don’t like to work my horses fast anyway. He’s ready for Wednesday’s race."

Tim has entered Portuguesemano'war to the $5,000 Claiming race going 6 1/2 furlongs at Charles Town on February 24.

Portuguesemano'war is entered to run in Wednesday's 3rd race at Charles Town which a $5,000 Claiming race is going 6 1/2 furlongs for 4-year-olds and up which have not won a race since September 21, 2009; races where entered for $4,000 or less not considered in the eligibility. He'll be breaking from post position 1 and jockey Gerald Almodovar is named to ride. Almodovar is currently ranked third in the Charles Town jockey standings with 15 wins and a 16% winning percentage.

Portuguesemano'war is currently the 5-2 Daily Racing Form morning line second choice in the race. He’s the DRF consensus second choice in the race. One DRF handicapper selects him to win the race, one DRF handicapper selects him as second choice in the race, and one DRF handicapper selects him as third choice in the race.

The purse for this race is $11,000.

First race post time is 7:15 PM and Portuguesemano'war's race is Race 3 which is scheduled to go off at 8:03 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Charles Town for a fun evening of racing.

Lord Greystoke was scratched from Wednesday’s race on the decision of Linda Rice. Linda is now pointing Lord Greystoke to a $15,000 Maiden Claiming race at Aqueduct on February 28.

My Indy Kitty breezed Wednesday working 4 furlongs in 48.2 over the Hollywood Park track. That work was 5th best out of 25 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer Ron Ellis after the breeze and Ron said, "This breeze was an improvement from her previous works. I’m trying to get her to be more involved in the race from the early stages."

Ron will point My Indy Kitty to her next race which should be sometime in March.

Lord Greystoke is entered to run in Wednesday's 6th race at Aqueduct, which is a $12,500 Maiden Claiming race for New York state-breds 4-years-old and up going 6 furlongs. He drew post position 2 and leading jockey Ramon Dominguez is named to ride. Dominguez currently leads the Aqueduct jockey standings with 67 wins and a 30% winning percentage.

Lord Greystoke is currently the 2-1 Daily Racing Form early morning line favorite in the race.

The purse for this race is $14,000.

First race post time is 12:30 PM and Lord Greystoke’s race is Race 9 which is scheduled to go off at 2:52 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Aqueduct for a fun day of racing.

Salt Water Reign was scratched from Friday’s race on the decision of Steve Klesaris. Steve is now pointing Salt Water Reign to a race at Aqueduct on later in the month.

My Indy Kitty is entered to run in Sunday's 5th race at Santa Anita, which is a Maiden Special Weight for 3-year-olds going 6 furlongs. She drew post position 11 and jockey Michael Baze is named to ride. At the current Santa Anita meet Baze has 6 wins and a 10% winning percentage.

My Indy Kitty is currently 15-1 in the Daily Racing Form early morning line in a field with some very competitive looking first-time starters.

The purse for this race is $44,000.

First race post time is 11:00 AM (early post due to Super Bowl Sunday) and My Indy Kitty’s race is Race 5 which is scheduled to go off at 1:05 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at beautiful Santa Anita for a fun day of racing.

Lord Greystoke is entered to run in Saturday's 9th race at Aqueduct, which is a Maiden Special Weight for New York state-breds 4-years-old and up going 6 furlongs. He drew post position 1 and jockey Rosie Napravnik is named to ride. Napravnik is currently ranked 4th in the Aqueduct jockey standings with 20 wins and an 11% winning percentage.

Lord Greystoke is currently the 3-1 Daily Racing Form morning line favorite in the race. He’s the DRF consensus second choice in the race. One DRF handicapper selects him to win the race. Three select him as their second choice in the race.

The purse for this race is $38,000.

First race post time is 12:30 PM and Lord Greystoke’s race is Race 9 which is scheduled to go off at 4:18 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Aqueduct for a fun day of racing.

My Indy Kitty breezed Wednesday working 4 furlongs from the gate in 49 flat over the Hollywood Park track. That work was 7th best out of 16 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer Ron Ellis after the breeze and Ron said, "She worked well. I worked her in company and she went fine. This was her last breeze before her race and she’s ready for us to enter."

Ron will point My Indy Kitty to the Maiden Special Weight going 6 furlongs at Santa Anita on February 7.

Salt Water Reign is entered to run in Friday's 8th race at Aqueduct which is The Personal Girl Stakes $60,000 for New York-bred fillies and mares 4-year-olds and up going 6 furlongs. She drew post position 1 and jockey David Cohen is named to ride. Cohen is currently ranked second in the Aqueduct jockey standings with 38 wins and an 18% winning percentage.

Salt Water Reign is currently the 6-1 Daily Racing Form morning line fourth choice in the race.

The purse for this race is $60,000.

First race post time is 12:30 PM and Salt Water Reign's race is Race 8 which is scheduled to go off at 3:49 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Aqueduct for a fun day of racing.

Slamentine, the Grand Slam 3-year-old colt, breezed on Saturday working 4 furlongs from the gate in 51.4 at Steven Venosa's farm in Ocala.

We spoke with trainer Steven Venosa after the breeze and Steven said, "He came out nice and went well. It was a nice work. I’m going to speak with Steve Klesaris this week about sending Slamentine north to Steve’s barn."

Steven will begin to make arrangements to ship Slamentine to Steve Klesaris at Fair Hill for the next stages of his training.

Lord Greystoke’s Saturday race at Aqueduct was canceled after the third race along with the entire remainder of the card due to extreme cold. The race was brought back as an extra for Friday, February 5th. Trainer Linda Rice will enter him back in that spot.

Portuguesemano’war was scratched from Friday’s race due to a sore hoof. Trainer Tim Hooper doesn’t think it’s serious and Tim is now pointing Portuguesemano’war to a $5,000 Claiming N2Y at Charles Town on February 13.

Portuguesemano'war is entered to run in Friday's 1st race at Penn National which is a $4,000 Claiming race going 1 1/16 miles for 4-year-olds and up which have not won two races since July 29, 2009. He'll be breaking from Post Position 4 and jockey Scott Spieth is named to ride. Spieth currently has 5 wins and an 11% winning percentage at the current Penn National meet.

Portuguesemano'war is currently 8-1 in the Daily Racing Form morning in a very contentious race.

The purse for this race is $13,000.

First race post time is 6:30 PM and Portuguesemano'war's race is Race 1. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Penn National for a fun evening of racing.

My Indy Kitty breezed Wednesday working 5 furlongs from the gate in 1:01.8 over the Hollywood Park track. That work was 3rd best out of 6 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer Ron Ellis after the breeze and Ron said, "She worked well. She received her gate card today. She’s ready for us to enter her into a race. There’s a Maiden Special Weight on February 7 so we’ll point to that spot."

Ron will point My Indy Kitty to the Maiden Special Weight going 6 furlongs at Santa Anita on February 7.

William Thomas is entered to run in Friday's 8th race at Aqueduct, which is a N2X Allowance for New York state-breds 4-years-old and up going 6 furlongs. He drew post position 3 and jockey David Cohen is named to ride. Cohen is currently ranked second in the Aqueduct jockey standings with 37 wins and a 19% winning percentage.

William Thomas is currently the 2-1 Daily Racing Form morning line favorite in the race.

The purse for this race is $42,000.

First race post time is 12:30 PM and William Thomas' race is Race 8 which is scheduled to go off at 3:49 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Aqueduct for a fun day of racing.

Lord Greystoke is entered to run in Saturday's 6th race at Aqueduct, which is a Maiden Special Weight for New York state-breds 4-years-old and up going 6 furlongs. He drew post position 3 and leading jockey Ramon Dominguez is named to ride. Dominguez currently leads the Aqueduct jockey standings with 45 wins and a 26% winning percentage.

Lord Greystoke is currently the 5-2 Daily Racing Form morning line favorite in the race. He’s the DRF consensus selection to win the race. Two of the four DRF handicappers select him to win the race. Two select him as the second choice in the race. One selects him as his best bet of the day.

The purse for this race is $38,000.

First race post time is 12:30 PM and Lord Greystoke’s race is Race 6 which is scheduled to go off at 2:52 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Aqueduct for a fun day of racing.

Lord Greystoke breezed 5 furlongs in 1:02.89 on Saturday over the dirt training track at Belmont Park. That work was 13th best out of 26 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer Linda Rice after the breeze and Linda said, "He worked OK. Better than some of his prior breezes but not quite as good as last week’s. I’ll give him a once over in the barn on Sunday morning and then decide if we want to enter him for Saturday."

Linda will make a game-time decision as to whether or not she’ll enter Lord Greystoke in the Maiden Special Weight going 6 furlongs at Aqueduct on January 30.

My Indy Kitty breezed Tuesday working 6 furlongs in 1:16.4 over the Hollywood Park track. That work was 6th best out of 7 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer Ron Ellis after the breeze and Ron said, "I had to work my horses a day earlier than I had intended due to the extreme rains we’ve been getting out here. Had I not worked them today we probably would have missed the rest of the week due to track conditions. There are already standing pools of water on the track and it’s expected to rain more the rest of the week. My Indy Kitty worked well but she simply gets lazy when she works alone. I originally planned to work her in company this week but because I had to rearrange the breeze schedule I was unable to line up a breeze partner on short notice. I’ll work her in company next week. Because the track was wet and the work was off schedule I just wanted them to get them some work and cruise around the track and that’s what they did. The times were slow but that’s not an issue whatsoever. I just wanted to make sure they remained on schedule."

Ron plans to work My Indy Kitty back next week going 6 furlongs in company gearing her up for her debut which is expected to be sometime in February.

Kat Scratch Fever breezed Tuesday working 6 furlongs in 1:16.8 over the Hollywood Park track. That work was 7th best out of 7 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer Ron Ellis after the breeze and Ron said, "I had to work my horses a day earlier than I had intended due to the extreme rains we’ve been getting out here. Had I not worked them today we probably would have missed the rest of the week due to track conditions. There are already standing pools of water on the track and it’s expected to rain more the rest of the week. Kat Scratch Fever worked well. Because the track was wet and the work was off schedule I just wanted them to get them some work and cruise around the track and that’s what they did. The times were slow but that’s not an issue whatsoever. I just wanted to make sure they remained on schedule."

Ron plans to work Kat Scratch Fever back next week, possibly from the gate, gearing her up for her debut which is expected to be the next running of the Maiden Special Weight on the dirt at Santa Anita which should be sometime in late January.

Lord Greystoke breezed 5 furlongs in 1:01.89 on Saturday over the dirt training track at Belmont Park. That work was 8th best out of 19 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer Linda Rice after the breeze and Linda said, "He went very well. He actually worked 4 furlongs in 48.3 and galloped out in 1:01.4. He’s ready to run now. The next Maiden Special Weight is in the book for January 30 so we’ll point to that. That’s two weeks away so I’ll probably put one more work into him which will only help him. If they put up an extra between then and now I’ll skip the breeze and enter him."

Linda will breeze Lord Greystoke back next week and then look to enter him into a Maiden Special Weight going 6 furlongs at Aqueduct on January 30.

Slamentine, the Grand Slam 3-year-old colt, breezed on Saturday working 3 furlongs from the gate in 41 flat at Steven Venosa's farm in Ocala.

We spoke with trainer Steven Venosa after the breeze and Steven said, "He went an easy 41 because it was his first time working out of the gate. He came out good and went nice. I’ll work him back in 7 to 10 days again out of the gate."

Steven will work Slamentine back on roughly a 7-to-10 day breeze schedule giving him valuable gate schooling before he ships north to Steve Klesaris at Fair Hill Training Center.

My Indy Kitty breezed Wednesday working 6 furlongs in 1:17.6 over the Hollywood Park track. That work was 8th best out of 8 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer Ron Ellis after the breeze and Ron said, "She actually went well. She worked alone this morning and she really gets lazy when she works alone. She goes well for about 4 furlongs and then she loses interest. She works very competitively when she’s in company, though. I see a lot of A.P. Indy in her in the way that she goes. I continue to think that she’ll be a good two-turn horse and she’ll do her best running late. Her early races are going to be sprints so we’ll have to see if she can come from off the pace and get up in time going short or if she’ll need to stretch out to win. I’ll have a better gauge of that once she races and shows her running style. I’ll work her back next week 6 furlongs in company and take it from there."

Ron plans to work My Indy Kitty back next week going 6 furlongs in company gearing her up for her debut which is expected to be sometime in late January.

Kat Scratch Fever breezed Wednesday working 5 furlongs from the gate in 1:01.4 over the Hollywood Park track. That work was 9th best out of 15 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer Ron Ellis after the breeze and Ron said, "She went very well. She came right out of the gate and did what the rider asked her to do. I told the rider to work her in 1:01 and that’s essentially the final time of the breeze. She received her gate card today. I’ll work her back next week going 6 furlongs and then the following week either 3 or 5 furlongs from the gate as a tightener before her race. She’s going to be a speed type and I want her to get out quickly and race up close to the lead so we’ll school her a bit to do that."

Ron plans to work Kat Scratch Fever back next week going 6 furlongs gearing her up for her debut which is expected to be the next running of the Maiden Special Weight on the dirt at Santa Anita which should be sometime in late January.

Salt Water Reign ran fifth on Friday at Aqueduct after contesting the pace while stretching out to 1 mile for the first time in her career.

Salt Water Reign, breaking from the third post, broke very alertly and jockey Fernando Jara hustled her out to the lead and was joined by the 6-5 favorite Cape Cod Girl to the inside. They went through the first turn with Cape Cod Girl on the rail and Salt Water Reign in the two-path and 9-2 McVictory about a length behind them. The quarter went in 24.1. They raced through the backstretch with Salt Water Reign moving up next to the pacesetting Cape Cod Girl while McVictory, Judge Margaret, and Burning Calories all closing the gap and racing no more than a length behind. The half went in 48.4. They entered the far turn tightly packed with Cape Cod Girl on the lead and Salt Water Reign moving up to challenge and the others across the track right behind. As they reached the top of the stretch Salt Water Reign had moved head to head with Cape Cod Girl and it appeared that she was ready to mount a run. When they passed the eighth pole she had actually moved her nose in front as the three-quarters went in 1:14.4. Deep into the stretch Salt Water Reign had eked out a half-length lead but she was reaching her distance limitation. She began to get leg-weary and at the same time Starship Angel, who had been left at the gate, was completing a last-to-first move by rolling up on the far outside. Salt Water Reign was running out of gas past the sixteenth pole and dropped back and had to settle for fifth place as four other horses moved past her near the wire.

We spoke with jockey Fernando Jara after the race and he said, "She was OK. The race was probably too long for her."

We also spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the race and he said, "We didn’t need to be that close up to the lead. Fernando is a young aggressive jockey and he’s never ridden her before. You can see that a mile is beyond her reach. The question had to be answered and now it has. We’ve run through all the conditions with this horse and we’ve tried the grass and now we’ve tried two turns. Now we know that she’s a one-turn dirt horse."

We also spoke with Hibiscus Stables CEO Mike Oliveto after the race and Mike said, "Ramon Dominguez was out of town and Rosie Napravnik had first call on another horse so we had to go with a rider that’s never been on her before. He didn’t know the horse and he didn’t exactly give her the best ride based on her running style. It doesn’t make that much difference because she wasn’t going to win this race no matter what kind of trip she got. This race was an experiment and we now have the answer to our question. We’ll go back to the drawing board and stick with sprinting."

Salt Water Reign earned $1,350 for Friday's 5th place finish.

We'll see how Salt Water Reign comes out of the race and Steve will point her accordingly.

Lord Greystoke breezed 5 furlongs in 1:01.88 on Thursday over the dirt training track at Belmont Park in a work classified as "handily". That work was 15th best out of 39 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer Linda Rice after the breeze and Linda said, "He may or may not need one more breeze before we can run. I'll have to see how he trains and make a decision on the day they draw entries."

Linda will either breeze Lord Greystoke back or look to enter him into a Maiden race going 6 furlongs at Aqueduct on January 16.

Kat Scratch Fever breezed Wednesday working 5 furlongs in 1:02.4 over the Hollywood Park track. That work was 20th best out of 28 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer Ron Ellis after the breeze and Ron said, "She worked well. She worked in company and she handled it very well. I'll work her back next week going 6 furlongs."

Ron plans to work Kat Scratch Fever back next week, stretching her out to 6 furlongs, as he gets her ready for her debut which is expected to be sometime in late January.

My Indy Kitty breezed Wednesday working 5 furlongs in 1:01.8 over the Hollywood Park track. That work was 16th best out of 28 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer Ron Ellis after the breeze and Ron said, "She went well. She's doing very well. Next week I'll work her back 6 furlongs"

Ron plans to work My Indy Kitty back next week, stretching her out to 6 furlongs, gearing her up for her debut which is expected to be sometime in late January.

Salt Water Reign is entered to run in Friday's 8th race at Aqueduct which is an Allowance N2X for fillies and mares 4-year-olds and up which have never won two races other than maiden, claiming, starter, or restricted or which have never won three races, going 1 mile. She drew post position 3 and jockey Fernando Jara is named to ride.

Salt Water Reign is currently the 5-1 Daily Racing Form morning line fourth choice in the race.

The purse for this race is $45,000.

First race post time is 12:30 PM and Salt Water Reign's race is Race 8 which is scheduled to go off at 3:49 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Aqueduct for a fun day of racing.

Salt Water Reign's Sunday race at Aqueduct was canceled as the entire card was canceled due to frigid temperatures and high wind. The race was brought back for Friday, January 8 and trainer Steve Klesaris will enter her back in that spot.

Slamentine, the Grand Slam 2-year-old colt, breezed on Thursday working 4 furlongs in 53.4 at Steven Venosa's farm in Ocala.

We spoke with trainer Steven Venosa after the breeze and Steven said, "He went well. I think he'll need one more work and then he should be ready to ship north to Steve Klesaris."

Steven will work Slamentine back, probably on Thursday, on roughly a 7 day breeze schedule then begin to make arrangements to ship Slamentine to Steve Klesaris at Fair Hill for the next stages of his training.

William Thomas is entered to run in Saturday's 7th race at Aqueduct, which is a N2X Allowance for New York state-breds 4-years-old and up going 6 furlongs. He drew post position 5 (Program Number 6) and leading rider Ramon Dominguez is once again named to ride. Dominguez currently leads the Aqueduct jockey standings with 13 wins and a 26% winning percentage.

William Thomas is the 7-2 Daily Racing Form morning line second choice in the race. The DRF consensus selects him as the second choice in the race. One DRF handicapper selects him to win the race and two DRF handicappers select him as the second choice in the race.

The purse for this race is $42,000.

First race post time is 12:30 PM and William Thomas' race is Race 7 which is scheduled to go off at 3:16 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Aqueduct for a fun day of racing.

Salt Water Reign is entered to run in Sunday's 8th race at Aqueduct which is an Allowance N2X for fillies and mares 4-year-olds and up which have never won two races other than maiden, claiming, starter, or restricted or which have never won three races, going 1 mile. She drew post position 10 and apprentice jockey Angel Serpa is named to ride. Serpa is currently ranked eighth in the Aqueduct jockey standings with 6 wins and a 13% winning percentage.

Salt Water Reign is currently 6-1 in Daily Racing Form morning line.

The purse for this race is $45,000.

First race post time is 12:30 PM and Salt Water Reign's race is Race 8 which is scheduled to go off at 3:49 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Aqueduct for a fun day of racing.

My Indy Kitty breezed Wednesday working 5 furlongs in 1:03.4 over the Hollywood Park track. That work was 27th best out of 30 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer Ron Ellis after the breeze and Ron said, "She went OK. She's lazy when she's not in company. Next week I'll work her back 5 furlongs again but this time in company."

Ron plans to work My Indy Kitty back in about a week, likely going 5 furlongs, this time in company, gearing her up for her debut which could be sometime in January.

Kat Scratch Fever breezed Tuesday working 5 furlongs in 1:02.2 over the Hollywood Park track. That work was 8th best out of 14 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer Ron Ellis after the breeze and Ron said, " She worked well. I plan to work her back 6 furlongs alone next week and then work her from the gate in company the week after that. At that point, if all goes well, we can start to look for a race for her in the second Santa Anita condition book."

Ron plans to work Kat Scratch Fever back in about a week, stretching her out to 6 furlongs, as he gets her ready for her debut which is expected to be sometime in January.

Lord Greystoke breezed 5 furlongs in 1:04.42 on Tuesday over the dirt training track at Belmont Park. That work was 12th best out of 14 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer Linda Rice after the breeze and Linda said, "The training track was a bit heavy and cuppy today after the weekend's snowfall. He's coming along although not as quickly as I'd have liked following the layoff. He'll need more work in the mornings before he'll be ready. I'll work him back in about ten days and hope to have him ready for a race in mid-January."

Linda will breeze Lord Greystoke back in about ten days and point him to a Maiden Special Weight going 5 1/2 furlongs at Aqueduct on January 16.

My Indy Kitty breezed Monday working 4 furlongs in 49.2 over the Hollywood Park track. That work was 18th best out of 35 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer Ron Ellis after the breeze and Ron said, "She worked fine other than that she was goofing around a little down the stretch. She needs to work in company to work faster. I’ll plan to work her 5 furlongs alone next week and then 5 furlongs in company the week after that."

Ron plans to work My Indy Kitty back in about a week, likely going 5 furlongs, gearing her up for her debut which could be sometime in January.

Slamentine, the Grand Slam 2-year-old colt, breezed on Saturday working 3 furlongs in 39.2 at Steven Venosa's farm in Ocala.

We spoke with trainer Steven Venosa after the breeze and Steven said, "He did it nice. He went out very well and he finished very well. This was his third 3 furlong work so if all goes well I’ll work him back 4 furlongs next week."

Steven will work Slamentine back, probably on Saturday, on roughly a 7 day breeze schedule.

Portuguesemano'war ran a respectable fifth on Thursday surrendering the lead in the stretch and tiring after stretching out to 1 mile 70 yards.

Portuguesemano'war, breaking from the 5th post, broke well and found himself up close and three-wide into the first turn. Midway through the turn Back to Back Jacks and Shifty’s Prospect opened up a lead and raced that way into the backstretch. Those two horses had a three length lead over Portuguesemano’war who himself had a three length lead over the rest of the field. They raced that way through the backstretch as the quarter went in 22.93. Portuguesemano'war slowly closed that gap as they raced through the backstretch and wound up off the flank of Shifty’s Prospect making a move in the three path as the half went in 47.25. As they raced through the far turn Portuguesemano'war moved to nudge his head in front and was on the lead as they passed the quarter pole. Eventual race winner Special Minute ranged up to the outside of Portuguesemano'war and challenged for the lead as they exited the turn. By the time they were midway down the stretch Special Minute had drawn away and Portuguesemano'war was tiring along the rail. Second place finisher Mount Weather rolled up to Portuguesemano'war’s outside and Portuguesemano'war ultimately held on for fifth place as he was passed by two other horses in deep stretch.

We spoke with jockey William Ottero after the race and William said, “I may have moved him a touch too soon. He ran well.”

We also spoke with trainer Tim Hooper after the race and Tim said, "I thought he ran a good race. The water was a little deeper in this race than I would have liked. The jockey may have moved him a bit too early also. The horse pretty much did what I expected him to do. Moving him back to the $4000 level will help him and maybe cutting him back in distance, too. We’ll have to see."

We also spoke with Hibiscus Stables CEO Mike Oliveto after the race and Mike said, “This was a tough spot. We tried twice to get this horse in the $4000 N2Y race but twice it didn’t fill. We were more or less forced into this spot which was a double jump. Then we lost Dana Whitney, who won for us last time, to the favorite because we had told him that we were pointing to the $4000 race. He committed to the favorite and he couldn’t break that commitment to ride back for us when we wound up in this race. That horse wound up being an early scratch and Tim could have made a late switch back to Dana but he doesn’t like to do that so we stayed with Bill Ottero. Bill is the leading rider at the meet and there’s little difference between him and Dana. Considering that this wasn’t our primary choice in race level and the musical jockeys we’ll happily take our fifth place money and move on.”

Portuguesemano'war earned $420 for Thursday's race.

We'll see how Portuguesemano'war comes out of the race and Tim will point him accordingly.

Kat Scratch Fever breezed Tuesday working 4 furlongs in 49.2 over the Hollywood Park track. That work was 23rd best out of 36 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer Ron Ellis after the breeze and Ron said, "I’m pleased with this breeze. It was somewhat of a leg-stretcher after a few weeks off. She didn’t lose much fitness. I’ll work her back a sharp 5 furlongs next week and then if all goes well 6 furlongs the week after that. We can start to look for a race for her in the second Santa Anita condition book."

Ron plans to work Kat Scratch Fever back in about a week, stretching her out to a sharp 5 furlongs, as he gets her ready for her debut which is expected to be sometime in January.

Portuguesemano'war is entered to run in Thursday's 8th race at Penn National which is a $5,000 Claiming race going 1 mile 70 yards for 3-year-olds and up which have not won one race since June 17, 2009; races where entered for $4,000 or less not considered in the eligibility. He'll be breaking from Post Position 5 and leading jockey William P Ottero is named to ride. Ottero currently leads the Penn National jockey standings with 173 wins and a 19% winning percentage.

Portuguesemano'war is currently the 8-1 Daily Racing Form morning line fourth choice in the race. One DRF handicapper selects him as the third choice in the race.

The purse for this race is $14,000.

First race post time is 6:45 PM and Portuguesemano'war's race is Race 8 which is scheduled to go off at 9:38 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Penn National for a fun evening of racing.

My Indy Kitty breezed Monday working 3 furlongs in 36.60 over the Hollywood Park track. That work was 7th best out of 26 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer Ron Ellis after the breeze and Ron said, "The clockers put her down for 3 furlongs but she actually went 4 furlongs in 49 or so. I worked her from the 3/8 pole to a point 1/8 after the wire. I worked her alone but she unintentionally hooked up with another horse that was breezing down the lane. When that horse pulled up at the wire My Indy Kitty pulled up with her. Despite that she worked fine. Next week I’ll probably work her from the 1/2 pole to the wire."

Ron plans to work My Indy Kitty back in about a week, probably going another 4 furlongs, gearing her up for her debut which could be sometime in January.

Lord Greystoke, breezed 4 furlongs in 50.42 on Friday over the dirt training track at Belmont Park. That work was 6th best out of 22 at the distance on a day when the bullet went in 49.83.

We spoke with trainer Linda Rice after the breeze and Linda said, "He continues to do well. So far he’s had no issues. I think he’ll need about two more works before he’ll be ready for a race."

Linda will continue to breeze Lord Greystoke on roughly a 7 day breeze schedule and point him to a Maiden Special Weight going 6 furlongs at Aqueduct on January 2.

Salt Water Reign ran a credible third on Thursday at Aqueduct beaten by a very strong 2-5 favorite after a less-than-ideal trip.

Salt Water Reign, breaking from the inside post, broke sharply from the gate and found herself along the rail with four other horses to her outside as there appeared to be an early battle for the lead. Jockey David Cohen made the strategic decision to take back with Salt Water Reign and allow the other horses to slug it out on the front end. The 2-5 favored Saarlight won that battle and held an early lead with Indian Rush to her immediate outside and Star Over Malibu and Motor City Mama about a length behind them. Salt Water Reign was a about a length behind them in fifth down the backstretch as the quarter went in 22.70. They raced that way down the backstretch and then, as they entered the turn, Salt Water Reign appeared to be caught flat-footed and lost about another length as they began to quicken. They raced through the turn with Saarlight opening up a lead and Indian Rush, Star Over Malibu and Motor City Mama spread across the track chasing her with Salt Water Reign caught in fifth behind that wall of horses. The half went in 45.75. When they came out of the turn the rail opened up a bit and Salt Water Reign ducked into that hole and made a run and pushed her way up past Start Over Malibu and Motor City Mama and actually gained second place about midway through the stretch. She began to bog down along the very dead rail as she approached the eighth pole and Quiet Mover made a strong rally down the center of the racetrack ultimately blasting past the rest of the field and even made a brief run at Saarlight. Salt Water Reign was able to hang on for third.

We spoke with jockey David Cohen after the race and he said, "She went fine. It was a good effort off the layoff. If I didn't make the move to the rail we wouldn't have gotten third."

We also spoke with Hibiscus Stables CEO Mike Oliveto after the race and Mike said, "Kiran's horse (Saarlight) is G2-placed but was coming off a layoff. She was entered to run in a stake on Sunday and they scratched her. I had one of our people reach out to Kiran to find out if his horse was live and he said his horse 'was going to be tough to beat'. Based on that I knew we had our work cut out for us because I've known Kiran for a while and he's one of the few trainers that gives you the straight scoop if you ask him. He's never led us down the garden path. I like to race late in the day because it gives you an opportunity to see how the track is playing. There was a strong outside bias going all day and it got more pronounced as the day wore on. It was obvious that the rail inside the eighth pole was dead as a doornail. Dave and I discussed this before the race but sometimes things don't quite unfold the way you want them to. Dave's hand was forced coming out of the turn and he had to make a split-second decision. I don't blame him. Had we been up close and outside then we get the stretch trip that Rosie took (on Quiet Mover) and maybe we get second. I'm content with third off the layoff against a very talented horse like Saarlight. I think Salt Water Reign can win at this condition against the right field so I'm not concerned in the least."

Salt Water Reign earned $4,700 for Thursday's 3rd place finish plus an additional $470 in New York-bred Award Program Open Owner Awards.

We'll see how Salt Water Reign comes out of the race and Steve will point her accordingly.

Slamentine, the Grand Slam 2-year-old colt, breezed on Wednesday working 3 furlongs in 38.4 at Steven Venosa's farm in Ocala.

We spoke with trainer Steven Venosa after the breeze and Steven said, "He worked a nice easy 3 furlongs. He went out well and came home well. He did it nice. I’ll work him back in about a week again going 3 furlongs. If all goes well we’ll stretch him out to 4 furlongs the week after that."

Steven will work Slamentine back, possibly on Wednesday, on roughly a 7 day breeze schedule.

My Indy Kitty breezed Sunday working 3 furlongs in 38.60 over the Hollywood Park track. That work was 22nd best out of 24 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer Ron Ellis after the breeze and Ron said, "The clockers put her down for 3 furlongs but she actually went 4 furlongs in 51 and change. It was a leg-stretcher after the week off. She went well and worked within herself. Overall it was fine."

Ron plans to work My Indy Kitty back next weekend, probably going another 4 furlongs, gearing her up for her debut which could be sometime around late December.

Salt Water Reign is entered to run in Thursday's 8th race at Aqueduct which is an Allowance N2X for fillies and mares 3-year-olds and up which have never won two races other than maiden, claiming, starter, or restricted or which have never won three races, going 6 furlongs. She drew post position 1 and jockey David Cohen is named to ride. Cohen is currently tied for second in the Aqueduct jockey standings with 3 wins and a 21% winning percentage.

Salt Water Reign is currently the 5-1 Daily Racing Form morning line third choice in the race.

The purse for this race is $47,000.

First race post time is 12:30 PM and Salt Water Reign's race is Race 8 which is scheduled to go off at 3:44 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Aqueduct for a fun day of racing.

William Thomas handled a field of first-level allowance foes at Aqueduct on Friday taking the field gate-to-wire and drawing off by more than three lengths.

William Thomas, breaking from the 4th post, broke sharply from the gate as he customarily does, and found himself on the lead being pressed by Golden Boychick off his right flank. They raced that way down the backstretch and into the turn as the quarter went in 22.61. They continued that way through the turn as the half went in 45.93. They entered the top of the stretch as jockey Ramon Dominguez cut the corner very nicely and William Thomas held a one-length lead. They reached the eighth pole with William Thomas extending his lead to two lengths as Golden Boychick began to weaken. William Thomas repelled Golden Boychick and crossed the wire in hand and drew away in a final time of 1:09.95.

We spoke with Dominguez after the race and he said, "He went really well. He was all out at the end but he wasn't getting tired or anything. It was all good."

We also spoke with Hibiscus Stables CEO Mike Oliveto after the race and Mike said, "I feel very good to get this win under the belt for the partners. There was a certain unspoken frustration beginning to mount as the last five races for this horse were on a wet track. It's fairly clear now that there's a direct correlation between his performance and the moisture in the track. I always believed from the day we bought this horse that he had talent and today he flashed a bit more of it. Ray Flynn, Steve Klesaris, Paul Sharp…they all pounded the table on this horse and today we showed that they all know what they're talking about. It was a nice win for our advisors, our program, and mostly for our partners."

William Thomas earned $25,800 for Friday's victory.

We'll see how William Thomas comes out of the race and trainer Steve Klesaris will point him accordingly; most likely to a NY-bred N2X at Aqueduct.

Lord Greystoke, breezed 4 furlongs in 49.22 on Wednesday over the dirt training track at Belmont Park. That work was 35th best out of 69 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Linda Rice after the breeze and Linda said, "He continues to do great. I'm just bringing him along and getting him ready. He'll probably need two or three more breezes so he should be ready right after the Holiday break."

Linda will continue to breeze Lord Greystoke on roughly a 7 day breeze schedule as he prepares for his return which is expected to be in late December.

Salt Water Reign breezed on Sunday working 4 furlongs over the Delaware Park dirt track in 49 flat. That work was the bullet out of 9 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "She’s doing exceptionally well. After that breeze she’s ready for us to look for a race for her."

Steve will point Salt Water Reign to the N2X Allowance going 6 furlongs at Aqueduct on December 9.

William Thomas breezed on Sunday working 3 furlongs in 38 flat over the dirt track at Delaware Park. That work was 6th best out of 8 at the distance.

We spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "That was a tightener before Friday’s race. His knee has been bothering him a bit. He should be OK for Friday but it will be something we’ll need to keep an eye on."

William Thomas is entered to run in an N1X Allowance going 6 furlongs at Aqueduct on December 4.

William Thomas is entered to run in Friday's 1st race at Aqueduct, which is a N1X Allowance for New York state-breds 3-years-old and up going 6 furlongs. He drew post position 4 and leading rider Ramon Dominguez is once again named to ride.

William Thomas is the 3-1 Daily Racing Form morning line second choice in the race. The DRF consensus has William Thomas as the third choice in the race. One DRF handicapper selects him as his second choice in the race and three DRF handicappers select him as their third choice in the race.

The purse for this race is $43,000.

First race post time is 12:30 PM and William Thomas' race is Race 1. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Aqueduct for a fun day of racing.

Slamentine, the Grand Slam 2-year-old colt breezed on Saturday working 3 furlongs in 38.4 at Steven Venosa's farm in Ocala.

We spoke with trainer Steven Venosa after the breeze and Steven said, "It was a nice easy three eighths. I’m very pleased. He’s doing great and has no issues. I’ll work him back another three eighths next Saturday."

Steven will work Slamentine back next Saturday on a 7 day breeze schedule.

Portuguesemano'war, for the fourth time in his career, won his debut race with a new trainer, this time rolling to a 2 3/4 length victory in his first career race with trainer Tim Hooper.

Portuguesemano'war, breaking from the 2nd post, left the gate sharply and found himself immediately on the front end with Sheikh to his immediate inside. They raced that way throughout the first turn and as they entered the backstretch Portuguesemano'war was about a head in front of Sheikh and the 6-5 favored Rocky Blue was about two lengths behind them in third. The first quarter went in 24.2. About midway through the backstretch Rocky Blue mounted his challenge as he moved up to the outside of Portuguesemano'war and the 25-1 Sheikh started to drop back a bit along the rail. The half went in 48.4. As they raced into the far turn Rocky Blue turned up the heat on Portuguesemano'war and the two horses raced heads apart and separated themselves from the rest of the field by as many as seven lengths. As they reached the top of the stretch Portuguesemano'war began to inch away and as they neared the eighth pole Portuguesemano'war had repelled Rocky Blue and opened up daylight on that rival. Portuguesemano'war continued his drive to the wire and won the race by an eventual 2 3/4 lengths.

We spoke with trainer Tim Hooper after the race and Tim said, "I knew the race was pretty much devoid of early speed so I told the jock to make sure he got out of the gate and to get involved early. I told him that he didn't have to be on the lead but to make sure he was part of the mix. I was pretty surprised to see Sheikh out there with us but I wasn't too worried about that one. I spoke with Dana after the race and he said the horse was going really well and you could see down the backstretch his ears were flopping around and he was just really enjoying himself out there. I had a feeling this horse would do well on the stretch-out. It was a nice win."

Portuguesemano'war earned $7,200 for Friday's victory.

We'll see how Portuguesemano'war comes out of the race and Tim will point him accordingly.

Kat Scratch Fever breezed Wednesday working 6 furlongs in 1:14.4 over the Hollywood Park track. That work was 3rd best out of 12 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Ron Ellis after the breeze and Ron said, "I'm pleased with this work. She did the first quarter in 25 and change and she finished well. I put a new rider on her and that rider was able to get her to relax. Next week I'll work her a sharp 5/8s from the gate in company and not attempt to throttle her. I'll let her run as if in a race and we'll look for 5/8s in 59 seconds or so. This next work will be very telling."

Ron plans to work Kat Scratch Fever back next Wednesday as he gets her ready for her debut which is expected to be sometime around mid December.

Portuguesemano'war is entered to run in Friday's 9th race at Penn National which is a $4,000 Claiming race going 1 mile for 3-year-olds and up which have not won one race since May 27, 2009; races where entered for $3,500 or less not considered in the eligibility. He'll be breaking from Post Position 2 and leading jockey Dana Whitney is named to ride. Whitney is currently ranked 5th in the Penn National jockey standings with 72 wins and a 23% winning percentage.

Portuguesemano'war is currently the 8-1 Daily Racing Form morning line fourth choice in the race. One DRF handicapper selects him as the third choice in the race.

The purse for this race is $12,000.

First race post time is 6:45 PM and Portuguesemano'war's race is Race 9 which is scheduled to go off at 10:02 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Penn National for a fun evening of racing.

Lord Greystoke, breezed 4 furlongs in 50.11 on Monday over the dirt training track at Belmont Park. That work was 33rd best out of 78 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Linda Rice after the breeze and Linda said, "He continues to do great. Don't get caught up in the time of the breeze. We're not working him for speed right now. We're putting air in his lungs. We're building up his wind. He's getting a nice solid bottom as we gear him up for his return race."

Linda will continue to breeze Lord Greystoke on roughly a 7 day breeze schedule as he prepares for his return which is expected to be in mid-to-late December.

Slamentine, the Grand Slam 2-year-old colt breezed on Saturday working 2 furlongs in 25 flat at Steven Venosa's farm in Ocala. He galloped out the next furlong in 14 seconds.

Mike spoke with trainer Steven Venosa after the breeze and Steven said, "He went very well. The first couple of works he did fine but he was still trying to figure it out. This breeze was much better and I’m very pleased. So far he’s done everything we’ve asked him to do. He came out of the work fine and I’ll plan to stretch him out to 3 furlongs next week."

Steven will work Slamentine back next Saturday on a 7 day breeze schedule.

Kat Scratch Fever breezed Friday working 5 furlongs in 1:05.8 over the Hollywood Park track. That work was 25th best out of 25 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Ron Ellis after the breeze and Ron said, "It was extremely foggy. I was unable to see her on the backstretch while I was standing on the apron. I can’t imagine how the clockers could have possibly have gotten a time on her. If in fact she did go in 1:05 it was because the rider couldn’t see anything. She went fine and came out of the work fine. I’m going to breeze her back three quarters on Wednesday.”

Ron plans to work Kat Scratch Fever back next Wednesday stretching her out to 6 furlongs as he gets her ready for her debut which is expected to be sometime around mid December.

Salt Water Reign breezed on Wednesday working 4 furlongs over the Belmont Park dirt training track in 49.27. That work was 24th best out of 79 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "She's doing superbly. I wish I had more to add but there's no better way to put it. She's doing great and we're going to start to look for a race for her."

Steve will train Salt Water Reign up to a return race which will probably be sometime towards the beginning of December.

William Thomas breezed on Wednesday working 3 furlongs in 36.82 over the dirt training track at Belmont Park. That work was 4th best out of 18 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "He's doing great; possibly the best since he's been here. He's totally ready for his next race. We'll point him to that N1X on November 28 but I'll also keep an eye on the overnights to see if they put up an extra for him."

Steve is pointing William Thomas to a N1X Allowance going 6 ½ furlongs at Belmont Park on November 28.

Lord Greystoke, breezed 4 furlongs in 49.94 on Tuesday over the dirt training track at Belmont Park. That work was 59th best out of 114 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Linda Rice after the breeze and Linda said, "He went very well. The time appears to be a little slow but don't let that fool you. The training track was playing a little slow today and this was his first 4 furlong breeze and only his second overall breeze since returning from the layoff. He's doing great."

This was Lord Greystoke's second breeze since returning from a layoff. Linda thinks he should be ready for a return race around mid-December.

My Indy Kitty breezed Sunday working 4 furlongs in 48.80 over the Hollywood Park track. That work was 23rd best out of 44 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Ron Ellis after the breeze and Ron said, "She galloped out in 1:02. I'm very pleased with that work. I worked her in company and she went well. She maintained her professionalism while in company and she's coming along right on schedule. I'll work her back in company again next week and stretch her out to 5 furlongs."

Ron plans to work My Indy Kitty back next Saturday gearing her up for her debut which could be sometime around December 1.

Slamentine, the Grand Slam 2-year-old colt breezed on Saturday working 2 furlongs at Steven Venosa's farm in Ocala.

Mike spoke with trainer Steven Venosa after the breeze and Steven said, "He worked a nice easy quarter again this week and he went fine. I'm very pleased with his progress so far. I'll work him back another quarter next week and if all goes well we can look to stretch him out to 3/8s the following week."

Steven will work Slamentine back next Saturday on a 7 day breeze schedule.

Kat Scratch Fever breezed Friday working 5 furlongs in 1:01.4 over the Hollywood Park track. That work was 11th best out of 21 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Ron Ellis after the breeze and Ron said, "I worked her in company and unlike last week where she went very well this week she was very rank. I was disappointed with the work but it's not the end of the world. I'll just have to give her more gate schooling and manage her training accordingly. I'll work her back next week on schedule and stretch her out to 6 furlongs.

Ron plans to work Kat Scratch Fever back next Thursday or Friday on a 6 or 7 day work schedule gearing her up for her debut which is expected to be sometime around December 1.

Portuguesemano'war ran a respectable sixth in his race on Tuesday at Penn National being involved in the pace for the first half mile before tiring in the stretch.

Portuguesemano'war, breaking from the 7th post, broke alertly and found himself quickly in contention for the lead to the direct outside of the 4-5 favorite Divisa. Portuguesemano'war also had company to his direct outside by 99-1 Dancin Daniel. They raced that way down the backstretch as the quarter went in 23 flat. They entered the turn with Divisa opening up a one length lead as Rocky Blue moving up on the inside to move onto the second position. Portuguesemano'war remained on the outside in third as the half went in 46.3. In the stretch Divisa and Rocky Blue battled heads apart to the wire as Portuguesemano'war couldn't keep up. Portuguesemano'war tired a bit in the lane and settled for sixth place.

Portuguesemano'war earned $200 from a supplemental purse account for Thursday's race.

We'll see how Portuguesemano'war comes out of the race and trainer Stephanie Beattie will point him accordingly, most likely to the next running of the $4,000 Claiming N1Y.

Lord Greystoke, breezed 3 furlongs in 36.74 on Monday over the dirt training track at Belmont Park. That work was 4th best out of 10 at the distance and only 1/10th of a second off the bullet.

Mike spoke with trainer Linda Rice after the breeze and Linda said, "He went very well. He returned from the farm in excellent condition. He'll need about 3 or 4 more breezes and then he should be ready to run."

This was Lord Greystoke's first breeze since returning from a layoff. Linda thinks he should be ready for a return race around early December.

William Thomas breezed on Sunday working 4 furlongs in 51.3 over the dirt training track at Belmont Park. That work was 60th best out of 65 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "I wanted to get him some work to keep his head clear. We don't have a race coming up for a while so I just put him out there to go a nice each half to give him a leg-stretcher. When we get closer to the race I'll work him a sharp 3/8s or so."

Steve is pointing William Thomas to a N1X Allowance going 6 ½ furlongs at Belmont Park on November 28.

Salt Water Reign breezed on Sunday working 4 furlongs over the Belmont Park dirt training track in 48.26. That work was 8th best out of 65 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "She's doing excellent. She did that all on her own without the rider even asking her to do anything. Had we asked her she might have gone in 45. I couldn't have asked anything more of her. She went nice and easy and when she came back she wouldn't have blown out a match. I'll breeze her back another half and then a sharp 5/8s and then start to look for a race for her."

Steve will train Salt Water Reign up to a return race which will probably be sometime towards the end of November.

The Grand Slam 2-year-old colt breezed on Saturday working 2 furlongs at Steven Venosa's farm in Ocala.

Mike spoke with trainer Steven Venosa after the breeze and Steven said, "This was his first real breeze. I worked him a nice easy quarter and he went very well. He came out of it great. His ankles are fine and his shins are fine. I'll breeze him back next Saturday. The loose plan is to work him a few more quarters then a few three eighths and then a few halves. When he gets to that point I'll work him from the gate a bit. At that point it will probably be time to send him up to Steve Klesaris for more training at the racetrack."

Steven will work the colt back next Saturday on a 7 day breeze schedule.

My Indy Kitty breezed Sunday working 4 furlongs in 50.60 over the Hollywood Park track.

Mike spoke with trainer Ron Ellis after the breeze and Ron said, "I told the rider to go nice and easy with her because it was her first work in company. Sometimes when a horse works in company for the first time they get all excited and lose their heads. You like to get them to take it easy and relax. I was pleasantly surprised because she remained very calm and just went about her business. She was composed and very professional. I was very pleased. I'll work her back probably in 6 days and try to get her to go closer to 48."

Ron plans to work My Indy Kitty back next Saturday gearing her up for her debut which could be sometime around December 1.

Portuguesemano'war is entered to run in Tuesday's 9th race at Penn National which is a $4,000 Claiming race going 6 furlongs for 3-year-olds and up which have not won one race since May 10, 2009; races where entered for $3,500 or less not considered in the eligibility. He'll be breaking from Post Position 7 and jockey Gilberto Ramos Delgado is named to ride.

Portuguesemano'war is currently the 8-1 Daily Racing Form morning line fourth choice in the race.

The purse for this race is $12,000.

First race post time is 6:45 PM and Portuguesemano'war's race is Race 9 which is scheduled to go off at 10:02 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Penn National for a fun evening of racing.

Kat Scratch Fever breezed Thursday working 5 furlongs in 1:02 flat over the Hollywood Park track. That work was 11th best out of 23 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Ron Ellis after the breeze and Ron said, "She went well. She went 25.3 for the first quarter which means that she finished in 36.2 which is a nice work considering it was her first 5/8s work."

Ron plans to work Kat Scratch Fever back next Wednesday or Thursday on a 6 or 7 day work schedule gearing her up for her debut which is expected to be sometime around December 1.

Salt Water Reign breezed on Saturday working 3 furlongs over the Belmont Park dirt training track in 37.28. That work was 16th best out of 42 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "She galloped out in 50. She's doing excellent. We're thinking she'll be ready towards the end of the month."

Steve will train Salt Water Reign up to a return race probably sometime towards the end of November.

My Indy Kitty breezed Saturday working 4 furlongs in 49.80 over the Hollywood Park track. That work was the 18th best out of 30 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Ron Ellis after the breeze and Ron said, "She went OK during the first part of the breeze then she lost focus. I need to put her in company next time. I'll work her back in company going 4 furlongs next week."

Ron plans to work My Indy Kitty back Saturday on a 7 day work schedule gearing her up for her debut which could be sometime around December 1.

Kat Scratch Fever breezed Thursday working 4 furlongs in 48.2 over the Hollywood Park track. That work was 4th best out of 22 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Ron Ellis after the breeze and Ron said, "She went well and galloped out in 1:01.3. She was a touch tired after the work. She worked in company and they tend to get a little more tired when in company because of the excitement. It wasn't until after the work that she was blowing a little. She's ready to go 5 furlongs next time."

Ron plans to work Kat Scratch Fever back next Wednesday or Thursday on a 6 or 7 day work schedule gearing her up for her debut which is expected to be sometime around December 1.

My Indy Kitty breezed Saturday working 4 furlongs in 50.40 over the Hollywood Park track. That work was the 34th best out of 45 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Ron Ellis after the breeze and Ron said, "She went nice and easy and came out of the work well. I'll work her back again at 4 furlongs, probably next Saturday."

Ron plans to work My Indy Kitty back Saturday on a 7 day work schedule gearing her up for her debut which could be sometime around December 1.

William Thomas ran a disappointing fourth on Saturday at Belmont Park after dueling through stiff fractions and tiring in the stretch.

William Thomas, breaking from the 3rd post broke sharply from the gate however Extinguish, at 21-1, was a step quicker and William Thomas found himself outside and off the flank of that rival. Bawana Jake, the 2-5 favorite joined the fray from outside of William Thomas and the three horses battled down the backstretch opening up a four length lead on the rest of the field into the turn. Those three horses were strung across the track as the quarter went in a sizzling 21.73. They raced through the turn and William Thomas moved a neck in front of Extinguish and then Bawana Jake moved a neck in front of William Thomas as they raced through the turn. Bawana Jake moved to the lead and moved over on William Thomas and William Thomas didn't seem to like that and dropped back a step. They came out of the turn with Bawana Jake pulling ahead as the half went in 45.17. Extinguish was hanging tough on the rail and William Thomas began to fall back. As they reached the eighth pole it appeared that the 2-5 favored Bawana Jake was going to pull away but 9-1 South Bronx came flying from the clouds down the middle of the track and got up just in time to beat Bawana Jake who was a bit leg-weary at that point. William Thomas settled for fourth.

We spoke with jockey Ramon Dominguez after the race and he said, "We got caught in a speed duel in some suicidal fractions. None of the three horses that were on the lead won the race. It was tough for any of the horses to set those fractions and then be there at the end."

William Thomas earned $2,150 for Saturday's fourth place finish.

We'll see how William Thomas comes out of the race and Steve will point him accordingly; most likely to the next running of the N1X at Belmont Park.

Tonight at Penn National there was rain and the track was labeled as sloppy.

Because Portuguesemano'war does not like to run on a wet track and also because he was returning on 8 days rest we decided to scratch him and instead point him towards the next running of the race on October 31.

Kat Scratch Fever breezed Thursday working 4 furlongs in 48.8 over the Hollywood Park track. That work was 5th best out of 15 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Ron Ellis after the breeze and Ron said, "She's getting better as she slims down. I can see that she'll have plenty of early speed. I haven't worked her far enough to know about stamina yet. I'll work her back in 6 or 7 days either going 4 furlongs in company or an easy 5 furlongs."

Ron plans to work Kat Scratch Fever back next Wednesday or Thursday on a 6 or 7 day work schedule gearing her up for her debut which is expected to be sometime around December 1.

William Thomas is entered to run in Saturday's 3rd race at Belmont Park, which is a N1X Allowance for New York state-breds 3-years-old and up going 6 furlongs. He drew post position 3 and jockey Ramon Dominguez is again named to ride. Dominguez currently leads the Belmont Park jockey standings with 33 wins and a 16% winning percentage.

William Thomas is the 2-1 Daily Racing Form morning line second choice in the race. Two DRF handicappers select him as their third choice in the race.

The purse for this race is $43,000.

First race post time is 1:00 PM and William Thomas' race is Race 3 which is scheduled to go off at 2:01 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Belmont Park for a fun day of racing.

Salt Water Reign breezed on Wednesday working 3 furlongs over the Belmont Park dirt track in 36.21. That work was 3rd best out of 12 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "She's doing excellent. We're just putting her through her paces gearing her up for her return race."

Steve will train Salt Water Reign up to a return race probably sometime towards the end of November.

William Thomas breezed on Tuesday working 3 furlongs in 37.43 over the dirt track at Belmont Park. That work was 8th best out of 11 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "That was his tightener for Saturday's race. He went great and he's doing excellent. All systems are 'go'"

Steve is pointing William Thomas to a N1X Allowance going 6 furlongs at Belmont Park on October 24.

Portuguesemano'war is entered to run in Friday's 3rd race at Penn National which is a $4,000 Claiming race going 6 furlongs for 3-year-olds and up which have not won one race since April 23, 2009; races where entered for $3,500 or less not considered in the eligibility. He'll be breaking from Post Position 11 and 25% jockey Dana Whitney is named to ride.

Portuguesemano'war is currently the 6-1 Daily Racing Form morning line fourth choice in the race. One DRF handicapper selects him as his third choice in the race.

The purse for this race is $12,000.

Portuguesemano'war has demonstrated that he detests a wet track and as such, because we're wheeling him back on short rest, we'll scratch if the track comes up wet.

First race post time is 6:45 PM and Portuguesemano'war's race is Race 3 which is scheduled to go off at 7:34 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Penn National for a fun evening of racing.

My Indy Kitty breezed Saturday working 3 furlongs in 36.40 over the Hollywood Park track. That work was the bullet out of 20 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Ron Ellis after the breeze and Ron said, "I'm very pleased with the way that this horse is coming along. She does everything I ask her to do. I'll work her back next time going 4 furlongs."

Ron plans to work My Indy Kitty back next Friday or Saturday on a 6 or 7 day work schedule gearing her up for her debut which could be sometime around December 1.

Kat Scratch Fever breezed Friday working 4 furlongs in 49.8 over the Hollywood Park track. That work was 20th best out of 26 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Ron Ellis after the breeze and Ron said, "It was her first time going 4 furlongs. She went fine. It was what she was ready for. She'll go a little faster next time."

Ron plans to work Kat Scratch Fever back next Thursday or Friday on a 6 or 7 day work schedule gearing her up for her debut which is expected to be sometime around December 1.

Portuguesemano'war ran a disappointing eighth out of eight horses in the race on Thursday over a sloppy track.

As in his last race over a sloppy track, there's very little to describe in this race. Portuguesemano'war broke again very slow from the second post and found himself racing seventh out of eight down the backstretch. He made a mild rally up the rail in mid-race and moved to a mid-pack fifth by the quarter pole. He failed to rally in the stretch, faded down the lane, and settled for an eighth place finish.

We spoke with assistant trainer Dave Wells after the race and Dave said, "It's the same as we've been saying for a while. Portuguesemano'war just plain out hates a wet track. There's not much more to add."

Portuguesemano'war earned $200 from a supplemental purse account for Thursday's race.

We'll see how Portuguesemano'war comes out of the race and trainer Stephanie Beattie will point him accordingly, most likely to the next running of the $4,000 Claiming N1Y.

Portuguesemano'war is entered to run in Thursday's 8th race at Penn National which is a $4,000 Claiming race going 6 furlongs for 3-year-olds and up which have not won one race since April 15, 2009; races where entered for $3,500 or less not considered in the eligibility. He'll be breaking from Post Position 3 and 25% jockey Dana Whitney is named to ride.

Portuguesemano'war is currently the 5-2 Daily Racing Form morning line favorite in the race. All four of the DRF handicappers select Portuguesemano'war to win the race.

The purse for this race is $12,000.

First race post time is 6:45 PM and Portuguesemano'war's race is Race 8 which is scheduled to go off at 9:38 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Penn National for a fun evening of racing.

William Thomas breezed on Sunday working 3 furlongs in 36.16 over the dirt track at Belmont Park. That work was 3rd best out of 6 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, “He worked an easy 3 furlongs in what was basically a leg-stretcher. When a horse gallops for a period of time they can get a bit wound up because they want to get out there and run. This breeze was to allow him to get out there and clear his head a bit. He went very well.”

Steve is pointing William Thomas to a N1X Allowance going 6 furlongs at Belmont Park on October 24.

My Indy Kitty breezed Saturday working 3 furlongs in 38 flat over the Hollywood Park track. That work was 9th best out of 16 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Ron Ellis after the breeze and Ron said, "She’s still learning to navigate through the turn. She’d also benefit from some company on the racetrack. I’ll work her back 3 furlongs again next time and put her with another horse."

Ron plans to work My Indy Kitty back next Friday or Saturday on a 6 or 7 day work schedule gearing her up for her debut which could be sometime around December 1.

Kat Scratch Fever breezed Friday working 3 furlongs in 36.4 over the Hollywood Park track. That work was the bullet out of 6 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Ron Ellis after the breeze and Ron said, "She went nice and did it easily. She’s doing great and is ready to go a quarter next time."

Ron plans to work Kat Scratch Fever back next Thursday or Friday on a 6 or 7 day work schedule gearing her up for her debut which could be sometime around December 1.

My Indy Kitty breezed Sunday working 3 furlongs in 39.4 seconds over the Hollywood Park track. That work was 15th best out of 17 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Ron Ellis after the breeze and Ron said, "This was her first true 3 furlong breeze which meant it was her first time working in the turn. She was a bit green and confused and her usual rider wasn't on her for this work and she went a bit slower than she otherwise might have. I expect that she'll work a bit faster next time."

Ron plans to work My Indy Kitty back next Saturday gearing her up for her debut which could be sometime around December 1.

Kat Scratch Fever breezed Saturday working 3 furlongs in 37.8 over the Hollywood Park track. That work was 9th best out of 17 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Ron Ellis after the breeze and Ron said, "She worked fine. We're working a little weight off her. She's coming along well and should breeze back a bit faster next time."

Ron plans to work Kat Scratch Fever back next Friday gearing her up for her debut which could be sometime around December 1.

Portuguesemano'war ran a very strong 4th at Penn National on Wednesday night dueling through some very sharp fractions and weakening in the final stages of the race.

Portuguesemano'war, breaking from the 4th post, broke well from the gate and after a few jumps moved up to challenge Purified and the two horses dueled down the backstretch. They raced that way down the backstretch opening up a two length lead on the rest of the pack as the quarter went in 22.1. As they raced into the turn Purified, on the outside, was about a neck in front of Portuguesemano'war who was on the rail. Fancy Dan moved up in the three-path to challenge as the half went in 45.3. As they entered the top of the stretch Purified maintained his half-length lead over Portuguesemano'war and Fancy Dan loomed on the outside. As they hit the eighth pole Portuguesemano'war began to tire slightly while Fancy Dan rallied on Purified. As they reached the sixteenth pole Portuguesemano'war began to weaken a bit as the stiff fractions took their toll on him. He dropped back by a couple of lengths as Fancy Dan and Purified battled to the wire. Layton made a late charge for third and Portuguesemano'war settled for fourth.

We spoke with assistant trainer Dave Wells after the race and Dave said, "That was a very strong effort. I told the jockey to stay close I but didn't tell him to go to the lead. I'm not sure what the kid was thinking or why he gunned him. He's young and a bit inexperienced and possibly a bit hungry. I didn't like the trip at all. This particular N1Y was very salty and I think Portuguesemano'war ran a bigger race than that which shows in the chart."

Portuguesemano'war earned $720 for Wednesday's race.

We'll see how Portuguesemano'war comes out of the race and trainer Stephanie Beattie will point him accordingly, most likely to the next running of the $4,000 Claiming N2Y on August 28.

My Indy Kitty breezed Sunday working 3 furlongs in 37.8 seconds over the Hollywood Park track.

Mike spoke with trainer Ron Ellis after the breeze and Ron said, "She really worked 1/4 in 24.1. The clockers recorded the gallop out in 37.8. She's coming along fine. I'm pleased with her progress. We'll just keep her on a regular breeze schedule getting her ready for her debut."

Ron plans to work My Indy Kitty back next Saturday or Sunday gearing her up for her debut.

William Thomas returned to Belmont on Sunday and ran a very solid second to a very nice horse named Al's Deputy.

William Thomas, breaking from the 3rd post jumped instantly to the lead and within a couple of strides found himself a full length in front of the rest of the field. He took them that way down the backstretch as the quarter went in 22.34. Fotografia at 20-1 tried to make a mild challenge in the turn but didn't get much more than to the rear hip of William Thomas as he continued to lead the way approaching the quarter mile pole. The 4-5 favorite Al's Deputy mounted his bid along the outside in the turn and 20-1 Papa Jerry made his move to the inside. William Thomas led the way to the half in 46.16. They came out of the turn and into the stretch and William Thomas was still on top and he dug in gamely down the lane as they approached the eighth pole. When they hit the sixteenth pole Al's Deputy proved to be too much as he wore down William Thomas and moved ahead. William Thomas settled for second and finished a good 4 ¼ lengths ahead of the third place horse.

We spoke with jockey Ramon Dominguez after the race and he said, "He ran a great race today. He was simply second best. We lost to a very good horse but I was very pleased."

We also spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the race and Steve said, "It looks like his hoof issue is behind him. He ran a very good race and was game in the stretch. It was a good effort."

William Thomas earned $10,320 for Sunday's second place finish.

We'll see how William Thomas comes out of the race and Steve will point him accordingly; most likely to a N1X at Belmont going 6 furlongs on October 24.

Portuguesemano'war is entered to run in Wednesday's 9th race at Penn National which is a $4,000 Claiming race going 6 furlongs for 3-year-olds and up which have not won one race since March 30, 2009; races where entered for $3,500 or less not considered in the eligibility. He'll be breaking from Post Position 4 and jockey Manual Chavez is again named to ride.

Portuguesemano'war is currently the 5-1 Daily Racing Form early morning line fifth choice in the race.

The purse for this race is $12,000.

First race post time is 6:45 PM and Portuguesemano'war's race is Race 9 which is scheduled to go off at 10:02 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Penn National for a fun evening of racing.

Kat Scratch Fever breezed Saturday working 3 furlongs in 38 flat over the Hollywood Park track.

Mike spoke with trainer Ron Ellis after the breeze and Ron said, "She really worked 1/4 in 24.1. The clockers recorded the gallop out in 38. She's coming along fine. I'm pleased with her progress. We'll just keep her on a regular breeze schedule getting her ready for her debut."

Ron plans to work Kat Scratch Fever back next Saturday or Sunday gearing her up for her debut.

William Thomas is entered to run in Sunday's 10th race at Belmont Park, which is a N1X Allowance for New York state-breds 3-years-old and up going 6 furlongs on the turf. He drew post position 6 and jockey Ramon Dominguez is again named to ride. Dominguez currently leads the Belmont Park jockey standings with 12 wins and a 17% winning percentage.

Excluding the MTO entrants William Thomas is the 5-1 Daily Racing Form morning line third choice in the race.

The purse for this race is $43,000.

First race post time is 1:00 PM and William Thomas' race is Race 10 which is scheduled to go off at 5:47 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Belmont Park for a fun day of racing.

William Thomas breezed on Sunday working 4 furlongs in 48.12 over the dirt track at Belmont Park. That work was 4th best out of 28 at the distance.

Mike spoke with assistant trainer Lisa Sloan after the breeze and Lisa said, "He's been doing much better since we returned to Belmont Park. Something was bothering him at Saratoga. I had regular rider Ramon Dominguez work him today in company with another horse. I asked Ramon to have William Thomas rate behind the other horse and then, when he felt the time was right, push the button and move around him. Ramon was extremely pleased with the work and said that William Thomas behaved like a new horse."

Trainer Steve Klesaris is pointing William Thomas to a N1X Allowance at Belmont either going 6 furlongs on the turf on September 27 or going 6 1/2 furlongs the dirt on October 3. We'll know more as we get later into the week.

Kat Scratch Fever breezed Sunday working 3/8 in 39 flat over the Hollywood Park track.

Mike spoke with trainer Ron Ellis after the breeze and Ron said, "She really worked 1/4 in 25.3. The clockers recorded the gallop out in 39. She's doing fine. I'll work her back sometime next weekend and probably have her go an actual 3/8."

Ron plans to work Kat Scratch Fever back next Saturday or Sunday gearing her up for her debut.

My Indy Kitty breezed Sunday working 1/4 in 25.3 seconds over the Hollywood Park track in an unpublished work.

Mike spoke with trainer Ron Ellis after the breeze and Ron said, "She's doing really well. I'll work her back again sometime next weekend. She'll probably work 1/4 again."

Ron plans to work My Indy Kitty back next Saturday or Sunday gearing her up for her debut.

Kat Scratch Fever breezed Sunday working 1/4 in 25.3 seconds over the Hollywood Park track in an unpublished work.

Mike spoke with trainer Ron Ellis after the breeze and Ron said, "I didn't want to do too much with her because it was her first work over the new surface. She went well and I'm pleased. I'll work her back next Sunday and we'll move onward and upward."

Ron plans to work Kat Scratch Fever back next Sunday gearing her up for her debut.

My Indy Kitty breezed Sunday working 1/8 in 12.3 seconds over the Hollywood Park track in an unpublished work.

Mike spoke with trainer Ron Ellis after the breeze and Ron said, "I didn't want to do too much with her because it was her first work over the new surface. She went well and I'm pleased. I'll work her back next Sunday and we'll move onward and upward."

Ron plans to work My Indy Kitty back next Sunday gearing her up for her debut.

Portuguesemano'war ran a disappointing eighth out of nine horses in the race on Saturday over a sloppy track.

There's very little to describe in this race. Portuguesemano'war broke again very slow from the fourth post and found himself racing ninth out of nine down the backstretch. He raced that way all the way around and never got involved in the race.

Mike spoke with assistant trainer Dave Wells after the race and Dave said, "It's obvious he hates the sloppy track. It's as simple as that. We'll have to keep plugging until he catches a fast track."

Portuguesemano'war earned $200 from a supplemental purse account for Saturday 's race.

We'll see how Portuguesemano'war comes out of the race and trainer Stephanie Beattie will point him accordingly, most likely to the next running of the $4,000 Claiming N1Y on September 30.

Portuguesemano'war is entered to run in Saturday's 6th race at Penn National which is a $4,000 Claiming race going 6 furlongs for 3-year-olds and up which have not won two races since March 12, 2009; races where entered for $3,500 or less not considered in the eligibility. He'll be breaking from Post Position 4 and jockey Luis Munar is again named to ride.

Portuguesemano'war is currently the 9-2 Daily Racing Form morning line second choice in the race. One DRF handicapper selects Portuguesemano'war as his second choice in the race.

The purse for this race is $13,000.

First race post time is 6:45 PM and Portuguesemano'war's race is Race 6 which is scheduled to go off at 8:49 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Penn National for a fun evening of racing.

Portuguesemano'war is entered to run in Thursday's 8th race at Penn National which is a $4,000 Claiming race going 5 1/2 furlongs for 3-year-olds and up which have not won a race since March 10, 2009; races where entered for $3,500 or less not considered in the eligibility. He's four deep on the AE list (Program Number 15). If he scratches in he'll be breaking from an outside post and jockey Luis Munar is named to ride.

Portuguesemano'war is currently the 9-2 Daily Racing Form morning line fourth choice in the race.

The purse for this race is $12,000.

First race post time is 6:45 PM and Portuguesemano'war's race is Race 8 which is scheduled to go off at 9:38 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Penn National for a fun evening of racing.

Kat Scratch Fever breezed Friday working 3/16 in 18+ seconds over the Santa Anita dirt training track in an unpublished work.

Mike spoke with trainer Ron Ellis after the breeze and Ron said, "They just renovated the main track at Santa Anita and I didn't want to breeze any horses on that surface until they have a chance to work out all the kinks. I worked Kat Scratch Fever over the dirt training track. Because it's a 6 furlong track and the turns are tight I only wanted to work her down the lane. She did fine and it was a nice leg-stretcher for her first breeze. I'll be moving my string back to Hollywood Park and Kat Scratch Fever's next breeze will be there in about a week or so."

Ron will work Kat Scratch Fever every 6 to 7 days gearing her up for her debut.

William Thomas ran a disappointing fifth on Sunday over a muddy sealed track.

William Thomas, breaking from the 5th post went immediately to the front as he usually does and was quickly challenged by Toque. Toque, at 16-1 was intent with dueling with William Thomas so Ramon Dominguez made the decision to apply the brakes a bit and concede the lead to Toque as the first quarter went in 22.27. The 4-5 favorite Al's Deputy moved up along the outside and Dominguez wasn't going to allow him to get by so he opened up a bit with William Thomas and it was three horses across the track as they entered the turn. The half went in 45.40 as William Thomas poked his head in front rounding through the turn. Exiting the turn Al's deputy rolled in front of William Thomas and by the time they got to the eighth pole William Thomas had little for the drive. At the sixteenth pole he had packed it in and settled for a fifth place finish.

We spoke with jockey Ramon Dominguez after the race and he said, "I tried to rate him but I could only get him to rate so much. With a horse like this the shorter the better."

We also spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the race and Steve said, "His hoof had been bothering him for about a week leading up to the race. You could see in the race it was bothering him more than we thought. Once he switched to his right lead he stopped running. If this race weren't against only five other horses with a $58,000 purse we probably would have scratched and brought him back at Belmont. He was about 80% going into the race and with the short field and the large purse it was worth taking a shot. We'll get his hoof straightened out before we bring him back."

William Thomas earned $1,740 for Sunday's fifth place finish.

We'll see how William Thomas comes out of the race and Steve will point him accordingly.

Portuguesemano'war ran a disappointing eighth as the 5-2 favorite on Friday over a sloppy track.

There's very little to describe in this race. Portuguesemano'war broke uncharacteristically slow from the second post and found himself racing tenth out of ten down the backstretch. He raced that way all the way around swinging two wide on the turn but never mounted any significant rally and finished eighth. He ran evenly and only lost the race by 7 lengths, only missed 3rd by 3 lengths, and indeed posted a respectable Beyer of 59.

Mike spoke with assistant trainer Dave Wells after the race and Dave said, "He had bad luck at the break and he doesn't really care for the slop. He'll be fine."

Portuguesemano'war earned $200 from a supplemental purse account for Friday's race.

We'll see how Portuguesemano'war comes out of the race and trainer Stephanie Beattie will point him accordingly. He'll be eligible for a little class relief and Stephanie will most likely point him to the next running of the $4,000 Claiming N1Y on September 10.

Sextant ran a disappointing eighth on Thursday after pressing the pace and tiring against a tough field of colts at Saratoga.

Sextant, breaking from the 9th post broke sharply from the gate and moved to the front alongside 2-1 Indian Ashton as the two raced side by side down the backstretch. That pair continued along down the backside with Indian Ashton to the inside and Sextant to the outside opening up by as much as a full length from the rest of the field. The quarter went in 22.53 as they moved into the turn with Sextant and Indian Ashton keeping the strong pace. As they moved into the top of the stretch Sextant began to tire as Indian Ashton moved ahead and the rest of the field began to make up ground on Sextant. By the time they got to the eighth pole Sextant was empty and she faded as the rest of the field moved past her. By that point jockey Alan Garcia wrapper up on her and she settled in for an eighth place finish.

We spoke with jockey Alan Garcia after the race and he said, "She was very eager and difficult to rate which is unusual for her. It was probably because she was a bit too fresh off the layoff. She was going very well before she just ran out of gas."

We also spoke with trainer Linda Rice after the race and Linda said, "This was a very tough spot going against some hard knocking colts. We weren't even supposed to run in this spot. We entered as part of an entry just in hopes of taking a look at the field with the option to scratch without penalty. We would have scratched but the entry mate came up lame and we therefore had to run or get days. We opted to run despite the fact that she was short and probably needed a breeze or two more. We can't put too much emphasis on this result for many reasons."

Sextant earned $120 for Thursday's race.

We'll see how Sextant comes out of the race and Linda will point her accordingly.

Portuguesemano'war is entered to run in Saturday's 8th race at Penn National which is a $4,000 Claiming race going 6 furlongs for 3-year-olds and up which have not won two races since March 1, 2009; races where entered for $3,500 or less not considered in the eligibility. He'll be breaking from the 2nd post position and jockey Luis Munar is named to ride.

Portuguesemano'war is currently the 6-1 Daily Racing Form morning line third choice in the race. One DRF handicapper selects him as the second choice in the race and one DRF handicapper selects him as the third choice in the race.

The purse for this race is $13,000.

First race post time is 6:45 PM and Portuguesemano'war's race is Race 8 which is scheduled to go off at 9:38 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Penn National for a fun evening of racing.

William Thomas is entered to run in Sunday's 1st race at Saratoga, which is a N1X Allowance for New York state-breds 3-years-old and up going 6 furlongs. He drew post position 6 and jockey Ramon Dominguez is again named to ride. Dominguez currently leads the Saratoga jockey standings with 31 wins and an 18% winning percentage.

William Thomas is currently the 2-1 Daily Racing Form second choice in the race. William Thomas is currently the DRF consensus second choice in the race. One DRF handicapper selects him to win the race, two DRF handicappers select him as the second choice in the race, and one DRF handicapper selects him as the third choice in the race.

The purse for this race is $58,000.

First race post time is 1:00 PM and William Thomas' race is Race 1. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Saratoga for a fun day of racing.

William Thomas breezed on Sunday working 4 furlongs in 48.89 over a sloppy dirt track at Saratoga. That work was 3rd best out of 6 at that distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "That was a nice move. I'm pleased. As long as he comes out of the work OK we're ready to rock and roll on Saturday."

Steve is pointing William Thomas to a N1X Allowance at Saratoga going 6 furlongs on August 29.

Sextant is entered to run in Thursday's 5th race at Saratoga which is a $20,000 Claiming race, for 3-year-olds and up which have not won 2 races since February 24, going 5 1/2 furlongs on the turf. She'll be breaking from the 10th post position (Program Number 2B) and jockey Alan Garcia is named to ride. Garcia is currently ranked 2nd in the Saratoga jockey standings with 25 wins and a 21% winning percentage.

Sextant is currently the 3-1 in the Daily Racing Form morning line second choice in the race. One of the DRF handicappers selects her as his second choice in the race and two DRF handicappers select her as their third choice in the race.

The purse for this race is $24,000.

First race post time is 1:00 PM and Sextant's race is Race 5 which is scheduled to go off at 3:13 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Saratoga for a fun day of racing.

Sextant breezed 4 furlongs in 48 flat on Friday over turf training course at Saratoga. That work was 14th best out of 32 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Linda Rice after the work and Linda said, "She went very well; very well. She'll probably need one or two more breezes before she's ready but I want to begin now looking for a spot for her to race before the end of the Saratoga meet. I think she'll love the grass course here and I want to get a race in here very badly."

Linda will likely breeze Sextant back next Friday and look to enter her into a race next week before the end of the Saratoga meet.

William Thomas breezed on Saturday working 4 furlongs in 48.66 over the dirt track at Saratoga. That work was 12th best out of 46 at that distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "It was a nice work. We wanted him to go an easy 4 furlongs in 50 or so but William Thomas just went a bit faster. Regular jockey Ramon Dominguez rode him and Ramon was surprised at the final time because he thought it went slower. It was a good breeze. We'll continue to work to get him ready for his next race."

Steve is pointing William Thomas to a N1X Allowance at Saratoga going 6 furlongs on August 29.

Portuguesemano'war ran a very game 2nd at Penn National on Friday, once again showing a great deal of heart in the stretch, getting nipped at the wire for the win in a very tight photo.

Portuguesemano'war, breaking from the 3rd post, broke well from the gate but Blond Actor was quicker and went to the lead with Minute of Fame, Kriterion, and Portuguesemano'war strung three across the track about one length behind him. They moved that way down the backstretch as the quarter went in 22.18. As they entered the turn Blond Actor was still on the lead but Portuguesemano'war had moved up a bit to be second just off his flank while the other horses had dropped back a bit. They moved that way through the turn with the half going in 45.36. Blond Actor was setting the fractions and Portuguesemano'war was two-wide pressing him every step of the way. They moved to the top of the stretch and Blond Actor opened up a two length lead but Portuguesemano'war refused to let him slip away. As they moved down the lane Portuguesemano'war fought back and made up ground with every step. As they approached the wire Portuguesemano'war had moved up alongside Blond Actor and they traded strides all the way to finish line. They hit the wire in tandem and it took a photo to determine the final outcome of the race. Blond Actor hung on for the win and Portuguesemano'war was about an inch behind him for second. It was a hugely game effort for Portuguesemano'war and he once again showed tremendous heart all the way to the wire. The final time of the race was 1:11 flat which is the fastest that Portuguesemano'war has ever gone 6 furlongs.

Mike spoke with assistant trainer Dave Wells after the race and Dave said, "It was a great try. We'll just try again in two weeks."

Portuguesemano'war earned $2,600 for Friday's race.

We'll see how Portuguesemano'war comes out of the race and trainer Stephanie Beattie will point him accordingly, most likely to the next running of the $4,000 Claiming N2Y on August 28.

Portuguesemano'war is entered to run in Friday's 4th race at Penn National which is a $4,000 Claiming race going 6 furlongs for 3-year-olds and up which have not won two races since February 14, 2009; races where entered for $3,500 or less not considered in the eligibility. He'll be breaking from the 3rd post position (Program Number 4) and jockey Manuel Chaves is named to ride.

Portuguesemano'war is currently 8-1 in the Daily Racing Form morning line.

The purse for this race is $13,000.

First race post time is 6:45 PM and Portuguesemano'war's race is Race 4 which is scheduled to go off at 7:58 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Penn National for a fun evening of racing.

William Thomas ran a very solid second on Saturday after setting a blistering pace on a day where speed along the rail was the worst place to be and stalkers and closers were beneficiaries of a clear track bias.

William Thomas, breaking from the 10th post on the extreme outside snapped right out of the gate and Jockey Ramon Dominguez moved him to the front and then down to the rail as they neared the half-mile pole. Into and through the turn William Thomas was on the lead and was pressed by 11-1 Phantom Gunslinger through torrid fractions of 22.01 and 44.87. As they entered the stretch William Thomas hung on courageously and even managed to extend is lead a bit. However, the wicked fractions and the track bias worked against him as stalker and second favorite Dixieland Star moved to the middle of the track and ran him down in the final 50 yards of the race. William Thomas finished 2nd in the race.

William Thomas earned $11,040 for Saturday's second place finish.

We'll see how William Thomas comes out of the race and Steve will point him accordingly; most likely to a NY-bred N1X at Saratoga.

Portuguesemano'war ran an even 5th at Penn National on Friday missing the win by 5 ½ lengths.

Portuguesemano'war, breaking from the 2nd post, broke alertly from the gate and found himself along the rail about one half length off the lead into the backstretch. The fractions were blistering as the quarter went in 21.92 with Paco on the lead and Transpose a close second with Portuguesemano'war about a length behind in third. By the time they reached the 1/8 pole Portuguesemano'war had dropped back to fifth and they finished that way with the 5 ½ furlongs going in a final time of 1:04.4.

Portuguesemano'war earned $390 for Friday's race.

We'll see how Portuguesemano'war comes out of the race and Stephanie will point him accordingly.

William Thomas is entered to run in Saturday's 3rd race at Saratoga, which is a N1X Allowance for New York state-breds 3-years-old and up going 6 furlongs. He drew post position 10 and jockey Ramon Dominguez is again named to ride. Dominguez recently won the Belmont Park Jockey standings with a record 98 victories and currently has a winning percentage of 27% for 2009.

William Thomas is currently the 3-1 Daily Racing Form morning line favorite in the race.

The purse for this race is $55,200.

First race post time is 1:00 PM and William Thomas' race is Race 3, which is scheduled to go off at 2:02 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Saratoga for a fun day of racing.

Portuguesemano'war is entered to run in Friday's 7th race at Penn National which is a $4,000 Claiming race going 5 1/2 furlongs for 3-year-olds and up which have not won two races since January 31, 2009; races where entered for $3,500 or less not considered in the eligibility. He'll be breaking from the 2nd post position (Program Number 3) and jockey Manuel Chaves is named to ride.

Portuguesemano'war is currently the 6-1 Daily Racing Form morning line 4th choice in the race.

The purse for this race is $13,000.

First race post time is 6:45 PM and Portuguesemano'war's race is Race 7 which is scheduled to go off at 9:14 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Penn National for a fun evening of racing.

William Thomas breezed on Thursday working 5 furlongs in 1:02.24 over the dirt track at Belmont Park. That work was 25th best out of 32 at that distance.

Mike spoke with assistant trainer Lisa Sloan after the breeze and Lisa said, "Regular jockey Ramon Dominguez was out of town for this work but I was able to use a rider that had ridden William Thomas before. Originally I had planned to work him in company but because Ramon wasn’t on him I didn’t want to do anything too complex. I worked him alone nice and easy and he went fine. Up to this point Ramon had put him through all of his various lessons and was extremely pleased with his professionalism. I don’t think we left anything on the table. We’re going to ship to Saratoga on Monday and I want as many days as possible to allow him to get acclimated with the surroundings and comfortable with the track. We’re pointing him for a race on August 1 and we don’t want him looking around at the sights during the race. I’ll probably give him an easy two-minute leg-stretcher on Wednesday or Thursday and also try to school him in the paddock one day that week."

William Thomas will ship to Saratoga on Monday. Steve will point him to a N1X Allowance at Saratoga going 6 furlongs on August 1.

Portuguesemano'war ran a very strong 3rd at Penn National on Friday showing a great deal of heart in the stretch and missing the win by only 1 ½ lengths.

Portuguesemano'war, breaking from the 4th post, broke well but found himself in the second tier. Blond Actor, Red Dirt Road, War Tempo, and You Don't Listen all went to the lead and were strung four across the track. Portuguesemano'war sat the rail trip about two lengths behind the leaders. As they reached the half mile pole You Don't Listen had dropped back to the immediate outside of Portuguesemano'war. As such, Portuguesemano'war found himself completely boxed in with three horses strung across the track in front of him and one horse directly next to him. They entered the turn and jockey Manuel Chaves' decision was made for him as he had no choice but to skim the rail and hope something opened up in the stretch. As they came out of the turn and into the top of the stretch front running War Tempo moved off the rail a bit and Chaves tried to move Portuguesemano'war up. Portuguesemano'war fought gamely down the stretch despite there not being very much room between War Tempo and the rail. Portuguesemano'war pulled up to within a half length of the lead but the late closing Red Dirt Road came flying up the outside and outfinished everyone. War Tempo held on for second and Portuguesemano'war held on gamely for third only beaten by 1 ½ lengths.

Mike spoke with assistant trainer Dave Wells after the race and Dave said, "It was a great try by both the horse and the jockey. He got in tight along the rail in deep stretch. I expect another big Beyer out of this race. We'll try again in two weeks."

Portuguesemano'war earned $1,430 for Friday's race.

We'll see how Portuguesemano'war comes out of the race and Stephanie will point him accordingly, most likely to the next running of the $4,000 Claiming N2Y on July 31.

Portuguesemano'war is entered to run in Friday's 9th race at Penn National which is a $4,000 Claiming race going 6 furlongs for 3-year-olds and up which have not won two races since January 17, 2009; races where entered for $3,500 or less not considered in the eligibility. He'll be breaking from the 5th post position and jockey Manuel Chaves is named to ride.

Portuguesemano'war is currently the 6-1 Daily Racing Form morning 3rd choice in the race. He's the DRF consensus second choice in the race. One DRF handicapper selects him to win the race.

The purse for this race is $13,000.

First race post time is 6:45 PM and Portuguesemano'war's race is Race 9 which is scheduled to go off at 10:02 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Penn National for a fun evening of racing.

William Thomas breezed on Saturday working 5 furlongs in 1:02.22 over the dirt track at Belmont Park. That work was 2nd best out of 15 at that distance.

Mike spoke with assistant trainer Lisa Sloan after the breeze and Lisa said, "Regular jockey Ramon Dominguez worked him and was very pleased. Ramon worked him in company directly behind another horse to allow him to experience getting dirt kicked in his face. Then Ramon moved him inside the other horse and we squeezed him between the other horse and the rail and William Thomas went right through the hole. He was very professional. He's very professional in everything he does. I plan to have Ramon work him back next Wednesday and this time I'll have Ramon work him outside his workmate. We're trying to teach him to be versatile so that he can rate and move inside or outside. We already know he can win on the lead. He's doing excellent learning all of his lessons and so far he's done everything we've asked him to do."

Lisa will work William Thomas back next Wednesday at 4 furlongs as we point him to a N1X Allowance at Saratoga going 6 furlongs on August 1.

Salt Water Reign failed to fire on Friday finishing 4th beaten about four lengths in an open Allowance N2X at Belmont Park.

Salt Water Reign broke instantly from the gate and found herself about one half length in front of the pack. However World Gone Wrong, Ocean Goddess, and Mrs Rabbits all vied for the lead in a dual. Jockey Ramon Dominguez, having no intention of getting involved, took Salt Water Reign back and allowed her to settle into a stalking position along the rail about one length behind the frontrunners. They raced that way through a quarter in 22.21 around the turn. Dominguez pushed the button toward the end of the turn and Salt Water Reign began to move up and made a bit of a challenge at the top of the stretch. By mid-stretch Ocean Goddess was pulling away but Salt Water Reign had moved into second. As they moved into deep stretch Salt Water Reign began to flatten out and two late closers, Sneaky Girl and Blitzensfoxyvixen moved up for second and third respectively and Salt Water Reign hung on for fourth.

We spoke with jockey Ramon Dominguez after the race and he said, "When it was time to run I didn't have much horse under me. Maybe she needs a break."

We also spoke with assistant trainer Lisa Sloan before and after the race and Lisa said, "She didn't come out of that last race in the slop as good as I would have liked. In that race she was all out down the middle of the track in the mud. She wasn't really 100% going into today's race so we'll have to see how she is coming out."

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the race and he said, "She didn't run her race today but we need to remember that it was still an open N2X. We'll see how she is and point accordingly."

Salt Water Reign earned $2,350 for Friday's race.

We'll see how Salt Water Reign comes out of the race and Steve will point her accordingly.

Salt Water Reign is entered to run in Friday's 3rd race at Belmont Park which is an Allowance N2X for fillies and mares 3-year-olds and up which have never won two races other than maiden, claiming, starter, or restricted or which have never won three races, going 6 furlongs. She drew post position 3 and jockey Ramon Dominguez is named to ride. Dominguez is currently ranked first in the Belmont Park jockey standings with 75 wins and a 24% winning percentage.

Salt Water Reign is currently the 2-1 Daily Racing Form morning line second choice. She's the DRF consensus second choice in the race. One DRF handicapper selects her to win the race. Three DRF handicappers select her as second choice in the race.

The purse for this race is $47,000.

First race post time is 3:00 PM and Salt Water Reign's race is Race 3 which is scheduled to go off at 4:00 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Belmont Park for a fun day of racing.

Portuguesemano'war ran a very respectable 4th at Penn National on Friday chasing a legitimate pace and only losing by 2 ½ lengths and missing third place money by a neck.

Portuguesemano'war, breaking from the 8th post, broke well but the two pure speed horses, Tormento de Oro and Blond Actor burst to the lead. Portuguesemano'war settled into the two path about two lengths off the leaders. They raced that way for the entire backstretch run and into the turn before Portuguesemano'war made a three-wide move in an attempt to make a run. He swung out of the turn very wide and tried to move up but he didn't have enough kick to make an impact on the two front runners who ultimately went gate to wire. Portuguesemano'war began to tire in deep stretch and he drifted in. He tried his best to hold third but was ultimately caught by the late charging Mr Sexy Cat. Portuguesemano'war held on for fourth place money only beaten 2 ½ lengths overall.

Mike spoke with assistant trainer Dave Wells after the race and Dave said, "The jockey said that he got a little rough around the 1/8 pole and you could clearly see him drifting in. He only lost by 2 ½ lengths. We'll have the vet take a look at him and we'll see where we go from here."

Portuguesemano'war earned $780 for Friday's race.

We'll see how Portuguesemano'war comes out of the race and Stephanie will point him accordingly.

Iron Curtain is entered to run in Wednesday's 4th race at Belmont Park which is an Allowance N2X for 3-year-olds and up foaled in New York State which have never won two races other than maiden, claiming, or starter or which have never won three races, going 6 furlongs on the turf. He'll be breaking from the 9th post position and jockey John Velazquez is named to ride. Velazquez is currently ranked 7th in the Belmont Park jockey standings with 26 wins and a 20% win percentage. It was John Velazquez who last season piloted Iron Curtain to a draw-off victory at Saratoga on the last day of the meet.

Iron Curtain is currently the 5-2 Daily Racing Form morning line second choice.

The purse for this race is $45,000.

First race post time is 1:00 PM and Iron Curtain's race is Race 4 which is scheduled to go off at 2:36 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Belmont Park for a fun day of racing.

After a dull performance off a layoff Iron Curtain returned to his customary competitive form going seven furlongs and hanging on in a nail-biting photo to earn his third career win.

Iron Curtain, breaking from the 2nd post, broke sharply from the gate and jockey Ramon Dominguez moved him down to the rail. Harmonic Man, Karakoram on Black, and Prime Obsession also moved out to the front and Dominguez, knowing that those horses were 48-1, 54-1, and 26-1 respectively allowed them to slug it out on the front end as he settled in behind in a stalking position along the rail. They raced that way into the turn and Dominguez continued to allow Iron Curtain to sit the pocket trip past the quarter pole. Iron Curtain then moved up behind Harmonic Man. Karakoram on Black had been racing in the two-path so Iron Curtain was able to race up next to him. As they neared the quarter pole Dominguez, knowing that Harmonic Man was 48-1 and extremely unlikely to keep up the pace, was able to swing Iron Curtain out and past that tiring rival. As they neared the top of the stretch Iron Curtain was about a half length in front and beginning to open that lead. Iron Curtain dug in very gamely as they came down the stretch. As they reached the 1/8 pole he was about one length ahead but Marq of Love was flying up the outside and Thunder Minister was flying up the rail. All three horses reached the wire fully extended. Iron Curtain was doing a respectable job holding off Marq of Love but Thunder Minister got to him along the rail. As they hit the wire it was clearly too close to call. After examining the photo and the officials posted the order of finish Iron Curtain was listed on top. He had notched his third career win and he wasn't claimed.

We spoke with Dominguez after the race and he said, "I got him out and got him to relax. He sat nice but I had to move him sooner than I wanted to because the #4 was starting to get tired and I didn't want to get caught behind him. Iron Curtain was very game all the way to the wire. He ran a great race. When we run at Saratoga going 5 ½ furlongs we can let the early speed go and sit back more and then make a move and he'll be gone. That distance will be perfect for him."

We also spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the race and Steve said, "I'm going to wheel him right back into an allowance on Wednesday. We can see how he comes out of the race and see how that race comes up and then decide if we want to run. Having him entered in the race will give us options."

Iron Curtain earned $16,800 for Thursday's victory plus an additional $1,680 in New York-bred Award Program Open Owner Awards.

We'll see how Iron Curtain comes out of the race and Steve will point him accordingly; most likely to a NY-bred N2X at Belmont; possibly on Wednesday, July 8.

Sextant breezed 5 furlongs in 1:01.88 on Tuesday over the dirt training track at Belmont Park. That work was 3rd best out of 11 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Linda Rice after the work and Linda said, "I was very pleased with the work. We'll keep her on a regular breeze schedule and we'll run her when she's ready. I'd estimate that we'll have ready to go by the beginning of the Saratoga meet."

Linda will breeze Sextant on a regular basis as she readies Sextant for her next race which is expected to be early in the Saratoga meet.

Portuguesemano'war is entered to run in Friday's 9th race at Penn National which is a $4,000 Claiming race going 6 furlongs for 3-year-olds and up which have not won two races since January 3, 2009; races where entered for $3,500 or less not considered in the eligibility. He'll be breaking from the 9th post position and jockey Manuel Chaves is named to ride.

Portuguesemano'war is currently the 3-1 Daily Racing Form morning line favorite in the race. He's the DRF consensus second choice in the race. One DRF handicapper selects him to win the race. One DRF handicapper selects him as second choice in the race.

The purse for this race is $13,000.

First race post time is 6:45 PM and Portuguesemano'war's race is Race 9 which is scheduled to go off at 10:02 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Penn National for a fun evening of racing.

Iron Curtain is entered to run in Thursday's 5th race at Belmont Park which is a Claiming $35,000 N3L for 3-year-olds and up which have never won three races, going 7 furlongs on the turf. He'll be breaking from the 3rd post position and jockey Ramon Dominguez is named to ride. Dominguez is currently ranked 1st in the Belmont Park jockey standings with 62 wins and a 23% win percentage.

Excluding the MTO entrants Iron Curtain is currently the 4-1 Daily Racing Form morning line third choice in the race. Iron Curtain is the DRF consensus second choice in the race. One DRF handicapper selects him to win the race. One selects him as the second choice in the race. One selects him as third choice in the race.

The purse for this race is $28,000.

First race post time is 1:00 PM and Iron Curtain's race is Race 5 which is scheduled to go off at 3:08 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Belmont Park for a fun day of racing.

Salt Water Reign breezed on Sunday working 4 furlongs over the Belmont Park dirt track in 51.14. That work was 38th best out of 40 at the distance.

Mike spoke with assistant trainer Lisa Sloan after the breeze and Lisa said, "That work was to get her out there and stretch her legs a little. She came out of her last race jammed up a bit and she's just now straightened out so I didn't want to do too much with her."

Steve will keep Salt Water Reign ready as he continues to look for a suitable race for her.

Iron Curtain breezed on Friday working 4 furlongs over the Belmont Park dirt track in 54.17.

Mike spoke with assistant trainer Lisa Sloan after the breeze and Lisa said, "I didn't want to do too much with him because he went so fast in his last work and I knew we were pointing to a race this week. Overall I was pleased with the work."

Trainer Steve Klesaris will continue to keep Iron Curtain fresh as he points him to his next race.

Iron Curtain's Sunday race at Delaware Park was washed off the turf and, as such, he was scratched. Trainer Steve Klesaris will continue to look for an appropriate race for Iron Curtain.

William Thomas ran a very solid second on Saturday losing to a horse that had previously been G3 placed. William Thomas turned in a very professional performance while posting a Beyer Speed Figure of 94.

William Thomas, breaking from the 4th post, broke instantly from the gate and immediately found himself dueling with Rereadthefootnotes, the horse to his immediate outside. Sensing the duel jockey Alan Garcia allowed Rereadthefootnotes to settle back a length or so as Ramon Dominguez allowed William Thomas to set the fractions on the front end. They raced that way as the quarter went in 22.55 and the half in 45.69. When they reached the quarter pole Rereadthefootnotes moved up next to William Thomas as they raced stride for stride for a while. Ultimately Rereadthefootnotes moved ahead and won the race as William Thomas took second.

We spoke with Dominguez after the race and Ramon said, "That race went very fast. We lost to a very talented horse. Overall I'm very pleased."

Mike also spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the race and Steve said, "That race was fast. We were pressed the entire way from the outside and that's a tough position to be in. We're going to be fine with this horse. He ran a good race."

William Thomas earned $8,600 for Saturday's second place finish.

We'll see how William Thomas comes out of the race and Steve will point him accordingly; most likely to a NY-bred N1X at Belmont.

Portuguesemano'war's Saturday race at Penn National was canceled after the first race along with the entire remainder of the card due to unsafe track conditions. Trainer Stephanie Beattie will look to enter him back the next time his race becomes available.

William Thomas is entered to run in Saturday's 8th race at Belmont Park, which is a N1X Allowance for New York state-breds 3-years-old and up going 6 1/2 furlongs. He drew post position 4 and jockey Ramon Dominguez is again named to ride. Dominguez currently leads the Belmont Park jockey standings with 49 wins and a 22% winning percentage. It was Dominguez who rode William Thomas to an impressive maiden win in his prior start.

William Thomas is currently the 3-1 Daily Racing Form morning line favorite in the race. He’s the DRF consensus selection to win the race. Two DRF handicappers select him to win the race, one DRF handicapper selects him as second choice in the race and one DRF handicapper selects him as third choice in the race.

The purse for this race is $43,000.

First race post time is 1:00 PM and William Thomas' race is Race 8, which is scheduled to go off at 4:44 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Belmont Park for a fun day of racing.

Portuguesemano'war is entered to run in Saturday's 10th race at Penn National which is a $5,000 Claiming race going 6 furlongs for 3-year-olds and up which have not won two races since December 20, 2008; races where entered for $4,000 or less not considered in the eligibility. He'll be breaking from the 3rd post position and jockey O Flores is named to ride.

Portuguesemano'war is currently the 4-1 Daily Racing Form morning line second choice in the race. He’s tied for the DRF consensus selection to win the race. One DRF handicapper selects him to win the race and one DRF handicapper selects him as second choice in the race.

The purse for this race is $15,000.

First race post time is 6:45 PM and Portuguesemano'war's race is Race 10 which is scheduled to go off at 10:26 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Penn National for a fun evening of racing.

Iron Curtain is entered to run in Sunday's 8th race at Delaware Park which is a N3L Allowance for 3-year-olds and up, going 5 furlongs on the turf. He'll be breaking from the 9th post position and jockey Rosie Napravnik is named to ride. Napravnik is currently ranked 3rd in the Delaware Park jockey standings with 29 wins and a 19% win percentage. Rosie did a tremendous job riding for Hibiscus during the Aqueduct meet and we're elated to have her back in our colors riding Iron Curtain.

Iron Curtain is currently the 2-1 Daily Racing Form morning line favorite in the race.

The purse for this race is $40,000.

First race post time is 1:15 PM and Iron Curtain's race is Race 8 which is scheduled to go off at 4:24 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Delaware Park for a fun day of racing.

William Thomas breezed on Tuesday working 4 furlongs in 51.02 over the dirt track at Belmont Park labeled as "good". William Thomas was only 1 of 3 horses to work at that distance.

Mike spoke with assistant trainer Lisa Sloan after the breeze and Lisa said, "That work was just to get his lungs open and some air into him. It was wide around the dogs over a wet track. We knew with all this rain that we've been getting that he was probably going to race over a wet track so we wanted to breeze him over a wet track to get an idea if he liked it. He went just fine."

Trainer Steve Klesaris intends to enter William Thomas in Saturday's N1X Allowance at Belmont Park going 6 ½ furlongs.

Iron Curtain breezed on Sunday working 4 furlongs over the Belmont Park dirt track in 47.12 in a work that was labeled "handily". That work was the bullet out of 88 at the distance.

Mike spoke with assistant trainer Lisa Sloan after the breeze and Lisa said, "It was a very useful breeze. He hasn't raced in a while and we needed to get him some work. I would have liked for him to have gone in 48 or 49 but he just wanted to run."

Trainer Steve Klesaris will continue to keep Iron Curtain fresh as he points him to his next race.

Salt Water Reign ran a very strong second on Friday beaten by a nose in a tight photo in a head bob at the wire.

Salt Water Reign broke instantly from the gate and wound up with her head in front after only a few strides. When a speed duel began to emerge jockey Ramon Dominguez took Salt Water Reign back and allowed the other three horses to battle it out on the front end. The front runners were spread three across the track with I'llthinkofsumthin on the inside, Dance Lesson in the middle, and Chanced on the outside. Blitzensfoxyvixsin had the rail about one length behind and Salt Water Reign was to her immediate right. They raced that way into the turn and remained that way entirely throughout. As they exited the turn Dominguez swung Salt Water Reign wide around all three pace setters and into what was essentially the five-path as they rolled down the lane. I'llthinkofsumthin racing on the rail began to inch away and Salt Water Reign came up moving down the middle of the track. By the time they hit the 1/16 pole Salt Water Reign was at I'llthinkofsumthin's throatlatch and they rumbled stride for stride for the wire. They both crossed the wire at the same time and it was a very tight photo for the win. When the photo was posted I'llthinkofsumthin was ahead by a nose in what was a heartbreaker.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the race and he said, "I don't like losing this race. This is a case where we had the best horse but got beaten due to circumstances. We planned this spot and everything fell perfectly into place. The race got washed off the turf, the field scratched down to 5 horses, we had the even money favorite. This is a race we should have won. Unfortunately the best horse doesn't always win. We'll simply move on."

Salt Water Reign earned $7,600 for Friday's 2nd place finish plus an additional $760 in New York-bred Award Program Open Owner Awards.

We'll see how Salt Water Reign comes out of the race and Steve will point her accordingly.

Portuguesemano'war is entered to run in Sunday's 6th race at Charles Town which is a $6,500 Claiming race going 6 ½ furlongs for 3-year-olds and up which have not won a race since December 14, 2008; races where entered for $5,000 or less not considered in the eligibility. He'll be breaking from the 6th post position and jockey JD Acosta is named to ride. Acosta is currently ranked first in the Charles Town jockey standings with 129 wins and a 25% winning percentage.

Portuguesemano'war is currently the 3-1 Daily Racing Form morning line favorite. Portuguesemano'war is the DRF consensus second choice in the race. One DRF handicapper selects him to win the race, one DRF handicapper selects him as the second choice in the race and two DRF handicappers select him as the third choice in the race.

The purse for this race is $16,000.

First race post time is 1:00 PM and Portuguesemano'war's race is Race 6 which is scheduled to go off at 3:00 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Charles Town for a fun day of racing.

Salt Water Reign is entered to run as a Main Track Only entrant in Friday's 7th race at Belmont Park, which is a $35,000 Claiming race for fillies and mares, 3-years-old and up, going 6 furlongs on the turf. She drew post position 12 (Program Number 10) and jockey Ramon Dominguez is named to ride. Dominguez is currently ranked first in the Belmont Park jockey standings with 42 wins and a 23% winning percentage.

Salt Water Reign is currently the 5-2 the Daily Racing Form morning line favorite.

The purse for this race is $38,000.

First race post time is 3:00 PM and Salt Water Reign's race is Race 7 which is scheduled to go off at 6:04 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Belmont Park for a fun day of racing.

Iron Curtain breezed on Wednesday working 4 furlongs over the Belmont Park dirt training track in 51.07. That work was 22nd best out of 27 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "That was just a leg-stretcher to keep him fresh. There's a N2X on the turf on June 18 and we're going to have him ready to go in that spot."

Steve will continue to keep Iron Curtain fresh as he points him to his next race which will be the NY-bred N2X at Belmont Park going 6 furlongs on the turf on June 18.

Salt Water Reign breezed on Wednesday working 4 furlongs over the Belmont Park dirt training track in 51.08. That work was 24th best out of 27 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "That was just a freshener. As discussed because she's run through her conditions it's increasingly difficult to find a race for her. We're going to keep looking but for now she's in a holding pattern. We need to keep her ready for anything that may show up as an extra."

Steve will keep Salt Water Reign ready as he continues to look for a suitable race for Salt Water Reign.

William Thomas crushed a field of maidens on Saturday in his return from a seven-month layoff. Jockey Ramon Dominguez piloted him gate to wire in what was nothing short of a hand ride. He sat like a statue in the irons never moving the whip or shaking the reigns. William Thomas drew off in hand to win by seven lengths in what was essentially a public workout while posting a Beyer Speed Figure of 90.

William Thomas, breaking from the 7th post, broke instantly from the gate and immediately found himself leading the field by a full length. There’s not really much to say after that as Dominguez held him in a vice-like grip getting him to relax while coasting along on the front end. William Thomas was never challenged as they reached the top of the stretch and Dominguez simply let him out and he drew off in hand to win by a very easy seven lengths. Dominguez allowed William Thomas to gallop out to 6 furlongs and he said that there was still plenty in the tank as the horse was never tested.

We spoke with Dominguez after the race. Mike asked him, “Was it as easy as it looked?” Ramon simply said, “Yes.”

We also spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after learning that William Thomas posted a Beyer Speed Figure of 90 in the race. Steve said, “Wow! Looks like we may have a nice one in the making.”

William Thomas earned $24,600 for Saturday's victory.

We'll see how William Thomas comes out of the race and Steve will point him accordingly; most likely to a NY-bred N1X at Belmont.

Sextant is entered to run in Wednesday's 2nd race at Belmont Park which is a N1X Allowance for New York-bred fillies and mares, 3-years-old and up, going 6 furlongs on the turf. She'll be breaking from the 3rd post position and jockey Alan Garcia is named to ride. Garcia is currently ranked 9th in the Belmont Park jockey standings with 10 wins and a 14% winning percentage. We're pleased to have Garcia back in the irons as it was he who piloted Sextant to her debut win and near stakes-placed finish in her 2-year-old season.

Sextant is currently the 3-1 in the Daily Racing Form morning line second choice in the race. She's the DRF consensus second choice in the race. Three of the DRF handicappers select her as their second choice in the race.

The purse for this race is $43,000.

First race post time is 1:00 PM and Sextant's race is Race 2 which is scheduled to go off at 1:32 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Belmont Park for a fun day of racing.

William Thomas is entered to run in Saturday's 7th race at Belmont Park, which is a Maiden Special Weight for New York state-breds 3-years-old and up going 5 1/2 furlongs. He drew post position 9 and jockey Ramon Dominguez is named to ride. Dominguez currently leads the Belmont Park jockey standings with 21 wins and an 18% winning percentage.

William Thomas is currently the 5-2 Daily Racing Form early morning line second choice in the race.

The purse for this race is $41,000.

First race post time is 1:00 PM and William Thomas’ race is Race 7, which is scheduled to go off at 4:12 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Belmont Park for a fun day of racing.

Kat Scratch Fever breezed Sunday working 2 furlongs in 25 flat at Hollywood Park in an unpublished work.

Mike spoke with trainer Ron Ellis after the breeze and Ron said, "They don’t publish 2 furlong works so it didn’t show up anywhere. It was only her first breeze since returning and she went a strong 25."

Ron will work Kat Scratch Fever every 6 to 7 days gearing her up for her debut.

William Thomas breezed Saturday working 4 furlongs in 47.12 over the dirt track at Belmont Park. That work was the bullet out of 39 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "He’s shown me enough. Ramon Dominguez, who works him in the mornings, likes him. He’s ready. It’s time to get started with him."

Steve has entered William Thomas in Saturday’s Maiden Special Weight at Belmont Park going 5 ½ furlongs.

Portuguesemano'war ran a very strong 3rd at Penn National on Thursday chasing a very hot pace and tiring in the final jumps to get caught for second while posting a career high Beyer Speed Figure of 64.

Portuguesemano'war, breaking from the 3rd post, broke alertly as did many other horses. Eventual wire-to-wire winner Otis of Atlantis edged away from the pack and established position on the front end as Portuguesemano'war found himself about two lengths behind along with a few other horses. They raced that way down the backstretch before Portuguesemano'war began to edge up and take second position into the turn still a good length and a half behind the leader. Portuguesemano'war raced two-wide throughout the turn trying to mount a rally but Otis of Atlantis was just too good as he drew off and won convincingly. The fractions were some of the swiftest that Portuguesemano'war has ever faced and he got a bit leg-weary in deep stretch and was run down and nipped for second by Texas Tycoon.

Mike spoke with assistant trainer Dave Wells after the race and Dave said, "He ran a good race. He tries real hard every time he goes out there. He hadn’t run in a while and he just got a bit tired at the end. This race should do him some good. Overall it was a good race. He’s in great physical condition so we should be able to bring him back for the $4000 race on May 30."

Portuguesemano'war earned $1,980 for Thursday's race.

We'll see how Portuguesemano'war comes out of the race. Stephanie is planning to wheel him back to a $4000 Claiming race at Penn National on May 30.

Portuguesemano'war breezed Wednesday working 4 furlongs over the Penn National dirt track in 50 flat in a work that was labeled as "handily". That work was 6th best out of 16 at the distance.

Mike spoke with assistant trainer Dave Wells after the work and Dave said, "He needs to show a published work within 30 days in order to race so we had to put him out there. He didn't go that hard."

Stephanie has entered Portuguesemano'war to the $5,000 Claiming race going 6 furlongs at Penn National on May 21.

William Thomas breezed Sunday working 5 furlongs in 1:03.06 over the dirt track at Belmont Park. That work was 15th best out of 21 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "He continues to do fine. He'll probably need one or two more breezes before he'll be ready to go."

Steve will work William Thomas on a 6 to 7 day work schedule with a goal of having him ready for a return to the races in late May or early June.

Portuguesemano'war is entered to run in Thursday's 7th race at Penn National which is a $5,000 Claiming race going 6 furlongs for 3-year-olds and up. He'll be breaking from the 3rd post position (Program Number 4) and jockey Luis Munar is again named to ride.

Portuguesemano'war is currently 9-2 in the Daily Racing Form morning line. One DRF handicapper selects him as the second choice in the race.

The purse for this race is $18,000.

First race post time is 6:45 PM and Portuguesemano'war's race is Race 7 which is scheduled to go off at 9:14 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Penn National for a fun evening of racing.

William Thomas breezed Monday working 5 furlongs in a blistering 59.17 over the dirt track at Belmont Park. That work was the bullet out of 37 at the distance and more than a second faster than the next horse.

Mike spoke with assistant trainer Lisa Sloan after the breeze and Lisa said, "I was completely in shock. He did that completely on his own without any asking whatsoever. The rider didn't use the whip or even jiggle the reigns. When I asked the clockers and they said 59 I thought they made a mistake. Usually when a horse comes back from a work they're huffing and puffing. With him if you had held a match up to his nose it wouldn't have gone out. It was absolutely incredible. I think I'd like to work him next in company. Maybe have some horses off his side and have some dirt kicked in his face. But after that work I'd say he's getting close."

Steve will work William Thomas on a 6 to 7 day work schedule with a goal of having him ready for a return to the races in late May.

Salt Water Reign is entered to run in Friday's 5th race at Belmont Park, which is a N2X Allowance for New York-bred fillies and mares, 3-years-old and up, going 7 furlongs on the turf. She drew post position 3 and jockey Cornelio Velazquez is named to ride in the absence of her regular rider Ramon Dominguez. Dominguez happens to be out of town on that day riding at Pimlico on the Preakness Friday stakes filled card.

Salt Water Reign is currently 12-1 in the Daily Racing Form morning line. She's the DRF consensus second choice in the race. One DRF handicapper selects her to win the race.

The purse for this race is $45,000.

First race post time is 1:00 PM and Salt Water Reign's race is Race 5 which is scheduled to go off at 3:08 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Belmont Park for a fun day of racing.

Iron Curtain is entered to run in Friday's 8th race at Belmont Park which is a N2X Allowance for New York-breds, 3-years-old and up, going 6 furlongs on the turf. He'll be breaking from the 5th post position (Program Number 6) and jockey John Velazquez is named to ride. Velazquez is currently ranked 4th in the Belmont Park jockey standings with 5 wins and a 28% win percentage. It was Velazquez who rode Iron Curtain to a draw off allowance win at Saratoga last season.

Excluding the MTO entrants Iron Curtain is currently the 5-1 Daily Racing Form morning line fourth choice in the race.

The purse for this race is $45,000.

First race post time is 1:00 PM and Iron Curtain's race is Race 8 which is scheduled to go off at 4:45 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Belmont Park for a fun day of racing.

Portuguesemano'war's Friday race at Penn National was canceled along with the entire card due to unsafe track conditions. Stephanie Beattie will look to enter him back to a race on May 17 at Charles Town.

Sextant's Thursday race at Belmont Park was washed off the turf and, as such, she was scratched. Linda Rice will look to enter her back the next time the race comes up either as an extra or in the condition book.

Iron Curtain's Thursday race at Belmont Park was washed off the turf and, as such, he was scratched. Steve Klesaris will look to enter him back the next time the race comes up either as an extra or in the condition book.

Portuguesemano'war is entered to run in Friday's 1st race at Penn National which is a $4,000 Claiming race going 6 furlongs for 3-year-olds and up. He'll be breaking from the 6th post position and jockey Luis Munar is again named to ride.

Portuguesemano'war is currently the 4-1 Daily Racing Form morning line third choice in the race.

The purse for this race is $16,000.

First race post time is 6:45 PM and Portuguesemano'war's race is Race 1. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Penn National for a fun evening of racing.

Sextant is entered to run in Thursday's 5th race at Belmont Park which is a N1X Allowance for New York-bred fillies and mares, 3-years-old and up, going 6 furlongs on the turf. She'll be breaking from the 4th post position and jockey Alan Garcia is named to ride. Garcia is currently tied for 2nd in the Belmont Park jockey standings with 3 wins and a 23% winning percentage. We're pleased to have Garcia back in the irons as it was he who piloted Sextant to her debut win and near stakes-placed finish in her 2-year-old season.

Sextant is currently the 5-1 Daily Racing Form early morning line fourth choice in the race.

The purse for this race is $43,000.

First race post time is 1:00 PM and Sextant's race is Race 5 which is scheduled to go off at 3:08 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Belmont Park for a fun day of racing.

Iron Curtain is entered to run in Thursday's 7th race at Belmont Park which is a N2X Allowance for New York-breds, 3-years-old and up, going 6 furlongs on the turf. He'll be breaking from the 2nd post position and jockey John Velazquez is named to ride. It was Velazquez who rode Iron Curtain to a draw off allowance win at Saratoga last season.

Excluding the MTO entrants Iron Curtain is currently the 7-2 Daily Racing Form early morning line favorite in the race.

The purse for this race is $45,000.

First race post time is 1:00 PM and Iron Curtain's race is Race 7 which is scheduled to go off at 4:12 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Belmont Park for a fun day of racing.

William Thomas breezed Thursday working 5 furlongs front the gate in 1:03.12 over the dirt track at Belmont Park. That work was 10th best out of 12 at the distance. He was the only horse to work from the gate out of the entire group.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "That was his first 5 furlong breeze. The others were really 4 furlong works with a gallop-out that the clockers put down as 5 furlong works. He’s doing great. He’s still a bit headstrong in that he wants to just go. I have Ramon Dominguez working him in the morning to try to teach him to relax and rate. He did better this time than the breeze before. He’s starting to get it. He’ll still need a few more works before he’s ready."

Steve will work William Thomas on a 6 to 7 day work schedule with a goal of having him ready for a return to the races in late May.

The Good and Tough colt, Lord Greystoke, is entered to run in Saturday's 5th race at Belmont Park, which is a Maiden Special Weight for New York state-breds 3-years-old and up going 6 furlongs. He drew post position 7 and jockey Rajiv Maragh is named to ride. Maragh finished the Aqueduct Spring meet second in the overall standings with 16 wins and a 25% win percentage.

Lord Greystoke is currently the 5-2 Daily Racing Form early morning line favorite in the race. He’s the Daily Racing Form consensus selection to win the race. Two of the three Daily Racing Form handicappers select Lord Greystoke to win the race and the other handicapper selects him as his 3rd choice. Lord Greystoke posted a Beyer Speed Figure of 63 in his last race. There doesn’t appear to be any monsters in the race and Lord Greystoke appears to fit squarely in this spot.

The purse for this race is $41,000.

First race post time is 1:00 PM and Lord Greystoke’s race is Race 5, which is scheduled to go off at 3:08 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Belmont Park for a fun day of racing.

William Thomas breezed Saturday working 5 furlongs in 1:01.06 over the dirt track at Belmont Park. That work was 9th best out of 24 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "He really worked 4 furlongs in 48 and change and galloped out 5 furlongs. I had Ramon Dominguez work him and Ramon said he went well. He's doing very good but this isn't his last breeze. He'll need a few more before he'll be ready to run."

Steve will work William Thomas on a 6 to 7 day work schedule with a goal of having him ready for a return to the races in late May.

Sextant scored a very emotional victory easily putting away a field of colts in her return off a lengthy layoff at Gulfstream Park on Wednesday. Sextant had only raced once in the last 18 months and in that race she finished up the track only beating two other horses. It was a long and sometimes grueling journey getting her back to the races. To be able to put an exclamation point on it with a win is a feeling that words can't accurately describe.

Sextant, breaking from the 8th post, broke from the gate very sharply and went immediately to the lead. Masharka breaking from the rail and My Daddio, breaking from the 6th post moved up to challenge. With those two horses being to the inside Sextant found herself three wide. Jockey Elvis Trujillo decided to allow Sextant to relax and sit off the pace rather than to have her get involved in a speed duel. Sextant sat about one length off the leaders entering the turn. At that point Trujillo pushed the button and moved Sextant up to engage. Sextant took the entire turn three wide as she raced right up alongside Masharka and My Daddio. They reached the top of the lane and Sextant simply outkicked the rest of the field as she rolled to the lead and never looked back. She was simply too much the best as she hit the wire about a half length in front of the late closing Snuckinndsnuckout.

We spoke with trainer Linda Rice after the race, who was all smiles, and she said, "To think what we've been through with this horse. We had two throat surgeries, bleeding through Lasix, quarter cracks. It was endless. I knew given the right amount of time to hang her head and be a horse that she'd heal from all of her issues and come back strong. I've said all along and I'll continue to say that this horse has talent. What a great win today!...and we didn't get claimed!"

Sextant earned $11,400 for Wednesday's victory.

We'll see how Sextant comes out of the race and Linda will point her accordingly; most likely to a NY-bred N1X at Belmont.

William Thomas breezed Saturday working 4 furlongs in 49 flat over the dirt track at Delaware Park. That work was 20th best out of 65 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "I worked William Thomas and Iron Curtain this morning and both breezed great and came out great. We’re right on track."

Steve will work William Thomas on a 6 to 7 day work schedule with a goal of having him ready for a return to the races in late May.

Iron Curtain breezed on Saturday working 4 furlongs over the Delaware Park dirt track in 47.8. That work was 4th best out of 65 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "I worked William Thomas and Iron Curtain this morning and both breezed great and came out great. We’re right on track."

Steve will continue to keep Iron Curtain fresh as he points him to a return in the NY-bred N2X at Belmont Park going 6 furlongs on the turf on May 7.

Sextant breezed 4 furlongs in 49.2 on Friday over the turf course with the dogs up at Palm Meadows. That work was 3rd best out of 7 at the distance.

Trainer Linda Rice was satisfied with the work and decided to enter Sextant into a race in the upcoming week.

Sextant is entered to run in Wednesday's 1st race at Gulfstream Park which is a $35,000 Claiming N2L race going 5 furlongs on the turf for 3-year-olds and up which have never won two races. She'll be breaking from the 8th post position and jockey Elvis Trujillo is named to ride. Trujillo is currently ranked 3rd in the Gulfstream Park jockey standings with 48 wins and a 13% winning percentage.

Sextant is currently the 4-1 Daily Racing Form morning line second choice in the race. She is the Daily Racing Form consensus selection to win the race. Two of the four DRF handicappers select her as the choice to win the race and one DRF handicapper selects her as his second choice to win the race.

The purse for this race is $19,000.

First race post time is 1:15 PM and Sextant's race is Race 1. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Gulfstream Park for a fun day of racing.

Salt Water Reign breezed on Friday working 4 furlongs over the Delaware Park dirt track in 47.6. That work was 3rd best out of 37 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "She’s doing great and we’re just keeping her fresh. I think we’ll run her next at Belmont Park in a turf sprint. She’s trained well over the synthetic at Fair Hill so we’ll see how she takes to the turf."

Steve is pointing Salt Water Reign to the N2X for New York-bred fillies and mares, three years old and up, going 6 furlongs on the turf at Belmont Park on May 13.

Portuguesemano’war is entered to run in Saturday's 2nd race at Penn National which is a $5,000 Claiming N2Y race going 6 furlongs for 3-year-olds and up which have not won two races since October 18; races where entered for $4,000 or less not considered in the eligibility. He’ll be breaking from the 7th post position and jockey Luis Munar is again named to ride.

Portuguesemano'war is currently the 5-1 Daily Racing Form morning line third choice in the race.

This race is trainer Stephanie Beattie’s primary choice in which to run. As such Portuguesemano'war will scratch from Friday’s race at Charles Town and will instead run in this spot.

The purse for this race is $14,000.

First race post time is 6:45 PM and Portuguesemano'war's race is Race 2, which is scheduled to go off at 7:09 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Penn National for a fun evening of racing.

William Thomas breezed Monday working 3 furlongs in 37 flat over the dirt track at Delaware Park. That work was 7th best out of 9 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "He’s coming along from his layoff just fine. He’s healthy and sound and now it’s just a matter of putting the breezes into him."

Steve will work William Thomas on a 6 to 7 day work schedule with a goal of having him ready for a return to the races in late May.

Sextant is entered to run in Thursday's 3rd race at Gulfstream Park which is a $20,000 Claiming N2L race going 5 furlongs on the turf for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up which have never won two races. She'll be breaking from the 2nd post position and jockey Elvis Trujillo is named to ride. Trujillo is currently ranked 7th in the Gulfstream Park jockey standings with 40 wins and a 12% winning percentage.

Sextant is currently the 7-2 Daily Racing Form morning line favorirte. She's the DRF consensus selection to win the race where two DRF handicappers select her to win; one of which has her as his best bet of the day. One other DRF handicapper has her as his second choice in the race.

The purse for this race is $18,000.

First race post time is 1:15 PM and Sextant's race is Race 3 which is scheduled to go off at 2:12 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Gulfstream Park for a fun day of racing.

Portuguesemano’war is entered to run in Friday's 6th race at Charles Town which is a $4,000 Claiming B race going 1 1/8 miles for 4-year-olds and up which have not won a race at a mile or over since October 17, 2008 or have never won four races. He’s on the Also Eligible list and will be breaking from the outside post (Program Number 12) if he scratches in. Jockey J.D. Acosta is named to ride. Acosta is currently ranked 1st in the Charles Town jockey standings with 74 wins and a 23% winning percentage.

Portuguesemano'war is currently the 3-1 Daily Racing Form morning line third choice in the race.

Assistant trainer Dave Wells has noted that trainer Stephanie Beattie is primarily pointing Portuguesemano’war to the $5000 Claiming N2Y at Penn National on Saturday and this race at Charles Town is a fallback position. That race didn’t fill at Penn National last time and there’s no guarantee it will fill this time around. In this race at Charles Town, however, Portuguesemano’war is on the AE list and he’ll need some luck to scratch in.

The purse for this race is $10,000.

First race post time is 7:15 PM and Portuguesemano'war's race is Race 6 which is scheduled to go off at 9:15 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Charles Town for a fun evening of racing.

Kat Scratch Fever has returned to Hollywood Park after a layoff and has resumed training with Ron Ellis. Ron said that she’s healthy and sound. She’s been jogging and galloping for the past few weeks while on the farm at Oakmont Ranch and Ron will continue on with her training. Ron’s loose timetable is to have her breezing by the end of April with a goal of having one start at Hollywood Park which would set her up for two starts at Del Mar. Many things can happen between now and June but that’s the timetable that Ron has set and he’ll work toward that goal.

Salt Water Reign breezed on Wednesday working 4 furlongs over the Delaware Park dirt track in 50.4. That work was 17th best out of 28 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "That was just a maintenance drill. She’s doing fine. I intend to speak with PJ (the NYRA racing secretary) and try to find the best spot to run her in her next start."

Steve will keep Salt Water Reign fresh as he reviews the NYRA condition book and communicates with the NYRA racing office looking for the optimal spot to run her in the upcoming weeks.

Iron Curtain breezed on Wednesday working 4 furlongs over the Delaware Park dirt track in 49.8. That work was 9th best out of 28 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the work. Steve said, "He’s doing great. He’s ready to run. If there were a turf sprint upcoming at Aqueduct we’d enter. Right now we’re in a holding pattern until Belmont opens in a few weeks. He’s good solid colt. We’ll look to run him in the first New York-bred N2X on the turf that presents itself."

Steve will keep Iron Curtain in a holding pattern. When the Belmont Park condition book comes out we’ll zero in on the first available N2X for New York-breds going short on the turf.

Sextant breezed 4 furlongs in 48.2 on Monday over the turf course with the dogs up at Palm Meadows in a breeze labeled as "handily". That work was the bullet out of 15 at the distance a full 1.2 seconds faster than the second horse.

Mike spoke with trainer Linda Rice after the work and Linda said, "She's doing great. I think she'll probably need one more breeze and then we'll be able to think about a race for her. I hope to be able to get her a start before she leaves Florida."

Linda will breeze Sextant next in about ten days as she prepares her for a return to the turf.

Portuguesemano'war ran fifth in his race at Penn National on Wednesday chasing a torrid pace over a sloppy track.

Portuguesemano'war, breaking from the 4th post, broke a step slow and then found himself in mid-pack four to five lengths behind the pace-setter, Leprechaun’s Gold, who was setting splits of 21.4, 44.3, 57,1 and 1:10.3. The combination of those wicked fractions and the sloppy track made it simply too difficult for Portuguesemano'war to mount any kind of bid and to get seriously involved in the race. He finished evenly running fifth while Leprechaun’s Gold took them gate to wire and won by 2 ¼ lengths. The effort is deceiving due to the relative ease with which the winner took to the wet track. Portuguesemano'war actually ran a much better race than appears in the chart.

Mike spoke with assistant trainer Dave Wells after the race and Dave said, "He was just in over his head going up against $7500 types. He needs to run for $5000. He’ll be tough to beat next time off this effort."

Portuguesemano'war earned $510 for Wednesday's race.

We'll see how Portuguesemano'war comes out of the race. Stephanie is pointing him to a $5000 Claiming N2Y race on April 18.

Salt Water Reign breezed on Tuesday working 3 furlongs over the Delaware Park dirt track in 37.2. That work was 4th best out of 9 at the distance and one tick off the bullet.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "She’s doing fine. That work was a freshener. She came off a tough race in that stakes attempt and the plan now is to freshen her up a bit and then try to find a good spot for her in late April or early May."

Steve will continue to work with Salt Water Reign preparing her for her next start.

Iron Curtain breezed on Tuesday working 3 furlongs over the Delaware Park dirt track in 37.4. That work was 5th best out of 9 at the distance and two ticks off the bullet.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the work. Steve said, "He’s doing just great. He’s working like clockwork and we’ll have him ready for the first turf opportunity of the Belmont Park meet."

Steve will breeze Iron Curtain on a 6 to 7-day work schedule gearing him up for a return to the turf. Because of the track configuration at Aqueduct they don’t write turf sprints there. Because Iron Curtain is a sprinter he’ll have to wait until racing returns to Belmont Park to make his 2009 debut and Steve plans to have him ready for the first available race.

Lord Greystoke ran a very strong second in his race on Saturday at Aqueduct. Lord Greystoke posted a Beyer Speed Figure of 63 in this race which is right in line with the 65 that he posted in his previous race.

Lord Greystoke broke sharply out of the gate and found himself in second off the flank of Snipe who broke a step faster to Lord Greystoke's inside. They raced that way down the backside with a wall of horses immediately behind them. As they neared the end of the backstretch and into the turn Elsie's Warrior rolled up to the outside of Lord Greystoke and challenged Snipe for the lead. Midway through the turn Lord Greystoke backed up a step and for an instant it appeared that he was out of gas. Perhaps he just shied away from a bit of dirt kicked in his face because exiting the turn he reengaged rolling up inside of the wide Elsie's Warrior and about one length behind the front running Snipe. Lord Greystoke dug in gamely through the lane to the 1/8th pole and tried to roll up and split Elsie's Warrior and Snipe. At the same time the late-running and eventual winner Big Grey showed a strong late move and rolled up on the outside of Elsie's Warrior and moved past all three challengers to draw off and win by five lengths. It became a three-horse race for second place money as Snipe, Lord Greystoke, and Elsie's Warrior were three across the track at the 1/16th pole. Lord Greystoke was not about to cave in and dug in all the way to the wire ultimately finishing about a length ahead of Elsie's Warrior and two lengths ahead of the tiring Snipe.

We spoke with jockey Rosie Napravnik after the race and she said, "He has a lot of heart. He ran a great race. He wanted to bore out in the backstretch and I had to hold him in. Other than that there were no issues. He's a nice horse."

We spoke with trainer Linda Rice after the race and she said, "He backed up a step after the quarter pole but he put himself right back into the fray. He's got heart and he was game all the way to the wire. We'll see how he comes out of the race but I think he put in a good performance and we simply got beat by a better horse. I was very concerned about Big Grey coming into the race and even toyed with the possibility of scratching. I knew that horse was good and there's no shame in running second to a runner like him."

We also spoke with original trainer Steve Klesaris after the race and he said, "I thought we were dead at the quarter pole. He fought back hard. It was a good race and a good effort by all."

Lord Greystoke earned $8,200 for Saturday's race.

We'll see how Lord Greystoke comes out of the race and Linda will point him accordingly.

Portuguesemano'war is entered to run in Wednesday's 3rd race at Penn National, which is a $7,500 Claiming race for non-winners of 1 race since October 1 (races entered for $6250 or less do not count in the eligibility) for 3-year-olds and up going 6 furlongs. He'll be breaking from the 4th post position (program number 5) and jockey Luis Munar is again named to ride. Munar is currently ranked 8th in the Penn National jockey standings with 15 wins. It was Munar who rode Portuguesemano'war to victory in his last race Penn national debut.

Portuguesemano'war is currently 6-1 in the Daily Racing Form morning line in a wide open yet contentious field.

The purse for this race is $17,000.

First race post time is 6:45 PM and Portuguesemano'war's race is Race 3 which is scheduled to go off at 7:34 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Penn National for a fun evening of racing.

Sextant Breezed 4 furlongs in 49.7 on Friday over the dirt track at Palm Meadows. That work was 10th best out of 30 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Linda Rice after the work and Linda said, "She went in 49.2. I don't know what the clockers put her down at. She continues to do well and she's coming along. I'll breeze her roughly on a 10-day work schedule. I think she'll need about two more breezes before she's ready. I'm hoping to be able to get her one start in Florida before we bring her home to New York."

Linda will breeze Sextant next in about ten days as she prepares her for a return to the turf.

The Good and Tough colt, Lord Greystoke, is entered to run in Saturday's 5th race at Aqueduct, which is a Maiden Special Weight for New York state-breds 3-years-old and up going 6 furlongs. He drew post position 7 and jockey Rosie Napravnik is again named to ride. Napravnik won at a 20% rate in 2008 and is currently ranked 5th in the Aqueduct jockey standings with 37 wins. It was Napravnik who rode Lord Greystoke in his last race which was a near miss gate to wire attempt for the diploma.

Lord Greystoke is currently the 5-2 Daily Racing Form morning line favorite in the race. He’s the Daily Racing Form consensus selection to win the race. Two of the four Daily Racing Form handicappers select Lord Greystoke to win the race and the other two handicappers select him as their 3rd choice. Lord Greystoke’s last race Beyer Speed Figure of 65 is the highest in the field. There doesn’t appear to be any monsters in the race and Lord Greystoke appears to fit squarely in this spot.

The purse for this race is $41,000.

First race post time is 1:00 PM and Lord Greystoke’s race is Race 5, which is scheduled to go off at 2:54 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Aqueduct for a fun day of racing.

Iron Curtain breezed 4 furlongs in 50.6 on Wednesday over the all-weather training track at Fair Hill Training Center. A total of 3 horses worked that day at that distance and all were within one tick of each other.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the work. Steve said, "He’s training right along and doing really great. We’ll keep him going and we’ll have him ready for the first turf sprint of the Belmont meet."

Steve will breeze Iron Curtain on a 7-day work schedule gearing him up for a return to the turf. Because of the track configuration at Aqueduct they don’t write turf sprints there. Because Iron Curtain is a sprinter he’ll have to wait until racing returns to Belmont Park to make his 2009 debut and Steve plans to have him ready for the first available race.

Iron Curtain breezed 4 furlongs in 50.2 on Wednesday over the all-weather training track at Fair Hill Training Center. A total of 3 horses worked that day at that distance and all were within one tick of each other.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the work. Steve said, "That was really a 3 furlong work and they clocked the gallop out. He's coming along great and we're working to have him ready for turf racing at Aqueduct in April."

Steve will breeze Iron Curtain on a 7-day work schedule gearing him up for a return to the turf in April.

Sextant Breezed 3 furlongs in 36.8 on Monday over the dirt track at Palm Meadows. That work was 2nd best out of 10 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Linda Rice after the work and Linda said, "That was only her first breeze and I'm very pleased with the outcome. She went fast and nice and came out of it in good order. I'll work her back in 7 to 10 days and we'll go on from there."

Linda will breeze Sextant next in 7 to 10 days as she prepares her for a return to the turf.

The Good and Tough colt, named Lord Greystoke, breezed 4 furlongs in 50.32 on Friday over the dirt training track at Belmont Park.

Mike spoke with trainer Linda Rice after the breeze and Linda said, "We're getting him ready for his next race. We're going to look at the Maiden Special Weight on March 22 and any other opportunities that may present themselves."

Linda will begin by looking at the Maiden Special Weight for 3-year-olds going 6 furlongs at Aqueduct on March 22.

Iron Curtain breezed 3 furlongs in 39.2 on Wednesday over the all-weather training track at Fair Hill Training Center. That work was tied for 4th best out of 5 at the distance where the bullet went in 38 flat and two others worked in 39 flat.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the work. Steve said, "That was his first breeze since coming in off the farm. It was just a leg-stretcher. He's the kind of horse that won't take much to get him ready. With him it will be three or four breezes and he'll be ready for a race. The goal is to have him ready for the first turf racing at Aqueduct."

Steve will get Iron Curtain for a return to the turf in April.

Portuguesemano'war, for the third time in his career, won his debut race at a new track, this time rolling to a two length victory in his first career race at Penn National on Wednesday.

Portuguesemano'war, breaking from the 8th post, broke sharply and dueled briefly with In Orbit and then Bamboo Shade and Hit a Nerve down the backstretch. They continued that way into the turn and Portuguesemano’war continued to vie for the lead taking the turn 3-wide. Midway through the turn Portuguesemano’war put his head and then his neck in front. By the time they hit the top of the stretch Portuguesemano’war had opened up a full length lead. He rolled down the lane never seriously challenged as he opened up a two length lead and went under the wire clear of the second place horse, Devil’s Pal.

Mike spoke with assistant trainer Dave Wells after the race and Dave said, "I can’t believe how close he raced to the lead. I never expected that. After the race the jockey said he had so much horse out there it was unbelievable. That’s because of all the swimming that he’s been doing. That conditioning in the pool really helps a great deal. I think he’s going to have a career high Beyer because the race went in good time."

Portuguesemano'war earned $6,600 for Wednesday's victory.

We'll see how Portuguesemano'war comes out of the race and Stephanie will point him accordingly.

Salt Water Reign failed to fire on Sunday in The Broadway Handicap finishing 6th beaten about ten lengths and beaten about five lengths for second in a troubled trip.

Salt Water Reign came out of the gate and immediately ducked in and bumped Let's Fly Away fairly soundly. She bobbled a bit and then came away in a stalking position. She stalked the eventual wire-to-wire winner, Lights Off Annie, all the way around. She appeared to have dead aim at the top of the stretch and then simply flattened out finishing 6th.

We spoke with jockey Rosie Napravnik after the race and she said, "She tries very hard in every race. She just came up empty today. She came back on 17 days rest. Maybe she needs a little break."

We found out afterward that Salt Water Reign threw a shoe in the race and her left hind foot was bleeding. We don't know at what point this occurred but it's possible that it happened during the tangle at the break. If that's the case then she raced with a missing shoe and a cut foot the entire race.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the race and he said, "We don't really know at what point the injury occurred. She's fine. It wasn't a serious injury. We'll probably give her a few weeks off and then get her ready for her next race. We've tried numerous times to try to get her some black type but it's been a struggle. That was a tough spot for her. We'll see how she trains and find a spot for her where she belongs."

Salt Water Reign earned $1,393 for Sunday's race.

We'll see how Salt Water Reign comes out of the race and Steve will point her accordingly.

Portuguesemano'war is entered to run in Wednesday's 8th race at Penn National, which is a $5,000 Claiming race for non-winners of 4 lifetime races for 4-year-olds and up going 6 furlongs. He'll be breaking from the 8th post position and jockey Luis Munar is named to ride. Munar is currently ranked 7th in the Penn National jockey standings with 9 wins.

Portuguesemano'war is currently 6-1 in the Daily Racing Form morning line.

The purse for this race is $11,000.

First race post time is 6:45 PM and Portuguesemano'war's race is Race 8 which is scheduled to go off at 9:38 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Penn National for a fun evening of racing.

Salt Water Reign is entered to run in Sunday’s 8th race at Aqueduct, which is the 30th running of The Broadway Handicap for New York state-bred fillies and mares, 4-years-old and up, going 6 furlongs. She drew post position 5 and 20% jockey Rosie Napravnik is again named to ride. Rosie is currently ranked 6th in the Aqueduct jockey standings with 24 wins. It was Rosie who rode Salt Water Reign to back-to-back victories in her last two races.

Salt Water Reign is currently 7-2 in the Daily Racing Form morning line in a wide open field.

The purse for this race is $65,000.

First race post time is 12:30 PM and Salt Water Reign's race is Race 8 which is scheduled to go off at 3:49 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Aqueduct for a fun day of racing.

Portuguesemano'war breezed Wednesday working 5 furlongs from the gate over the Penn National dirt track in 1:05.6 in a work that was labeled as "handily". That work was 7th best out of 10 at the distance.

Mike spoke with assistant trainer Dave Wells after the work and Dave said, "He only arrived in our barn a few days ago so Steph wanted to test his fitness. He worked well but got a little tired at the end. This will set him up good for his next race."

Stephanie is pointing Portuguesemano'war to the $5,000 Claiming N4L going 6 furlongs at Penn National on March 4.

Lord Greystoke returned to the races running a very strong third after setting the pace throughout. He was caught late and beaten by 1 length for first and by a neck for second. Lord Greystoke posted a Beyer Speed Figure of 65 in this race which is a 16 point improvement from his debut.

Lord Greystoke broke instantly from the gate and found himself on the front end dueling with Gary Contessa's Hudson Parker 1 to 2 lengths ahead of the rest of the field. Hudson Parker hung in with Lord Greystoke until just before the ½ mile pole. At that point Hudson Parker was done and began to back out, ultimately finishing last, as 4-5 favorite May Day Now stepped up to engage. Although it was certainly unintentional, Lord Greystoke was tag-teamed as one horse softened him up and then handed off to a second horse to continue the pressure. Jockey Rosie Napravnik exited the turn and cut the corner with precision as Lord Greystoke appeared to pull away and open a 1 length lead. The pressure caught up with him around the 1/16 pole as May Day Now drew even with him. Lord Greystoke showed tremendous heart as he battled down the lane head to head with May Day Now as eventual winner Olympic Pegasus rolled up on the outside and caught them both and won the race in a tight 3-horse finish at the wire. Lord Greystoke took the brunt of the pressure and finished a close 3rd beaten by about 1 length by Olympic Pegasus and about a neck by May Day Now. We spoke with eventual winning trainer Bruce Levine in the paddock before the race. Bruce is a trainer that doesn't typically have his horses ready in their debut and he's more known as an exceptional second start trainer. Bruce told us he liked his horse and it had been training well. Lord Greystoke was beaten by two very nice horses and showed a ton of heart and gameness right to the wire all after a layoff in which he only had one breeze to prepare.

We spoke with Rosie Napravnik after the race and she said, "He was so powerful in the post parade I knew he wanted to go. He's a nice honest horse. We'll win with him next time."

We spoke with trainer Linda Rice after the race and she said, "Perhaps on the lead in a duel wasn't the best place to be but when the gate opened and Lord Greystoke flew out Rosie was committed. He ran a great race. I'm very pleased."

Lord Greystoke earned $4,100 for Saturday's race.

We'll see how Lord Greystoke comes out of the race and Linda will point him accordingly.

The Good and Tough colt, Lord Greystoke is entered to run in Saturday's 2nd race at Aqueduct, which is a Maiden Special Weight for 3-year-old New York state-breds going 6 furlongs. He drew post position 2 and red-hot jockey Rosie Napravnik is named to ride. Napravnik won at a 20% rate in 2008 and has been on fire recently at Aqueduct. She scored 2 wins on Wednesday and has piloted our own Salt Water Reign to back-to-back wins.

Lord Greystoke is currently the 9-5 Daily Racing Form morning line favorite in the race.

The purse for this race is $41,000.

First race post time is 12:30 PM and Lord Greystoke’ race is Race 2, which is scheduled to go off at 12:58 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Aqueduct for a fun day of racing.

Salt Water Reign scored a very inspiring victory with an impressive last-to-first move to put away an odds-on 1-2 favorite and post the second of back-to-back wins at Aqueduct on Wednesday.

Salt Water Reign’s race was loaded with early speed so we expected her to break sharply but to not be alone on or near the lead. Having the luxury of being in the 8th race on the card we were fortunate to be able to see how the track was playing and strategize about the race accordingly. All day long the early speed along the rail was holding up until the 1/16 pole where those horses would then appear to jump onto a treadmill and pack it in as the stalkers would swung up into the 3-path and gobble them in from the middle of the track. As such, we spoke with jockey Rosie Napravnik before the race and agreed that the favorite, Labadeel, would likely go to the lead and other horses would probably join her. Salt Water Reign, despite having the rail, would concede to them the lead and then try to take advantage of the track bias and get them in the lane. Like perfect choreography, the gate opened and Salt Water Reign broke alertly but Labadeel and Aka Roxie went to the front. Salt Water Reign sat the rail trip behind Labadeel down the backstretch and raced in 5th and 6th position 3 lengths off the lead. Napravnik sat the rail all throughout the turn saving as much ground as possible but then found herself in last place exiting the turn behind a wall of horses. As we had discussed in the paddock Napravnik swung Salt Water Reign out to the middle of the track. Salt Water Reign had never exhibited a huge closing kick so it appeared that she might be in trouble. Instead Salt Water Reign exploded down the lane picking off horses as Labadeel folded up on the rail as had all the other rail runners earlier in the day. Salt Water Reign blew past the entire field with perhaps two cracks of the whip to win going away in what was essentially a hand ride. That is now back-to-back victories for Salt Water Reign as she continues to display her dominance of Aqueduct.

We spoke with Rosie Napravnik after the race and she said, “I didn’t really expect to be in last at the top of the stretch. It’s just the way the race unfolded. Once I got her clear she just wanted to run. I love this horse.”

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the race and he said, “The way she’s going now she should be able to compete in stakes races. We can pick and chose our spots going forward. There’s a New York-bred stake on March 1 to which we’ll nominate. It’s only 17 days between races so we’ll have to see how she is when the time comes. She’ll dictate if we run her in that spot or not.” We’ll have our opportunities.

Salt Water Reign earned $28,200 for Wednesday's victory plus an additional $2,820 in New York-bred Award Program Open Owner Awards bringing her career earnings up over $180,000.

We’ll see how Salt Water Reign comes out of the race and Steve will point her accordingly.

Salt Water Reign is entered to run in Wednesday's 8th race at Aqueduct, which is a N2X Allowance for fillies and mares, 4-years-old and up, going 6 furlongs. She drew post position 1 and 20% jockey Rosie Napravnik is again named to ride. It was Rosie who rode Salt Water Reign to a victory in her last race.

Salt Water Reign is currently 4-1 in the Daily Racing Form morning line. Two of the four DRF handicappers select her as the third choice in the race.

The purse for this race is $47,000.

First race post time is 12:30 PM and Salt Water Reign's race is Race 8 which is scheduled to go off at 3:49 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Aqueduct for a fun day of racing.

Portuguesemano'war ran a respectable 4th in his Thursday race at Charles Town missing 3rd by a nose and 2nd by a long neck.

It was his first time going long in almost a year and it was his first time going around 3 turns. Additionally, since he just won his last race, it was his first time going up against N4L types.

Mike spoke with trainer Jeff Runco after the race and Jeff said, "He didn't really have any excuses tonight. We'll just bring him back and try again. There are a few options in the condition book later this month. We've got a race going 7 furlongs, a race going 1 1/8 miles, and we've also got one of those non-winners-of-2-races-in-the-last-six-months deals which is a somewhat easier spot. We should definitely look at that one."

Portuguesemano'war earned $500 for Thursday's race.

Jeff will see how Portuguesemano'war comes out of the race and point him accordingly.

Portuguesemano'war is entered to run in Thursday's 6th race at Charles Town, which is a $4,000 claiming race for non-winners of 4 lifetime races for 4-year-olds and up going 1 1/16 miles. He'll be breaking from the 5th post position and jockey Luis Perez is again named to ride. It was Perez who piloted Portuguesemano'war to a debut victory in his last race.

Portuguesemano'war is currently the 9-2 Daily Racing Form morning line third choice. Two of the three DRF handicappers select him as their third choice in the race.

The purse for this race is $10,000.

First race post time is 7:15 PM and Portuguesemano'war's race is Race 6 which is scheduled to go off at 9:15 PM. We'll be at the Charles Town version of the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Charles Town for a fun evening of racing. If you're planning on attending please let us know so we can make the appropriate reservations.

The Good and Tough colt, named Lord Greystoke, breezed 4 furlongs in 50.80 on Tuesday over the dirt training track at Belmont Park in an unpublished work.

Mike spoke with trainer Linda Rice after the breeze and Linda said, "The track was slow this morning. He worked OK. The thing that I liked the most about this breeze was the gallop out. He galloped out 5 furlongs in 1:04. I trained Tarzena, Lord Greystoke’s stakes-winning dam, and she was a 5 furlong sprinter on the grass. But the way Lord Greystoke trains he may want to go long at some point in his future. He’s training well and I’m going to start looking for a race for him."

Linda will begin by looking at the Maiden Special Weight for 3-year-olds going 6 furlongs at Aqueduct on February 8. If they use the race for straight 3-year-olds she’ll likely enter Lord Greystoke in that spot. If they use the race for 3-year-olds and up she’ll likely pass, breeze Lord Greystoke again, and look for the next race.

Salt Water Reign breezed Friday working 3 furlongs over the Delaware Park dirt track in 38 flat. She was one of two horses to work at that distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "She’s doing great. We’ll point her to the next running of the N2X."

Steve is pointing Salt Water Reign to the N2X for fillies and mares, four years old and up, going 6 furlongs at Aqueduct on February 11.

The Good and Tough colt, named Lord Greystoke, breezed 4 furlongs in 49.43 on Tuesday over the dirt training track at Belmont Park. That work was 27th best out of 78 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Linda Rice after the breeze and Linda said, "It was a nice easy work. I didn’t ask him to do anything. He went 3 furlongs and galloped out the half. The track has been very bad with all this cold weather. The bullet went in 48.03 so, when you consider that, ours was a nice move. He’ll probably need a couple more works and he then should be ready to go."

Linda will breeze Lord Greystoke again in about 7 days as she moves him toward a return race.

Portuguesemano'war is entered to run in Friday's 3rd race at Charles Town, which is a $4,000 claiming race for non-winners of 4 lifetime races for 4-year-olds and up going 7 furlongs. He'll be breaking from the 2nd post position and jockey Luis Perez is again named to ride. It was Perez who piloted Portuguesemano'war to a debut victory in his last race.

Portuguesemano'war is currently the 9-2 Daily Racing Form morning line third choice. Two DRF handicappers select him as the third choice in the race.

The purse for this race is $9,000.

First race post time is 7:15 PM and Portuguesemano'war's race is Race 3 which is scheduled to go off at 8:03 PM. We'll be at the Charles Town version of the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Charles Town for a fun evening of racing. If you're planning on attending please let us know so we can make the appropriate reservations.

Portuguesemano’war breezed Saturday working 3 furlongs over the Charles Town dirt track in 36 flat. That work was tied for the bullet out of 29 at the distance and a full 2 ticks faster than the next horse.

Mike spoke with trainer Jeff Runco after the work and Jeff said, "He worked in company with another horse but he did it all on his own. I didn’t ask him for anything extra. He’s doing great. He’ll have no excuses next time he runs."

It would appear that Portuguesemano’war has really taken to the Charles Town strip. Jeff is going to enter Portuguesemano’war into the $4,000 Claiming N4L going 7 furlongs on January 16.

Salt Water Reign coasted to an easy 2 1/2 length victory over a field of 6 open company foes going 6 furlongs at Aqueduct on Wednesday.

Salt Water Reign broke alertly as she usually does and for a brief moment put her head in front. Broken Lady, breaking from the rail with first-time blinkers on had designs on the lead and edged to the front by as many as 2 lengths by the time they reached the 1/2 mile pole. They raced 3 abreast down the back side with Break Point, breaking from the number 2 post along the rail, Salt Water Reign to the immediate right and Shoe Babe to the right of her. They continued that way until Break Point suddenly checked and steadied and backed out clearing the inside path for Salt Water Reign. Jockey Rosie Napravnik immediately seized the opportunity and dropped Salt Water Reign to the rail and saved ground all throughout the turn. Half way through the turn favorite Yankee Victoria began to mount her bid rolling up to the outside of Broken Lady. Salt Water Reign began to mount her bid around the quarter pole and as they exited the turn Broken Lady drifted off the rail pushing Yankee Victoria wide and allowing Salt Water Reign an opening on the rail and Rosie moved Salt Water Reign through the hole and to the lead. By the time she reached the 1/8 pole she was well clear and Rosie tapped her with the stick one or two times to keep her alert but it was a fairly easy and convincing win as Rosie more or less hand-rode her to the wire.

We spoke with Rosie Napravnik after the race and she said, “She really loved the mud. She’s a nice, honest horse. I can’t wait to ride her again.”

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the race and he said, “She’s shown us before that she likes a wet track. This is a great way to start off the year.”

Salt Water Reign earned $27,600 for Wednesday's victory plus an additional $2,760 in New York-bred Award Program Open Owner Awards bringing her career earnings up over $150,000.

We’ll see how Salt Water Reign comes out of the race and Steve will point her accordingly.

Salt Water Reign is entered to run in Wednesday's 1st race at Aqueduct, which is a N1X Allowance for fillies and mares, 4-years-old and up, going 6 furlongs. She drew post position 4 and 20% jockey Anna Napravnik is again named to ride.

Salt Water Reign is currently the 3-1 second choice in the Daily Racing Form morning line and she's the DRF consensus second choice to win the race. One DRF handicapper selects her to win the race and two DRF handicappers select her as second choice.

The purse for this race is $46,000.

First race post time is 12:30 PM and Salt Water Reign's race is Race 1. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Aqueduct for a fun day of racing.

Salt Water Reign breezed Tuesday working 3 furlongs over the Delaware Park dirt track in 38.2. That work was tied for the bullet out of 6 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "That was a tightner for the race on January 4. She's training well. Let's see if we can't knock out that N1X condition."

Steve is pointing Salt Water Reign to the N1X for fillies and mares, four years old and up, going 6 furlongs at Aqueduct on January 4.

Salt Water Reign breezed Tuesday working 4 furlongs over the Delaware Park dirt track in 49.2. That work was the bullet out of 8 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "We're just getting her ready for her next race. She's doing fine."

Steve is pointing Salt Water Reign to the N1X for fillies and mares, four years old and up, going 6 furlongs at Aqueduct on January 4.

Portuguesemano'war rolled to a very solid victory on Saturday in his Charles Town debut.

Portuguesemano'war, breaking from the 9th, post was immediately hustled out of the gate by apprentice rider Luis Perez. He challenged the field down the front side and was able to clear and duck down to the rail in front of the grandstand and ensure a nice ground-saving trip through the first turn. Walking On Air challenged Portuguesemano'war in the turn and opened a 1 length lead while Decent Exposure, the post time favorite, came up alongside to join the 3-horse fray. There was a gap of 2 lengths back to the next tier of horses and it quickly developed into a 3-horse race all the way around. While on the backside Walking On Air drifted off the rail and Perez seized the opportunity and moved Portuguesemano'war into the hole and right up alongside. Portuguesemano'war moved to within a head of the lead when Walking On Air pinched back in and caused Perez to check and Portuguesemano'war to fall out and behind by over a length. Normally a shift in momentum such as that would mean a loss of all possibility but Perez was not to be denied. He swung Portuguesemano'war around Decent Exposure and Walking On Air in the turn, moved up alongside in the 3-path, and was challenging Decent Exposure for the lead at the top of the stretch. Walking On Air had fallen out of it by that point and it was a nose to nose duel down the lane between Portuguesemano'war and Decent Exposure. They raced that way for perhaps half of the stretch before Portuguesemano'war put away Decent Exposure and drew off to win by a length. It was a very gritty victory for Portuguesemano'war and an impressive aggressive ride by Perez.

Saturday's victory marks the 3rd this year for Portuguesemano'war and we couldn't be more pleased with him. Early indications are that he's taken to the Charles Town surface as he posted a career high Beyer Speed Figure of 55 while overcoming a wide post, a troubled trip, and a full field.

Mike spoke with trainer Jeff Runco after the race and he said, "That's a nice way to start things off. I don't think there's a N4L coming up before the end of the year so his next start will probably be in January."

Portuguesemano'war earned $5,400 for Saturday's victory.

We'll see how Portuguesemano'war comes out of the race and Jeff will point him accordingly; most likely to a $4000 Claiming N4L.

Portuguesemano'war is entered to run in Saturday's 5th race at Charles Town, which is a $4,000 claiming race for non-winners of 3 lifetime races for 3-year-olds and up going 7 furlongs. He'll be breaking from the 9th post position and 20% jockey Emanuel Ramirez is named to ride.

Portuguesemano'war is currently the 5-2 Daily Racing Form morning line favorite. He's the DRF consensus selection to win the race. One DRF handicapper selects him to win the race and one selects him as the third choice in the race.

The purse for this race is $9,000.

First race post time is 7:15 PM and Portuguesemano'war's race is Race 5 which is scheduled to go off at 8:51 PM. We'll be at the Charles Town version of the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Charles Town for a fun evening of racing. If you're planning on attending please let us know so we can make the appropriate reservations.

The Forest Wildcat filly, named Kat Scratch Fever, breezed 4 furlongs in 49 flat on Saturday at Hollywood Park. That work was 22nd best out of 54 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Ron Ellis after the work and Ron said, "It was her first work at 4 furlongs so I wanted her to go nice and easy. I was looking to have her go in 50 or so. She went in 49 flat which was nice. I had some other 2-year-old fillies work in 50 and change so our filly's 49 was nice in relation. She finished up strong. She went the first quarter in 13 and finished in 36.1. She's coming right along."

Kat Scratch Fever continues to work like clockwork and has been progressing along on schedule. We'll look for Ron to breeze her back next Saturday again going 4 furlongs.

Salt Water Reign ran a very solid 2nd in the open N1X Allowance at Aqueduct on Sunday beaten only by the 4-5 Darley owned favorite.

Breaking from the 8th post Salt Water Reign broke sharply from the gate and settled in to a stalking position behind the heavily favored Seventh Street and between Home Crowd and One Tough Belle. Salt Water Reign rated professionally down the backstretch and throughout the turn. By the time they hit the stretch Seventh Street began to pull away while Home Crowd dropped out of it and One Tough Belle dug in. Salt Water Reign dug in as well and wore down One Tough Belle to the inside while holding off a late charging Jet Setting to her outside. She earned 2nd place by a nose never really having much of a chance at Seventh Street. Seventh Street is a $1,000,000 Darley purchase that clearly has much grander things in her future and plainly overmatched this field at short odds. Salt Water Reign was the best of the rest and we’re optimistic that she’ll get through this condition during the winter.

Mike spoke with jockey Rosie Napravnik after the race and Rosie said, "She handled the sloppy footing very well and did everything I asked her to do. She’s a nice horse. I’d like to be able to ride her back again next time."

Salt Water Reign earned $9,000 for Sunday's 2nd place finish plus an additional $900 in New York-bred Award Program Open Owner Awards.

Steve will see how she comes out of the race and point her accordingly; most likely to another open N1X at Aqueduct.

The Forest Wildcat filly, named Kat Scratch Fever, breezed 3 furlongs in 37.2 on Saturday at Hollywood Park. That work was 17th best out of 30 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Ron Ellis after the work and Ron said, "She really worked in 36 flat or 36.1. I have no idea what the clockers were looking at. She worked alone today. She's the kind of horse that doesn't need to work in company. She went really well. She's doing fine. She handled going around the turn much better today and everything is good. Had her time been recorded correctly it would have been 3rd best out of the 30 that breezed today. She's coming along right on schedule and I'll breeze her back in about a week and I think I'll be able to stretch her out to a half next time."

Kat Scratch Fever continues to work like clockwork and has been progressing along on schedule. We'll look for Ron to breeze her back next Saturday this time going 4 furlongs.

Salt Water Reign is entered to run in Sunday's 7th race at Aqueduct, which is a N1X Allowance for fillies and mares, 3-years-old and up, going 6 furlongs. She drew post position 8 and 20% jockey Anna Napravnik is named to ride.

Salt Water Reign is currently the 4-1 second choice in the Daily Racing Form morning line.

The purse for this race is $45,000.

First race post time is 12:30 PM and Salt Water Reign's race is Race 7, which is scheduled to go off at 3:16 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Aqueduct for a fun day of racing.

Lord Greystoke made a very professional debut on Saturday. Although he finished off the board he went well and gave a good account of himself.

Lord Greystoke broke sharply from the gate and raced close up down the backstretch. He chased the first tier of horses but twice in the backstretch, as he pulled close to the horse in front of him, Lord Greystoke backed out, once severely. The second time that occurred was approaching the quarter pole as Lord Greystoke threw his head up and backed up, almost appearing as if the jockey had to check hard. Lord Greystoke lost all momentum in that move but still hung tough in fourth position through the turn. When they hit the stretch the horses with experience kicked in and the horses that were debut runners were a bit empty. When it was clear that Lord Greystoke wasn't going to mount a bid jockey Eddie Castro wrapped up and saved the horse. Lord Greystoke coasted him in 7th despite the somewhat troubled trip.

Mike spoke with Eddie Castro after the race and Eddie said, "The horse went well. He liked the track and he's a nice mover. He was a bit green today and he definitely backed out when he got sand kicked in his face. He'll do better next time."

Mike also spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the race. Steve said, "It was a very useful race. He'll get a lot out of it. You can see him throwing his head around when he got the dirt kicked in his face. That's not unusual for young horses and he'll get used to that with experience. We'll be all right with this horse."

Lord Greystoke posted a Beyer Speed Figure of 48 in this race which is perfectly acceptable for a debuting 2-year-old New York-bred. The horse that won the race had a similar Beyer Speed Figure in his lone other start where he finished up the track.

We'll see how Lord Greystoke comes out of the race and point him accordingly.

Salt Water Reign breezed Saturday working 3 furlongs over the Delaware Park dirt track in 37 flat. That work was tied for the bullet out of 11 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "She's been training very well and she's ready. We've been pointing for the open N1X at Aqueduct on Sunday but I also nominated her to a $50,000 overnight stake at Finger Lakes on Friday. I'm going to enter her for the stake on Monday and then take a look to see how the race comes up. I'll only run her in that spot if she can win. Additionally, I'm going to keep my eye on the weather there as it's been very cold and wet and they've had a few cancellations already. If it appears that the track is going to be messy or frozen we'll pass. Basically, if it's remotely difficult or dangerous we'll go in the N1X at Aqueduct on Sunday."

Steve was very crafty in sniffing out the Finger Lakes stake on Friday. Because it's a long expensive ship we'll only run Salt Water Reign in that spot if she's a strong favorite and the track conditions are projected to be safe. Otherwise we'll look to run on Sunday at Aqueduct in the open N1X.

On Monday Steve will enter Salt Water Reign into the Anniron Stakes $50,000 for New York State-bred fillies and mares, going 6 furlongs at Finger Lakes on November 28. Additionally, Steve will point Salt Water Reign to the N1X for fillies, three years old and up, going 6 furlongs at Aqueduct on November 30.

The Good and Tough colt, Lord Greystoke is entered to make his debut in Saturday's 2nd race at Aqueduct, which is a Maiden Special Weight for 2-year-old New York state-breds going 6 furlongs. He drew post position 3 and jockey Eddie Castro is named to ride. Castro currently has a 16% winning percentage for 2008 and has won 220 races nationally.

Lord Greystoke is the second member of our Vintage 2008 to make his racing debut and this is a very exciting time for us. Lord Greystoke is currently 5-1 in the Daily Racing Form morning line and is the DRF consensus second choice in the race. One DRF handicapper selects him to win the race, one selects him for second, and one selects him to take third.

The purse for this race is $41,000.

First race post time is 12:30 PM and Lord Greystoke’ race is Race 2, which is scheduled to go off at 12:56 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Aqueduct for a fun day of racing.

The Forest Wildcat filly, named Kat Scratch Fever, breezed 3 furlongs in 39.4 on Thursday at Hollywood Park.

Mike spoke with trainer Ron Ellis after the work and Ron said, "She didn’t work in company today. I worked her alone. Also, up until now she had been working down the straightaway. This is her first work around the turn. She was green and a bit confused but overall she’s fine. Her partner, a filly named Roxy, also worked alone and she went in just about the same time. Next time I’ll try to work them together. She’s still learning but overall she’s fine."

Ron will breeze Kat Scratch Fever back in about 7 days putting her through her lessons working toward her debut.

Portuguesemano'war ran a dull 6th in his Monday race at Finger Lakes finishing off the board in only the first time in his last 6 races.

Breaking from an outside post for a remarkable 5th time in a row, Portuguesemano'war broke perhaps a step slow but remained in touch with the second tier of runners as Overheated set a sharp pace opening up 3 lengths on the second place horse down the backstretch. The field rumbled down the backstretch with Overheated in front and Portuguesemano'war in 4th and wide due to his outside post position. Portuguesemano'war hung tough although very wide in the turn. When the field hit the stretch it was clear that Portuguesemano'war didn't have his customary late kick and the jockey wrapped up on him as Portuguesemano'war coasted to the wire in 6th beaten by only 5 lengths. The conditions were miserable as the track was listed as "good" and sealed and the snow was coming down as they loaded the horses into the gate.

Mike spoke with trainer Chris Englehart after the race and Chris said, "I don't think he really liked the track today. He broke maybe half a step slow and never was able to mount a bid. He came out of the race in good order and he should be fine for his next race."

The race meeting at Finger Lakes is drawing to a close and the track conditions have not been good in recent days. We'll monitor the situation closely and if there's no point in keeping Portuguesemano'war at Finger Lakes then we'll look to ship him south sooner rather than later and give him ample time to get him situated in his new winter home.

The Forest Wildcat filly, named Kat Scratch Fever, breezed 3 furlongs in 38.6 on Wednesday at Hollywood Park.

Mike spoke with trainer Ron Ellis after the work and Ron said, "I worked her 2 furlongs and the clockers got her galloping out 3 furlongs. She's doing really well. Last week I worked her in company with another horse and they were both very aggressive. So this week I worked her in company with a different horse and that horse was very green and worked slow. That's why Kat Scratch Fever's time was a bit slow. She could have gone faster but it was the other horse's fault. Next week I'll bump her up to a 3 furlong breeze and continue to move her forward. She's really moving along nicely with no issues at all."

Ron will breeze Kat Scratch Fever back in about 6 days next time working her 3 furlongs.

Portuguesemano'war is entered to run in Monday's 4th race at Finger Lakes, which is a $4,000 claiming race for non-winners of 3 lifetime races for 3-year-olds and up going 6 furlongs. He'll be breaking from the 9th post position and jockey Ezequiel Perez is named to ride.

Portuguesemano'war is currently the 5-2 Daily Racing Form morning line favorite.

The purse for this race is $8,500.

First race post time is 12:15 PM and Portuguesemano'war's race is Race 4 which is scheduled to go off at 1:36 PM. We'll be at the Finger Lakes version of the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Finger Lakes Racetrack for a fun day of racing. If you're planning on attending please let us know so we can make the appropriate reservations.

Salt Water Reign breezed Wednesday working 3 furlongs over the Delaware Park dirt track in 37.2. That work was 4th best out of 11 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "That breeze was to keep her sharp. We're pointing to the open N1X on November 30."

Steve is pointing Salt Water Reign to the N1X for fillies, three years old and up, going 6 furlongs at Aqueduct on November 30.

The Good and Tough colt, named Lord Greystoke, breezed 4 furlongs from the gate in 49.4 on Saturday over the dirt track at Delaware Park. That work was 5th best out of 20 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "He worked well. He's ready to run. I'm going to look for a race for him. They have some Maiden Special Weight races coming up but some are at 7 furlongs and I don't want to debut him at that distance. I'll look for something shorter; probably 6 furlongs and maybe 5 ½ furlongs."

Steve will look for an appropriate spot for Lord Greystoke to make his debut. There's currently a Maiden Special Weight going 5 ½ furlongs at Aqueduct put up as an extra for November 16. That race is a strong possibility. If Steve doesn't enter in that spot or that race doesn't go then there's a Maiden Special Weight in the Aqueduct condition book on November 29 going 6 furlongs.

The Forest Wildcat filly, named Kat Scratch Fever, breezed 3 furlongs in 37.6 on Wednesday at Hollywood Park. That work was 8th best out of 15 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Ron Ellis after the work and Ron said, "She really worked 2 furlongs in 25 and change. The clockers put her down for 3 furlongs, which was the gallop out time. She’s doing really well. This was only her first breeze since she’s come back so we don’t want to go crazy. One thing that needs to be remembered is that with any horse that’s purchased from a sale, the horse is taught to run as fast as it can for as long as it can because in a sale breeze show that’s what’s needed. When it finally gets to the racetrack we need to now teach it to not do that and instead to dole out its speed as needed. So we don’t want to blow it out each time we breeze it. Overall she’s doing great. Can’t really ask for anything more."

Ron will breeze Kat Scratch Fever back in about a week.

Portuguesemano'war once again ran a very game third on Saturday at Finger Lakes and was moved to second place after a disqualification.

Portuguesemano'war, for the fourth race in a row, broke from a far outside post, this time breaking from the 10 hole. He broke a bit slow and found himself in 8th place after a quarter mile. He moved down the backstretch picking up speed and rallied 6 wide in the turn. He swung wide at the top of the stretch and moved past horses gaining ground and finished an eventual 3rd behind entry mate Jumping the Fence, who broke much sharper and raced much closer to the lead, and Indian Brave who contested the pace from the start. Indian Brave drifted out in mid-stretch and interfered with And a Bump and, after a jockey's objection, was disqualified and moved from 2nd to 7th.

Portuguesemano'war earned $1,750 for Saturday's race.

Portuguesemano'war continues to be a competitive little hard-knocker picking up checks as he goes along. He always gives us an exciting run for the money. We’re hopeful that he will soon draw an inside post and have a better chance of an easier trip and getting to the wire first. We'll see how Portuguesemano'war comes out of the race and Chris will point him accordingly; most likely to the next $4,000 Claiming N3L on November 15.

Iron Curtain breezed 3 furlongs in 37.4 on Thursday over the dirt track at Delaware Park. That work was 6th best out of 12 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the work. Steve said, "He went fine and he’s doing fine. I’m keeping him fit looking for a possible race for him. Now that turf season is winding down here in the northeast and there are no turf sprints at Aqueduct the racing options are getting limited. We’ll have to see what comes up."

Steve will keep Iron Curtain fit while he looks for the next possible race.

The Good and Tough colt, named Lord Greystoke, breezed 3 furlongs in 37.8 on Thursday over the dirt track at Delaware Park.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "He continues to do well. He’s a good horse. I think I’m going to give him one more blowout and then look to run him."

Steve will breeze Lord Greystoke sometime next week and then look for a race in which for him to make his debut.

Portuguesemano'war is entered to run in Saturday's 2nd race at Finger Lakes, which is a $4,000 claiming race for non-winners of 3 lifetime races for 3-year-olds and up going 6 furlongs. He'll be breaking from the 10th post position (program number 2B) and jockey Ezequiel Perez is named to ride.

Portuguesemano'war is currently the 6-5 DRF morning line favorite.

The purse for this race is $8,500.

First race post time is 1:10 PM and Portuguesemano'war's race is Race 2 which is scheduled to go off at 1:37 PM. We'll be at the Finger Lakes version of the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Finger Lakes Racetrack for a fun day of racing. If you're planning on attending please let us know so we can make the appropriate reservations.

William Thomas ran a very credible debut on Wednesday. Although he finished off the board he flashed some impressive early speed and gave a good account of himself.

William Thomas broke from the number 2 post and snapped immediately out of the gate. Jockey Eibar Coa found himself on the lead after a couple of jumps and made the decision to go for it on the front end. At about the same time jockey Alan Garcia decided to gun his horse, Seeking Eldorado, the post time favorite and only horse in the field with a race under his belt, to the lead and both horses instantly found themselves in a speed duel. The quarter went in a blistering 22 flat and the half in 45.4. At that point William Thomas, being a first time starter, was cooked. He was clearly tiring and Coa made the proper decision to wrap up on the horse and to not abuse him. He finished 8th after a suicidal trip but showed some very impressive early speed.

Mike spoke with Coa after the race and he said, “He got right out of the gate and I sent him. I didn’t think he wanted to be behind horses. The other horse went with us and our horse was dead tired at the quarter pole. He’ll be better next time.”

Mike also spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the race and Steve said, “Out there the jockey has to make split-second decisions and the jockey made the call to go for the front. He didn’t know that the favorite was going to go with him. Once they both committed their fates were sealed and when they hit the quarter pole the race fell apart. The favorite wound up taking third. The long shot of the field clunked up for second. If we weren’t in the race then Seeking Eldorado would have won. If Seeking Eldorado wasn’t in the race then we would have hit the board. William Thomas is a much better horse than that so don’t judge him based on that race.”

Steve will see how William Thomas comes out of the race and train him accordingly. William Thomas will tell us when he’s ready for his next race which, barring anything unforeseen, should be around late November or early December.

Portuguesemano'war ran a very game third on Saturday at Finger Lakes just missing by 3/4s of a length after a troubled trip.

Portuguesemano'war, breaking from the extreme outside, broke sharply from the gate and raced wide down the backstretch. Jockey Ezequiel Perez got him to relax and settle as he found himself 5 lengths off the early pace setters. As they hit the turn Portuguesemano’war moved up to challenge but, due to his outside post position, found himself 5 wide in the turn. Despite that situation Portuguesemano'war moved up to challenge. The early pace setters, Disco Doc and Silver James were done by that point and Portuguesemano'war gained the lead in the stretch. The eventual winner, Sipsey moved up inside of Portuguesemano'war to challenge and ultimately moved in front. At the same time, the second place finisher, Tactical Chatter moved up on the outside and Portuguesemano'war found himself in tight between horses and there was some bumping as they came down the lane. Portuguesemano'war checked a bit at the wire but it didn’t cause him to lose position. What was relevant is that Tactical Chatter, in traffic at the top of the stretch, moved out and bumped the horse to his immediate outside causing a chain reaction that pushed that horse into another horse. That move allowed Tactical Chatter to break free and make his run for second. There was an inquiry and a jockey’s objection after the race but it was not upheld and the order of finish was allowed to stand.

Portuguesemano'war earned $850 for Saturday's race.

Portuguesemano'war continues to be a competitive little hard-knocker picking up checks as he goes along. He always gives us an exciting run for the money. We'll see how Portuguesemano'war comes out of the race and Chris will point him accordingly; most likely to the next $4,000 Claiming N3L on November 1.

The Yonaguska colt, named William Thomas, breezed Friday working a sharp 3 furlongs from the gate in 36.6 over the dirt track at Delaware Park.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "I really gave him a quarter tightener from the gate but the clockers recorded the gallop-out. That was just to keep him interested. He’s ready and we’re going to run in the next Maiden Special Weight race."

William Thomas is entered to run in Wednesday's 2nd race at Belmont Park, which is a Maiden Special Weight for 2-year-old New York state-breds going 6 furlongs. He drew post position 2 and jockey Eibar Coa is named to ride. Coa is currently ranked 5th in the Belmont Park jockey standings with 24 wins and a 14% winning percentage.

William Thomas is the first member of our Vintage 2008 to make his racing debut and this is a very exciting time for us. We’re pleased to have Eibar Coa on board as he’s ridden many Hibiscus horses over the years and has won with Salt Water Reign and also won twice with She’s Got Zip as a 2-year-old. This should be a thrilling race as there are 8 runners and 7 of the 8 are first time starters. The one that’s run before only has 1 start and that was on the grass.

The purse for this race is $46,000.

First race post time is 1:00 PM and William Thomas’ race is Race 2, which is scheduled to go off at 1:32 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Belmont Park for a fun day of racing.

The Good and Tough colt, named Lord Greystoke, breezed Friday working 3 furlongs from the gate in a blistering 36.2 over the dirt track at Delaware Park. That work was tied for the bullet out of 5 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "That was a just a quarter out of the gate. The clockers recorded the gallop-out. I didn’t realize that he galloped out in 36.2 after a gate move. He’s been training very well. He’s pretty much ready at this point. We don’t want to run William Thomas and Lord Greystoke in the same race so we’ll let William Thomas go first and then look for a race for Lord Greystoke."

Steve will monitor the condition book looking for a race for Lord Greystoke to make his debut.

Portuguesemano'war is entered to run in Saturday's 5th race at Finger Lakes, which is a $4,000 claiming race for non-winners of 3 lifetime races for 3-year-olds and up going 6 furlongs. He's on the Also Eligible list and will be breaking from the 13th post position if he scratches into the race. Jockey Ezequiel Perez is named to ride. It was Perez who piloted him for the first time in his last race and led him to a career high Beyer Speed Figure of 54 in a near miss second place finish by a neck.

Portuguesemano'war is currently the 7-2 DRF morning line favorite.

The purse for this race is $8,500.

First race post time is 1:10 PM and Portuguesemano'war's race is Race 5 which is scheduled to go off at 2:58 PM. We'll be at the Finger Lakes version of the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Finger Lakes Racetrack for a fun day of racing. If you're planning on attending please let us know so we can make the appropriate reservations.

Mr. Blue Grey breezed Tuesday working 3 furlongs over the Delaware Park dirt track in 37.2.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze who said, "The breeze went great. He's doing great. He remains on track for a start in a few weeks. We should have a lot of fun with this horse over the winter."

Steve will breeze Mr. Blue Grey on a 6 to 7 day schedule gearing him up for his return to the races.

Iron Curtain ran a respectable 3rd on Saturday going 6 furlongs on the turf at Belmont Park.

As always, Iron Curtain broke sharply from the gate and vied for the lead. Jockey Channing Hill allowed him to settle and relax and stalk the pace-setting Please Impress and the pressing Bang Bang Bang. Iron Curtain sat that trip throughout the entire backstretch and turn and then angled out at the top of the stretch and was ready to challenge. As Please Impress and Bang Bang Bang slugged it out Iron Curtain seemed unable to make up any ground. Ultimately Please Impress began to fold and Iron Curtain was able to move up a bit and overtake him but as that was happening No More Green rallied from the clouds and was able to rush up and win as Bang Bang Bang hung on for second..

Mike spoke with jockey Channing Hill after the race and he said, "I was able to get the trip that we wanted. I saved ground and got him to relax. When I moved outside at the top of the stretch I thought he’d really make a move but he didn’t really have it. The early fractions were a bit slow and once they hit the stretch it was like a sprint to the wire but I thought he would have had a little more today."

Iron Curtain earned $3,500 for Saturday's 3rd place finish plus an additional $350 in New York-bred Award Program Open Owner Awards.

We'll see how Iron Curtain comes out of the race and Steve will point him accordingly.

The Yonaguska colt, named William Thomas, breezed Friday working 4 furlongs in 49.8 over the dirt track at Delaware Park. That work was 8th out of 15 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "He’s been doing very well. He’s ready to go. I’m going to look for a race for him."

Steve is going to point William Thomas to a Maiden Special Weight for New York state-bred 2-year-olds going 6 furlongs at Belmont Park on October 22.

The Good and Tough colt, named Lord Greystoke, breezed Friday working 4 furlongs in 50 flat over the dirt track at Delaware Park. That work was 9th out of 15 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "He’s doing great. He needs a couple of more works and then he should be ready for a race."

Steve will breeze Lord Greystoke on a 6 to 7 day schedule gearing him up for a debut which, barring any setbacks, will be in late October.

Iron Curtain is entered to run in Sunday's 8th race at Belmont Park, which is a $35,000 Claiming N3L for 3-years-old and up, going 6 furlongs on the turf. He drew post position 7 and jockey Channing Hill is named to ride.

Iron Curtain is currently the 5-2 favorite in the Daily Racing Form morning line. He is the second choice in the Daily Racing Form consensus to win the race. One DRF handicapper selects him to win the race and two select him to take second.

The purse for this race is $35,000.

First race post time is 1:00 PM and Iron Curtain's race is Race 8, which is scheduled to go off at 4:43 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Belmont Park for a fun day of racing.

On an additional note, although there is no rain in the forecast, trainer Steve Klesaris has notified us that, in the event that the race is rained off the turf he will scratch Iron Curtain so please keep an eye on the scratch board.

Mr. Blue Grey breezed Tuesday working 3 furlongs over the Delaware Park dirt track in 36 flat. That work was 2nd best out of 9 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze who said, "He went well. Considering that it was his first breeze since the layoff he went very well. I planned to work him a nice easy 3/8s so 36 flat is very nice."

Steve will breeze Mr. Blue Grey on a 6 to 7 day schedule gearing him up for his return to the races.

The Good and Tough colt, named Lord Greystoke, breezed Saturday working a strong 3 furlongs from the gate in 36.4 over the dirt track at Delaware Park. That work was tied with his classmate, William Thomas, as the bullet out of 9 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "That was a great work from the gate. He went well. He's a very sound and sturdy horse. He's getting close."

Steve will breeze Lord Greystoke on a 6 to 7 day schedule gearing him up for a debut which, barring any setbacks, will be in mid-to-late October. Lord Greystoke should breeze back on Friday or Saturday.

The Yonaguska colt, named William Thomas, breezed Saturday working a strong 3 furlongs from the gate in 36.4 over the dirt track at Delaware Park. That work was tied with his classmate, Lord Greystoke, as the bullet out of 9 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "That was a great work from the gate. He's a nice horse. Everybody who gets on him likes him. He's getting close."

Steve will breeze William Thomas on a 6 to 7 day schedule gearing him up for a debut which, barring any setbacks, will be in mid-to-late October. William Thomas should breeze back on Friday or Saturday.

Portuguesemano'war ran a very strong second on Saturday at Finger Lakes just missing by a neck.

Portuguesemano'war, breaking from the extreme outside, broke sharply from the gate and raced in a stalking position stalking the leader and favorite, Friendly Freud, through the backstretch. Jockey Ezequiel Perez let out Portuguesemano'war in the turn and slowly closed ground on Friendly Freud and swung out to challenge at the top of the stretch. Portuguesemano'war slowly wore down Friendly Freud and actually took the lead in deep stretch. He dug in gamely in an attempt to hold off the late rushing Short Time Affair but was ultimately necked a few jumps from the wire. Portuguesemano'war ran a very strong race and we're extremely proud of his performance.

Portuguesemano'war earned $1,700 for Saturday's race.

We'll see how Portuguesemano'war comes out of the race and Chris will point him accordingly; most likely to the next $4,000 Claiming N3L on October 18.

Salt Water Reign is entered to run in Saturday's 7th race at Finger Lakes, which is the 10th running of The Proud Puppy Handicap $50,000 for fillies and mares, 3-years-old and up, going 6 furlongs. She drew post position 6 and jockey Mike Luzzi is named to ride. Trainer Steve Klesaris was crafty in landing Mike Luzzi. Mike is the only downstate based jockey to be in town for Saturday’s card. Saturday’s 8th race will be the New York Breeders’ Futurity and Linda Rice has brought in Luzzi to ride her star filly Mother Russia (who happens to be a half-sister to our Iron Curtain). Steve quickly seized the opportunity to get Luzzi to ride Salt Water Reign in our race giving us the advantage of having a rider who’s ridden her before and who also may be a cut above the local riders in terms of talent.

Salt Water Reign is the 7-2 third choice in the Daily Racing Form morning line and is second choice in the DRF consensus to win the race. Three of the four DRF handicappers select her as the second choice and one selects her as the third choice in the race.

This race came up as a double-edged sword, so to speak. It’s very soft in terms of an open company stakes race, however, there is one apparent monster in the field who happens to be the DRF consensus best bet of the day to win. She’s Coli Bear and her Beyer Speed Figures, speed, and class put her as very difficult to beat in this spot. Ironically Steve Klesaris used to train Coli Bear before she was sold to her current owners for $200,000. Steve said, “She’s a very tough filly. Very tough. Even on a bad day she’s going to be difficult to catch.” Other than Coli Bear there doesn’t seem to be any other horses to fear and we expect Salt Water Reign to stand in well with the rest of them. How she handles Coli Bear will be up to her.

The purse for this race is $50,000.

One added benefit is that this is an open company race and, as a New York-bred, Salt Water Reign will qualify for the New York Award Program owner’s bonus of 10% on top of the regular purse if she can finish in the top 4 positions. This is one of the nice benefits of running a New York-bred in open company in New York.

First race post time is 1:10 PM and Salt Water Reign's race is Race 7 which is scheduled to go off at 3:52 PM. We'll be at the Finger Lakes version of the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Finger Lakes Racetrack for a fun day of racing. If you're planning on attending please let us know so we can make the appropriate reservations.

Portuguesemano'war is entered to run in Saturday's 2nd race at Finger Lakes, which is a $4,000 claiming race for non-winners of 3 lifetime races for 3-year-olds and up going 6 furlongs. He'll be breaking from the 8th post position and jockey Ezequiel Perez is named to ride.

Portuguesemano'war is currently 3-1 second choice in the DRF morning line. The DRF consensus has Portuguesemano’war as the third choice and all four of the DRF handicappers have Portuguesemano'war to hit the board; one selecting him as the second choice and three selecting him as the third choice.

The purse for this race is $8,500.

First race post time is 1:10 PM and Portuguesemano'war's race is Race 2 which is scheduled to go off at 1:37 PM. We'll be at the Finger Lakes version of the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Finger Lakes Racetrack for a fun day of racing. If you're planning on attending please let us know so we can make the appropriate reservations.

Kat Scratch Fever, the Forest Wildcat filly, is doing extremely well at Oakmont Training Center, and is scheduled to return to Hollywood Park on October 1.

Mike spoke with trainer Ron Ellis on Wednesday and Ron said, "I just went to see her and she looks absolutely great. She's got no physical issues and is training perfectly. She's been jogging 1/2 miles and galloping miles. I have her scheduled to come in on October 1. Depending on how she settles in she could be breezing in 2 or 2 1/2 weeks. At the OBS sale when we bought her she breezed 1/8th in 10 flat. But the people at the training center tell me that she's very green. So you can imagine if she can breeze 10 flat when she doesn't know what she's doing she could go even faster once she learns what to do."

These are very encouraging words from Ron as the filly moves forward toward her debut.

Portuguesemano'war posted a very convincing win on Tuesday at Finger Lakes easily putting away 8 other horses as the even money favorite.

Portuguesemano'war, breaking from the extreme outside, was bumped a bit at the start by Big City Sports and then settled in 4 wide in the backstretch about a length or two off the pace setters Coach Moto and Gerald’s D.J. Portuguesemano’war moved up in the turn to challenge and moved into the lead exiting the turn. He opened up a 2-length lead in the stretch and hung onto win by about 1 length under mild urging.

Mike spoke with trainer Chris Englehart after the race and he said, "There wasn’t much early speed in the race and John just let him go. He didn’t need to send him. He did that all on his own. We’ll see how he comes out of the race and look to run him back in a few weeks."

Portuguesemano'war earned $5,100 for today's victory.

We'll see how Portuguesemano'war comes out of the race and Chris will point him accordingly; most likely to a $4000 Claiming N3L.

Salt Water Reign breezed Tuesday working 3 furlongs over the Delaware Park dirt track in a blistering 35 flat. That work was the bullet out of 9 at the distance and a full second faster than the next horse.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "That was a tightner. We’ve got our eye on The Proud Puppy Handicap at Finger Lakes or an open allowance at Belmont. I think I like the Proud Puppy better."

Steve will look at the nominees for the Proud Puppy and make a final decision at the time of entries as to which way he wants to go.

The Good and Tough colt, named Lord Greystoke, breezed Monday working a very easy 3 furlongs in 38.2 over the dirt track at Delaware Park. That work was tied with his classmate, William Thomas, for 3rd out of 7 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "That was a nice easy 3 furlong work. He went well. Some gate schooling is next. I’ll have him working from the gate in the next day or two. Everything is coming along perfectly. Baring anything unforeseen he should be ready in about a month.”

Steve will breeze Lord Greystoke on a 6 to 7 day schedule gearing him up for a debut which, barring any setbacks, will be in mid-to-late October. Lord Greystoke should breeze back on Monday or Tuesday.

The Yonaguska colt, named William Thomas, breezed Monday working a very easy 3 furlongs in 38.2 over the dirt track at Delaware Park. That work was tied with his classmate, Lord Greystoke, for 3rd out of 7 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "That breeze was nice and easy. He went well. Some gate work is next. I’ll have him working from the gate in the next day or two. Paul Sharp said he’s worked from the gate before and he goes through the gate well. We’ll see as we start to school him a bit. Everything is coming along perfectly. Baring anything unforeseen he should be ready in about a month.”

Steve will breeze William Thomas on a 6 to 7 day schedule gearing him up for a debut which, barring any setbacks, will be in mid-to-late October. William Thomas should breeze back on Monday or Tuesday.

Iron Curtain ran 6th on Sunday going 6 furlongs on the turf at Belmont Park.

As usual Iron Curtain broke well and jockey John Velazquez kept a firm hold of him down the backstretch and into the turn. John angled him to the rail in a ground saving move. When they were in the stretch Iron Curtain tried to make his run but seemed to be flat in the stretch and finished an eventual 6th.

Mike spoke with John after the race and he said, "When we broke on top he had a lot of daylight in front of him and he wanted to run. I had to keep a tight hold on him. I almost had to fight him to keep him from running off. He really wanted to run. When it was time to let him out he seemed to be a little flat. Maybe he was tired from me holding him that when we needed him to run he didn't have it."

We'll see how Iron Curtain comes out of the race and Steve will point him accordingly.

Iron Curtain is entered to run in Sunday's 8th race at Belmont Park, which is a N2X Allowance for New York State-breds, 3-years-old and up, going 6 furlongs on the turf. He drew post position 9 (program number 7) and, jockey John Velazquez, is once again named to ride. Velazquez finished 2nd in the Saratoga jockey standings with 36 wins and a 17% winning percentage.

Iron Curtain is currently the 7-2 second choice in the DRF morning line.

The purse for this race is $51,000.

First race post time is 1:00 PM and Iron Curtain's race is Race 8, which is scheduled to go off at 4:43 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Belmont Park for a fun day of racing.

On an additional note, although there is no rain in the forecast, trainer Steve Klesaris has notified us that, in the event that the race is rained off the turf he will scratch Iron Curtain so please keep an eye on the scratch board.

Portuguesemano'war is entered to run in Tuesday's 2nd race at Finger Lakes, which is a $4,000 claiming race for non-winners of 2 lifetime races for 3-year-olds and up going 6 furlongs. He'll be breaking from the 9th post position and leading jockey John Davila, Jr. is named to ride. Davila is currently ranked first in the Finger Lakes jockey standings with 116 wins a 30% winning percentage.

Portuguesemano'war is currently 4-1 second choice in the DRF morning line in what in what doesn’t appear to be a very difficult spot.

The purse for this race is $8,500.

First race post time is 1:10 PM and Portuguesemano'war's race is Race 2 which is scheduled to go off at 1:37 PM. We'll be at the Finger Lakes version of the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Finger Lakes Racetrack for a fun day of racing. If you're planning on attending please let us know so we can make the appropriate reservations.

The Good and Tough colt, named Lord Greystoke, breezed Tuesday working 4 furlongs in 49.4 over the dirt track at Delaware Park. That work was tied with his classmate, William Thomas, for 22nd out of 53 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "I continue to be pleased with this horse. Barring anything unforeseen, if everything goes perfectly, he could be ready in 3 weeks or so.”

Steve will breeze Lord Greystoke on a 5 to 6 day schedule gearing him up for a debut which, barring any setbacks, will be in mid-October. Lord Greystoke should breeze back on Monday or Tuesday.

The Yonaguska colt, named William Thomas, breezed Tuesday working 4 furlongs in 49.4 over the dirt track at Delaware Park. That work was tied with his classmate, Lord Greystoke, for 22nd out of 53 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "I like this horse. He’s a good horse. He’s nice. Barring anything unforeseen, if everything goes perfectly, he could be ready in 3 weeks or so.”

Steve will breeze William Thomas on a 5 to 6 day schedule gearing him up for a debut which, barring any setbacks, will be in mid-October. William Thomas should breeze back on Monday or Tuesday.

Iron Curtain came out of his race last race victory in good order. He’s doing well and training for his next race.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris who said, “He’s doing well. There’s a N2X at Belmont on September 21. We’re going to point to that race.”

Steve will continue to train Iron Curtain for his next race. He’ll point him to the N2X for NY-state-breds, three years old and up, going 6 furlongs on the turf at Belmont Park on September 21.

True to Hibiscus Stables’ core philosophy that to be the best you must partner with the best, we’ve established a relationship with trainer Chris Englehart for our horses at Finger Lakes. Chris currently sits atop of the Finger Lakes trainer standings with a 30% winning percentage and 65% in-the-money percentage. Chris has won the Finger Lakes trainer’s championship each of the past 5 years and will likely win again in 2008. Additionally, Chris uses John Davila, Jr. as his go-to jockey and John currently sits atop the Finger Lakes jockey standings with a 31% winning percentage. John has won the Finger Lakes jockey’s championship each of the past 6 years and will likely win again in 2008.

We’ll begin by moving Portuguesemano’war into Chris’ barn. Any additional Hibiscus horses that find themselves at Finger Lakes will also be trained by Chris. Linda Rice will continue to train Hibiscus horses at Belmont Park as our commitment to Linda Rice has not changed. We will continue to work with Linda being a member of our team and fully intend to get her more horses in 2009 and beyond.

Mike spoke with trainer Chris Englehart on Sunday and Chris said that he intends to breeze Portuguesemano’war this week and then point him to a race on September 22.

Chris will point him to $7,500 Claiming N2L, three years old and up, going 6 furlongs at Finger Lakes on September 22.

The Good and Tough colt, named Lord Greystoke, breezed Thursday working 3 furlongs in 37 flat over the dirt track at Delaware Park. That work was 5th out of 9 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "This horse looks really good. He’s really got the look. He’s big and athletic. The breeze went well. He worked in company. Barring anything unforeseen, if everything goes perfectly, he could be ready in about a month.”

Steve will breeze Lord Greystoke on a 6 to 7 day schedule gearing him up for a debut which, barring any setbacks, will be in mid-October.

The Yonaguska colt, named William Thomas, breezed Thursday working 3 furlongs in 37 and change over the dirt track at Delaware Park in an unpublished work.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "He went very well. I breezed both William Thomas and Lord Greystoke on Thursday. I don’t know why they picked up one and not the other. He went in 37 and change. Barring anything unforeseen, if everything goes perfectly, he could be ready in about a month.”

Steve will breeze William Thomas on a 6 to 7 day schedule gearing him up for a debut which, barring any setbacks, will be in mid-October.

Salt Water Reign ran an even 4th in the Schenectady Handicap on Sunday.

Breaking from 2nd post Salt Water Reign settled in along the rail in a stalking trip tracking eventual wire-to-wire winner Under Serviced every step of the way. They ran that way for much of the race as jockey John Velazquez saved ground along the rail into the stretch. As they moved down the lane Salt Water Reign had the position to make a run but she simply stayed along the rail failing to make up any ground on the winner and finishing an eventual 4th.

Mike spoke with Velazquez after the race and he said, "She ran a good race. Every time I asked her to give me more she gave it to me. She did everything I asked her to do. There are no excuses or problems. The other horses were just faster today."

Salt Water Reign earned $5365 for Sunday's performance.

Steve will see how she comes out of the race and point her accordingly; most likely to an open N1X at Belmont Park.

The Yonaguska colt, named William Thomas, arrived at Delaware Park on Saturday and he arrived in good order.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris’ assistant, Ray Flynn on Saturday morning and Ray said that William Thomas arrived in good order. When a horse ships in one of the first things they do is take its temperature. William Thomas’ temperature was normal and he’s currently settling into his new surroundings. He’ll jog and gallop for a few days until he gets acclimated and then begin the next phase of his training with Steve. The likelihood is that he’ll put in his first breeze in about a week.

Salt Water Reign is entered to run in Sunday's 9th race at Belmont Park, which is the 28th running of The Schenectady Handicap $100,000 for New York-bred fillies and mares, 3-years-old and up, going 6 furlongs. She drew post position 2 and jockey John Velazquez is named to ride. Velazquez finished 2nd in the Saratoga jockey standings with 36 wins and a 17% winning percentage.

This race came up with 6 horses entered and 4 of the 6, including Salt Water Reign, ran in the Union Avenue at Saratoga. Salt Water Reign finished ahead of or right next to each of those horses in what was widely considered a questionable trip. The two horses that didn’t run in the Union Avenue aren’t monsters and appear to fit with this field. The race looks very evenly matched and Salt Water Reign fits right in with this group breaking from the cozy 2 post. The main wildcard in this race will be Salt Water Reign’s apparent difficulty handling the Belmont Park surface. Career-wise she’s 0 for 3 at Belmont, all off-the-board finishes, with all 3 races being her career worst. We’ll find out on Sunday whether this is coincidence or a fact of life.

The purse for this race is $100,000.

First race post time is 1:00 PM and Salt Water Reign's race is Race 9 which is scheduled to go off at 5:15 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Belmont Park for a fun day of racing.

Portuguesemano’war ran a very credible 3rd on Tuesday at Finger Lakes narrowly missing 2nd place by a neck.

In his typical running style, Portuguesemano’war was unhurried down the backstretch spotting the frontrunners 3 to 4 lengths. Jockey Jose Gutierrez pushed the button around the ½ mile pole and Portuguesemano’war mounted his bid and moved up in the 2 path around the turn. Gutierrez swung Portuguesemano’war wide into the stretch and Portuguesemano’war made his run making up ground on horses falling a neck short of running down Just Driving for second place. No one was going to get to Pro’s Pal, an easy even money wire-to-wire winner.

Jockey Jose Gutierrez said after the race that he felt that Portuguesemano’war could have gotten 2nd place.

Portuguesemano’war earned $950 for Tuesday's performance.

We’ll see how he comes out of the race and point him accordingly.

The Good and Tough colt, named Lord Greystoke, breezed Wednesday working 3 furlongs in 38.2 over the dirt track at Delaware Park. That work was 14th out of 26 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "This is his very first breeze since he arrived so don’t even look at the time. This was just to get him out there and see where he’s at. He went very well. I like the way this horse looks. He’s a nice horse. I hadn’t seen him since the March sale at OBS. He was a big muscular horse when we bought him and he’s filled out very nicely. He looks good. We’ll breeze him back in about 6 to 7 days.”

Steve will breeze Lord Greystoke on a 6 to 7 day schedule gearing him up for a debut which, barring any setbacks, will be this fall.

Iron Curtain handily put away 10 other rivals on Monday coasting to an easy win in a race for New York state-breds going 5 1/2 furlongs on the turf at Saratoga.

Iron Curtain broke sharply from the gate and settled into a ground-saving stalking trip as C.T. Phone Home and Lyke a Hurricane set sharp fractions up front. Jockey John Velazquez had Iron Curtain sitting that trip until about halfway through the turn when he pulled Iron Curtain outside and up to challenge Lyke a Hurricane. As they rumbled down the stretch Iron Curtain and Lyke a Hurricane dueled for a bit before Iron Curtain drew in front near the 1/8th pole. Velazquez gave Iron Curtain a couple of cracks with the whip to keep him interested but essentially brought him down the lane in a hand ride as he opened up and rolled on to a 3 length victory. What's most impressive about this win is that, going into the day, horses breaking from the rail in turf sprints at Saratoga, had been a combined 1 for 31. That means that Iron Curtain prevailed decisively against a severe meet-long bias.

Prior to the race trainer Steve Klesaris said, "We should have knocked out this condition the last two times we ran. I came up here (to Saratoga) to get this straightened out."

Iron Curtain earned $36,600 for Monday's victory.

Monday's win brings Iron Curtain's lifetime earnings to over $92,000 of which $82,550 were earned this year in his 3-year-old season.

We'll see how Iron Curtain comes out of the race and Steve will point him accordingly, most likely to a N2X on the turf at Belmont Park.

Iron Curtain is entered to run in Monday's 7th race at Saratoga, which is a N1X Allowance for New York State-breds, 3-years-old and up, going 5 1/2 furlongs on the turf. He drew post position 1 (program number 3) and, in a jockey change, leading jockey John Velazquez, is named to ride. Velazquez is currently ranked 2nd in the Saratoga jockey standings with 32 wins and a 17% winning percentage.

Iron Curtain is currently the 3-1 favorite in the DRF morning line. He is the top choice in the Daily Racing Form consensus to win the race. One DRF handicapper selects him to win the race, one selects him to take second, and two select him to take third.

The purse for this race is $61,000.

First race post time is 1:00 PM and Iron Curtain's race is Race 7, which is scheduled to go off at 4:14 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Saratoga for a fun day of racing.

On an additional note, although there is no rain in the forecast, trainer Steve Klesaris has notified us that, in the event that the race is rained off the turf he will scratch Iron Curtain so please keep an eye on the scratch board.

Portuguesemano'war is entered to run in Tuesday's 3rd race at Finger Lakes, which is a $7,500 claiming race for non-winners of 2 lifetime races for 3-year-olds and up going 6 furlongs. He'll be breaking from the 6th post position (program number 5) and jockey Jose Gutierrez is named to ride.

Portuguesemano'war is currently 4-1 in the DRF morning line in what is again a very contentious field of 8 horses.

The purse for this race is $9,500.

First race post time is 1:10 PM and Portuguesemano'war's race is Race 3 which is scheduled to go off at 2:04 PM. We'll be at the Finger Lakes version of the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Finger Lakes Racetrack for a fun day of racing. If you're planning on attending please let us know so we can make the appropriate reservations.

The Good and Tough colt, Lord Greystoke, has completed his conditioning at Niall Brennan’s farm in Ocala and has shipped to Steve Klesaris at Delaware Park. He arrived at Delaware on Friday morning in good order and has settled in nicely.

Steve will now proceed with the next phase of Lord Greystoke’s training building up his fitness and stamina by breezing him and also teaching him how to race in company and preparing him for a debut. Niall has been breezing Lord Greystoke 4 furlongs and, as such, he’s quite far along in his conditioning. Mike spoke with Niall on Thursday and Niall said, “He’s been working halves here and he’s doing very well. He’s grown quite a bit since I’ve had him. He’s in great shape in terms of fitness and soundness. Once Steve gets him it shouldn’t be long before he can get to a race.”

Steve will put Lord Greystoke through his paces and his lessons. We’re expecting that he may very well be the first of our 2-year-olds to get to the races which will likely be sometime in the fall.

The Yonaguska colt, William Thomas, has been thriving at Paul Sharp’s Willow Creek Ranch in Ocala and is scheduled to ship north to Steve Klesaris at Delaware Park at the end of the first week of September.

Mike spoke with Paul on Friday and Paul said, “He’s doing extremely well. He’s fit and sound. He’s working halves here on a weekly basis and he’s very professional in the way that he goes about his business. This horse is talented, especially for a New York-bred. I expect that he’ll get through his New York-bred conditions rather quickly and be able to hold his own in open company allowance level races. Additionally, New York has a very lucrative state-bred stakes program and I can see him fitting right in with that level.”

We’re very excited to have a horse in the barn with such nice potential. Paul will probably breeze William Thomas one more time and then ship him to Steve Klesaris at the end of the first week of September. Steve will then continue with William Thomas’ conditioning putting him through his paces gearing him up for his debut which we expect will be in the fall.

Iron Curtain breezed 3 furlongs in 35.8 on Saturday over the dirt track at Delaware Park. That work was 3rd best out of 16 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the work. Steve said, "We're getting him ready for his start next Saturday. We're definitely going in that spot. I want to get this condition knocked out in Saratoga where the purses are higher."

Steve will enter Iron Curtain in the N1X for New York state-breds going 5 ½ furlongs on the turf at Saratoga on August 30.

Sextant Breezed 5 furlongs in 1:02.03 on Wednesday over the Oklahoma training track turf course at Saratoga. That work was 5th best out of 13 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Linda Rice after the work and Linda said, "That was a great work. She went 36.2, 48.3 and 1:01 and change. I don't know what the clockers will report but I'm very pleased with that breeze. Ideally I'd like to breeze her one more time before we race her but she can run off of this work. She's fit enough."

We'll look to see how Sextant comes out of this breeze and then determine if she's ready for a race.

Salt Water Reign ran a very strong 4th in her return to stakes company on Monday.

Breaking from the extreme outside she ran her usual stalking trip sitting a few lengths off the pace. Exiting the turn Summer Palace, the horse immediately in front of her began to throw her head around as she took up. Jockey Ramon Dominguez had to swing Salt Water Reign outside to avoid making contact with Summer Palace and possibly clipping heels. Salt Water Reign rallied down the middle of the track under left handed urging and was making up ground on the leaders. It appeared that Salt Water Reign had the momentum to get to the lead when Ramon inexplicably switched his stick to his right hand and sent Salt Water Reign behind the leaders and to the rail. Again she seemed to rally through a large opening between the rail and the inside horse when Ramon made a strange move and adjusted his goggles and stopped riding as Salt Water Reign flattened out and settled for 4th place. It was a very strange and eventful ride.

Mike spoke with jockey Ramon Dominguez after the race and he said, "We lost the race coming out of the turn when I had to carry her wide to avoid Summer Palace. She seemed to lose momentum at that point."

Mike also spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the race and Steve said, "I don't really know what happened there. I just don't know. No matter what else, she showed us today that she can run with New York-bred stakes horses."

Salt Water Reign earned $4208 for Monday's performance.

Steve will see how she comes out of the race and point her accordingly. We'll take a look at the Schenectady Handicap $100,000 at Belmont Park on September 7. If that race isn't an option then we'll look for an open N1X.

Salt Water Reign is entered to run in Monday's 9th race at Saratoga, which is the 5th running of The Union Avenue for New York-bred fillies and mares, 3-years-old and up going 6 furlongs. She drew post position 9 and jockey Ramon Dominguez is named to ride. Dominguez is currently ranked 3rd in the Saratoga jockey standings with 18 wins and a 15% winning percentage.

We had been monitoring the nominations and the entries on an almost daily basis. We had been working closely with the NYRA stakes coordinator and it had appeared from the beginning that the race was going to come up very reasonable with horses that appeared to be no better than Salt Water Reign. As of Friday afternoon we were told that it was shaping up to be a 6-horse field with the tougher horses such as Talking Treasure, Under Serviced, and open stakes winner Weathered not likely to enter. Speaking with Steve on Friday evening he advised us to "wear our Sunday best". When entries came out on Saturday afternoon everyone was quite surprised to see that Rick Dutrow had supplemented By the Light. By the Light was last year's champion New York-bred 2-year-old filly. She won 5 of her first 6 races including beating the boys in the $269k New York Breeder's Futurity and also winning the open $300k Delta Princess at Delta Downs. Her only loss was a second place finish in the G1 Prioress to champion Indian Blessing. She's already banked $547k in only 6 starts. Everyone wondered why that particular horse would show up in this spot. It turns out that By the Light was originally pointed to a 2-turn open stakes at Saratoga on Sunday but that race didn't fill. Racing her in The Union Avenue was a fallback position.

By the Light will likely go off as the odds-on favorite and will be extremely difficult to beat. That said, Salt Water Reign appears to fit solidly with the rest of the field. Hitting the board in any slot would give Salt Water Reign valuable black type on her resume and add to her residual value as a broodmare. Additionally, it will also establish her as a stakes caliber horse within her division. Steve has her razor-sharp and we're looking for a solid performance from her.

The purse for this race is $80,000.

First race post time is 1:00 PM and Salt Water Reign's race is Race 9 which is scheduled to go off at 5:30 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant and also in an owner's box. Everyone is invited to join us at Saratoga for a fun day of racing.

Portuguesemano'war is entered to run in Saturday's 4th race at Finger Lakes, which is a $12,500 claiming race for non-winners of 2 lifetime races for 3-year-olds and up going 6 furlongs. He'll be breaking from the 5th post position and jockey Dennis Carr is named to ride. Carr is currently ranked 2nd in the Finger Lakes jockey standings with 74 wins and 20% winning percentage.

Portuguesemano'war is currently 5-1 in the DRF morning line in what is again a very contentious field of 7 horses.

The purse for this race is $13,000.

First race post time is 1:10 PM and Portuguesemano'war's race is Race 4 which is scheduled to go off at 2:31 PM. We'll be at the Finger Lakes version of the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Finger Lakes Racetrack for a fun day of racing. If you're planning on attending please let us know so we can make the appropriate reservations.

Salt Water Reign breezed Saturday working 3 furlongs over the Delaware Park dirt track in a blistering 35 flat. That work was the bullet out of 20 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "She's doing really well. She's tight. She's ready. We're going to go in The Union Avenue at Saratoga on Monday."

This will be Salt Water Reign's final breeze before the race. Steve will enter Salt Water Reign in The Union Avenue $80,000 going 6 furlongs at Saratoga on August 18.

Portuguesemano'war breezed Friday working 5 furlongs over the Finger Lakes dirt track in 1:02.8. That work was 3rd best out of 10 at the distance.

Mike spoke with assistant trainer Bill Bartlett after the breeze and Bill said, "He went really well. The track wasn't playing very fast today at all. It was deep. It was a good breeze. I scoped him afterward and he scoped clean so we can move forward with him. We'll point him for a start on August 16."

Portuguesemano'war appears to be over the cold that had hindered him for a bit. We'll point towards the Claiming $12,500 N2L going 6 furlongs at Finger Lakes on August 16.

Iron Curtain ran a strong and very troubled 3rd on Wednesday going 5 1/2 furlongs on the turf at Saratoga.

As usual Iron Curtain broke well and jockey Javier Castellano had a firm hold of him down the backstretch as he settled comfortably into a stalking position along the rail. He held that spot for most of the race while Please Impress and Thunder Buddy controlled things up front amid very soft fractions. In deep stretch Javier moved Iron Curtain and he began to move between the two pacesetters. Thunder Buddy, under left-handed urging began to drift out while Please Impress began to drift in as Iron Curtain attempted to split them. Both of those horses bumped Iron Curtain and Javier had to hit the brakes and steady him in very deep stretch. That blatant interference and steady nearly caused Iron Curtain to go down and certainly cost him any chance to win the race. He held on for 3rd place despite all the nonsense in the lane. There was a steward’s inquiry after the race and unbelievably the order of finish was allowed to stand.

Mike spoke with Javier after the race and he said, “They squeezed me and bumped me. He still had a lot of run left in him. I had a lot of horse in the stretch. There was gas in the tank. He had enough to win this race.”

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the race and Steve’s words are unprintable here.

Sentiment is pretty well consistent across the board that the stewards badly blew this call. We’re not sure what they were thinking. To see a horse drift in under a left-handed whip and then cut off and make contact with another horse trying to make a move and then not be disqualified is simply unfathomable. Indeed even Todd Schrupp of TVG said after the race, "I've seen it happen once in my 20 years in racing. A double disqualification. But just watching what I can see (here), there is a tremendous case for it to be called." When the decision was upheld he added, "This reminds me of last summer. You literally have to put someone over the fence in order for there to be a disqualification." We’re all quite miffed with Wednesday’s events but at this point there’s simply nothing that can be done about it now.

Iron Curtain earned $6,100 for Wednesday's 3rd place finish.

We'll see how Iron Curtain comes out of the race and Steve will point him accordingly, most certainly to a N1X going 5 1/2 furlongs on the turf at Saratoga on August 30.

Iron Curtain is entered to run in Wednesday's 10th race at Saratoga, which is a N1X Allowance for New York State-breds, 3-years-old and up, going 5 1/2 furlongs on the turf. He drew post position 4 and his usual jockey, Javier Castellano, is named to ride. Castellano is currently ranked 9th in the Saratoga jockey standings with 5 wins.

Iron Curtain is currently the 9-5 favorite in the DRF morning line. He is the top choice in the Daily Racing Form consensus to win the race. All four DRF handicappers select him to win.

The purse for this race is $61,000.

First race post time is 1:00 PM and Iron Curtain's race is Race 10, which is scheduled to go off at 6:04 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Saratoga for a fun day of racing.

On an additional note, Steve has notified us that, in the event that the race is rained off the turf he will scratch Iron Curtain so please keep an eye on the scratch board.

Salt Water Reign breezed Friday working 3 furlongs over the Delaware Park dirt track in 35.2. That work was the bullet out of 17 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "She's doing great. We're going to take a look at The Union Avenue Stakes at Saratoga. It's at 6 furlongs which is her preferred distance."

Steve will explore the available options for Salt Water Reign and point her accordingly, continuing to monitor the upcoming New York-bred stakes at Saratoga and Finger Lakes.

The Good and Tough colt, named Lord Greystoke, breezed Tuesday working 3 furlongs in 37.3 at Niall Brennan's farm in Ocala.

Mike spoke with Niall after the breeze and Niall said, "He's doing very well. He worked in 37.3 and galloped out in 50 and change. That's a nice work considering that we haven't really asked him to do anything yet. He's a nice horse to train. He's worked in company and from the gate. He does everything we ask him to do. We'll tighten the screws a little more and then get him to Fair Hill. I would guess that we'll give him 1 or 2 more breezes and then prepare to move him. I'd say in about 2 weeks."

Niall will continue to work with Lord Greystoke getting him ready to ship to Steve Klesaris shortly. Lord Greystoke remains on target for a fall debut.

The Yonaguska colt, named William Thomas, has been doing very well at Paul Sharp's Willow Creek Ranch in Ocala.

Mike spoke with Paul on Tuesday and Paul said, "He continues to do great. He's a very talented horse. As a New York-bred you should be very pleased with him. I'm targeting having him at Fair Hill by the first week of September."

Paul will continue to work with William Thomas getting him ready to ship to Steve Klesaris in early September. William Thomas remains on target for a fall debut.

Salt Water Reign breezed Saturday working 3 furlongs over the Delaware Park dirt track in 36 flat. That work was 2nd best out of 22 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "We're just keeping her on her toes while we look for a spot for her to run. She's doing great."

Steve will explore the available options for Salt Water Reign and point her accordingly, continuing to monitor the upcoming New York-bred stakes at Saratoga and Finger Lakes.

Portuguesemano'war breezed Saturday working 4 furlongs over the Finger Lakes dirt track in 51.4.

Mike spoke with assistant trainer Bill Bartlett after the breeze and Bill said, "That work was very flat so I scoped him afterwards and he had some mucous in his throat. I put him on some antibiotics and we should be able to get rid of the cold without too much downtime. We'll get that cleared up and then look for a race for him."

Bill will keep Portuguesemano'war on medication until the cold is knocked out. We'll point towards the Claiming $12,500 N2L at Finger Lakes on August 16.

Salt Water Reign breezed Wednesday working 3 furlongs over the Delaware Park dirt track in 36 flat. That work was 2nd best out of 25 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "I actually worked her 4 furlongs in 48 flat but the clockers got is as a 3 furlong move in 36. She went very well. She's doing great."

Steve will explore the available options for Salt Water Reign and point her accordingly, continuing to monitor the upcoming New York-bred stakes at Saratoga and Finger Lakes.

The Good and Tough colt, named Lord Greystoke, is training along right on schedule at Niall Brennan's farm in Ocala.

Mike spoke with Niall on Tuesday and he said, "He's been breezing and working from the gate. He's doing great. I estimate that he'll need 1 or 2 more breezes and we'll make arrangements to send him north to Steve Klesaris."

We couldn't be more pleased with this colt's progress. As of this time, it would appear that he's on schedule to be our first 2-year-old to make it to the races. He's right on schedule to be racing by the fall.

One additional note; a 2-year-old filly by Good and Tough named Goodday set the track record at Del Mar on Thursday breaking her maiden by 3 lengths. We're always pleased to see the progeny of our horse's stallions do well. We expect Lord Greystoke to uphold the family name.

Iron Curtain ran a strong 2nd on Saturday going 6 furlongs on the turf at Belmont Park.

As always, Iron Curtain broke sharply from the gate and sat behind the pace-setting Phobia. Iron Curtain stalked Phobia for much of the race. Jockey Javier Castellano sat the stalking trip until about the 1/8th pole and then rolled up to the outside of Phobia to take the lead. Iron Curtain held the lead in deep stretch until the final jumps when he was ultimately nipped by the late-surging Senior Musician.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the race and he said, "He ran a good race. You can't take anything away from him. We just got nipped today. We'll come back in Saratoga. I'll have him ready."

Iron Curtain earned $9,800 for Saturday's 2nd place finish.

We'll see how Iron Curtain comes out of the race and Steve will point him accordingly, most certainly to a N1X going 5 ½ furlongs on the turf at Saratoga on August 3.

Sextant is entered to run in Sunday's 9th race at Belmont Park which is a N1X Allowance for New York State-bred fillies, 3-years-old and up, going 6 furlongs on the turf. She drew post position 2 (program number 1) and jockey Mike Luzzi is named to ride. Belmont Park’s leading rider, Eibar Coa, was originally named to ride. Coa was supposed to ride Sextant two weeks ago when she was first scheduled to make her return. When that start was postponed Coa again agreed to ride on Sunday but then his plans changed as he’s now expected to be out of town that day. Mike Luzzi is a fine jockey and a perfectly capable backup.

Sextant is 7-2 in the DRF morning line where the favorite is a tepid 5-2. She’s the DRF consensus 3rd choice in the race. One DRF handicapper has her to win the race and another has her for third.

Sextant has been training well on the turf and Linda Rice feels she's ready to make her return. Mike spoke with Linda on Friday and Linda said, "She’s done everything we’ve asked her to do. Now is a good time for her to make her return. We’ll have to see how the race unfolds. She may need a start but we’ll see. If she needs this one then it should set her up for some nice efforts in Saratoga."

The purse for this race is $49,000.

First race post time is 1:00 PM and Sextant's race is Race 9 which is scheduled to go off at 5:15 PM. It’s nice to finally get Sextant back to the races. We'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. As always, everyone is invited to join us at Belmont Park for a fun day of racing. If you're planning on attending please let us know so we can make the appropriate reservations.

Iron Curtain is entered to run in Saturday's 6th race at Belmont Park, which is a N1X Allowance for New York State-breds, 3-years-old and up, going 6 furlongs on the turf. He drew post position 6 and his usual jockey, Javier Castellano, is named to ride. Castellano is currently ranked 6th in the Belmont Park jockey standings with 35 wins and a 19% winning percentage.

Iron Curtain is currently the 3-1 favorite in the DRF morning line. He is the top choice in the Daily Racing Form consensus to win the race. Two of the four DRF handicappers select him to win; another DRF handicapper selects him to take second and the other selects him to take third.

The purse for this race is $49,000.

First race post time is 1:00 PM and Iron Curtain's race is Race 6, which is scheduled to go off at 3:39 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Belmont Park for a fun day of racing.

On an additional note, reigning Horse of the Year, Curlin, will be racing in Saturday’s G1 Man O’ War. Those of you wishing to attend Iron Curtain’s race will get the additional treat of being able to watch Curlin, arguably the best horse in the country. Because the weather is expected to be extraordinary and Curlin will be racing we expect a large crowd at Belmont. As such, if you’re planning on joining us for Iron Curtain’s race we suggest that you notify us as soon as possible so we can make the appropriate reservations.

Portuguesemano'war is entered to run in Tuesday's 8th race at Finger Lakes, which is a $12,500 claiming race for non-winners of 2 lifetime races for 3-year-olds and up going 6 furlongs. He'll be breaking from the 4th post position (program number 3) and jockey Paul Nicol is named to ride. Paul Nicol rode Portuguesemano’war to his maiden breaking victory in his last race.

Portuguesemano'war is currently 5-1 in the DRF morning line in a very contentious field of 7 horses.

The purse for this race is $13,000.

First race post time is 1:10 PM and Portuguesemano'war's race is Race 8 which is scheduled to go off at 4:19 PM. We'll be at the Finger Lakes version of the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Finger Lakes Racetrack for a fun day of racing. If you're planning on attending please let us know so we can make the appropriate reservations.

Salt Water Reign breezed Saturday working 4 furlongs over the Delaware Park dirt track in 48 flat. That work was 2nd best out of 36 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "That work was right on schedule. No issues or concerns. All’s good. I’ll take a look and see what options are available to us in July. I’ll see if there’s a race for her or else we’ll just look at some New York-bred stakes at Saratoga."

Steve will explore the available options for Salt Water Reign and point her accordingly.

Iron Curtain breezed 3 furlongs in 38.4 on Friday over the dirt track at Delaware Park. That work was 8th best out of 11 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the work. Steve said, "I gave him a little freshener before we run him next week. He’s been training well and we’re ready to go."

Iron Curtain has been training well and Steve will enter him in Saturday’s N1X for New York-breds 3 years-old and up going 6 furlongs on the turf at Belmont Park on July 12.

Sextant is doing very well and is being pointed to a race at Belmont Park on July 13.

Sextant missed her most recent start due to an ankle bruise. Mike spoke with trainer Linda Rice on Tuesday and Linda said, “She’s doing great. The ankle is 100% and she’s been training and everything is fine. She trains on it and moves perfectly with no signs of favoring it. I’m going to work her nice and easy on the infield turf course on Thursday and then once again point to a race. Barring anything unforeseen we’ll point to the race on July 13.

Linda will work Sextant on the turf on Thursday and then point her to the N1X for New York-bred fillies going 6 furlongs on the turf at Belmont Park on July 13.

Iron Curtain came out of his last race in good order and is being pointed to a race at Belmont Park on July 12.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris on Tuesday and Steve said, “He’s doing fine. He came out of his last race great and we’re just getting him ready for the next one. I’ll breeze him this week and then look to run him on July 12.”

Steve will breeze Iron Curtain this week and then point him to the N1X for New York-breds going 6 furlongs on the turf at Belmont Park on July 12.

Portuguesemano’war came out of his last race in good order and is being readied for his next start.

He had been pointed to a race at Finger Lakes on July 5 but that race failed to fill and will likely be brought back as an extra next week. Mike spoke with trainer Linda Rice on Tuesday and Linda said, “They haven’t decided exactly what they’re going to do. The track is dark until Friday so we’ll have a better idea what they have in mind when I speak with the racing office when they reopen. It’s a very good likelihood that they bring it back one day next week, hopefully at 6 furlongs, which is the distance at which he won his last race.

Linda will communicate with the racing office on Friday and find out their intentions for bringing back the race. She’s pointing him for the next running of the $12,500 claimer for non-winners of 2 races lifetime going 6 furlongs at Finger Lakes.

The Good and Tough colt is doing very well with Niall Brennan in Ocala and progressing right on schedule.

Mike spoke with Niall on Monday and he said, “He’s moving forward right on cue. He’s been galloping and I’d expect that we should have him breezing in a week to ten days. We’ll get some breezes under his belt, pop him out of the gate a few times, and when the time is right we’ll get him up to Steve at Fair Hill. He’s definitely grown since you last saw him. He’s a bit taller, a bit longer. He’s a nice looking colt.”

Niall will get the Good and Tough colt ready to ship to Fair Hill Training Center by breezing him and getting him gate work. We’re targeting a trip to Steve sometime in August and racing by the fall meet at Belmont Park.

Salt Water Reign breezed Saturday working 4 furlongs over the Delaware Park dirt track labeled "good" in 47.2. That work was the bullet out of 26 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "That was nice. She actually went in 46.3. She's doing well. I'm going to breeze her back in about 6 days and then see where we are. Assuming there are no problems we'll take a look at some upcoming New York-bred stakes."

Steve will breeze Salt Water Reign on or around Friday then explore her upcoming racing options.

Portuguesemano'war posted a very nice win in his Finger Lakes debut. Clearly the change of scenery did him a world of good as he put away 7 other horses over a sloppy track.

Portuguesemano'war, breaking from the 4th post, broke cleanly from the gate but was a step slow to get into his stride. This seems to be his running style as he's spotted the field lengths in each of his starts. As such, jockey Paul Nicol raced Portuguesemano'war unhurriedly down the backstretch trailing the leader by as many as 6 lengths after the half. He began to make his move entering the turn as he moved up into third place then mounted his charge to the outside rolling up three wide in the turn and into the lane. Portuguesemano'war charged up outside of the pace setting Silver James and then rolled up alongside of Phone Charger, who was then on the lead, paused for a stride, then nailed him at the wire by a head in a photo.

Mike spoke with trainer Linda Rice after the race and she said, "It looks like we found the right level for him. Finger Lakes should be a good environment for him as the level of competition is simply not the same as Belmont and Saratoga in the summer."

Portuguesemano'war earned $10,440 for today's victory.

We'll see how Portuguesemano'war comes out of the race and Linda will point him accordingly.

Iron Curtain ran a very respectable 4th on Thursday in his first attempt against winners going 7 furlongs on the turf at Belmont Park.

As always, Iron Curtain broke sharply from the gate and pressed a very wicked pace along the hedge. The first quarter went in 22.36 and the half in 45 flat. Iron Curtain was ½ length in front after the half and was still on the lead after ¾ which went in 1:09.1. By the time they hit the 1/16 pole the blistering fractions and the extra furlong took their toll as Iron Curtain tired and was run down by the eventual winner. Iron Curtain was only beaten ½ length for second place money.

Mike spoke with jockey Javier Castellano after the race and he said, "I think he's a pure sprinter. The extra furlong got him. The fractions were fast and he was on the lead after 6 furlongs. If the race were a 6 furlong race he'd have won."

Mike also spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the race and he said, "He was very eager. The jock had a firm hold on him and he was still racing up close. It would appear that he's going to be an excellent 6 furlong horse. That will be his niche. Maybe even 5 furlongs, which they write at Saratoga. The first time against winners is always tough." Then he said jokingly, "We saved the condition for Saratoga. It's more fun to win up there anyway."

Iron Curtain earned $2,450 for Thursday's 4th place finish.

We'll see how Iron Curtain comes out of the race and Steve will point him accordingly, most certainly to a N1X going 6 furlongs on the turf.

Sextant breezed on Thursday over the Belmont Park infield turf course. There are no poles or clocks out there but trainer Linda Rice said that Sextant again went very well.

Mike spoke with and Linda after the breeze and Linda said, “She put in another good work. She went well. The rider said she was going well and the horse felt good underneath him. I might work her one more time next week and then look to enter.”

Linda will decide whether or not she wants to work Sextant back next Thursday. She will either breeze her a third time or simply point to the N1X at Belmont Park on June 28.

Salt Water Reign breezed Tuesday working 4 furlongs “handily” over the Belmont Park dirt training track in 47.19. That work was 2nd fastest out of 22 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze and Steve said, "That was a really nice work. Despite that I don’t think she’s quite ready for the race on Sunday. She missed some training after her last race due to a sore throat. With that, the 5 hour ship to Finger Lakes, and the stakes competition I think it might be too much too soon. I’m going to bring her back to Fair Hill on the van with Iron Curtain after his race on Thursday and work with her for a week or two. I’ll train her, evaluate her, and then point her accordingly."

Steve will bring Salt Water Reign in for a tune up and then make a decision in a week or two as to where to run her next.

Portuguesemano'war is entered to run in Saturday's 6th race at Finger Lakes, which is a Maiden race for New York state-bred 3-year-olds and up going 6 furlongs. He'll be breaking from the 5th post position and jockey Paul Nicol is named to ride.

Portuguesemano'war is currently the 3-1 DRF morning line favorite.

The purse for this race is $17,400.

First race post time is 1:10 PM and Portuguesemano'war's race is Race 6 which is scheduled to go off at 3:25 PM. We'll be at the Finger Lakes version of the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Finger Lakes Racetrack for a fun day of racing. If you're planning on attending please let us know so we can make the appropriate reservations.

Iron Curtain breezed a sharp 3 furlongs in 36.3 on Saturday over the all weather training track at Fair Hill Training Center. That work was 6th best out of 19 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the work. Steve said, "He went very well. He has no affects from his last race. He's been training like himself. We're ready to rock on Thursday." Steve also added, "I would think we should get some starts with him at Saratoga."

Iron Curtain is entered to run in Thursday's 8th race at Belmont Park, which is a N1X Allowance for New York State-breds, 3-years-old and up, going 7 furlongs on the turf. He drew post position 4 and jockey Javier Castellano is named to ride. Castellano is currently ranked 6th in the Belmont Park jockey standings with 20 wins and a 19% winning percentage.

Iron Curtain is currently 9-2 in the morning line. He is the top choice in the Daily Racing Form consensus to win the race. Three of the four DRF handicappers select him to win; one of which has him as his best bet of the day. The other DRF handicapper selects him to take second.

The purse for this race is $49,000.

First race post time is 1:00 PM and Iron Curtain's race is Race 8, which is scheduled to go off at 4:45 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Belmont Park for a fun day of racing.

Sextant breezed on Thursday over the Belmont Park infield turf course. There are no poles or clocks out there but trainer Linda Rice said that Sextant went very well.

Mike spoke with and Linda after the breeze and Linda said, “I’m very pleased with the work. There were two or three other horses out there and Sextant went better than all of them. She was happy, she went well and she was loving it. We scoped her after the breeze and she scoped clean. Originally I was thinking that she’d need more time and I was expecting that we couldn’t get a start until mid-July. But based on this work I think we can work her one or two more times and then look to enter. I think the race on June 28 is something we can point towards assuming there are no other setbacks.”

Linda plans to work Sextant back on Thursday and take it from there. She will either breeze her a third time or simply point to the N1X at Belmont Park on June 28.

Our broodmare, Dream Affair, gave birth to a beautiful Freud filly on May 2. Mother and baby are doing extremely well.

Dream Affair and the foal are currently in Kentucky where Dream Affair was bred back to Whywhywhy. Once we confirm that she’s in foal we’ll ship her and the filly back to New York where they’ll resume residence at Waldorf Farm.

Our broodmare, Dream Affair, gave birth to a beautiful Freud filly on May 2. Mother and baby are doing extremely well.

Dream Affair and the foal are currently in Kentucky where Dream Affair was bred back to Whywhywhy. Once we confirm that she’s in foal we’ll ship her and the filly back to New York where they’ll resume residence at Waldorf Farm.

Iron Curtain came out of his race last race in good order. He’s doing well and training for his next race.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris who said, “He’s doing fine. There’s a N1X at Belmont on June 12. We’ll point to that one.”

Steve will continue to train Iron Curtain for his next race. He’ll point him to the N1X for NY-state-breds, three years old and up, going 7 furlongs on the turf at Belmont Park on June 12.

Salt Water Reign is doing well and training for her next race.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris who said, “She’s doing well. I want to put a breeze or two into her and then look to point her to the Susan B. Anthony Handicap at Finger Lakes.”

Steve will continue to train Salt Water Reign for her next race. He’ll point her to the Susan B. Anthony Handicap $50,000 for NY-state-bred fillies and mares, three years old and up, going 6 furlongs at Finger Lakes on June 15.

Portuguesemano'war breezed 4 furlongs on Friday over the Belmont Park training track in 49.37. That work was 22nd out of 30 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Linda Rice after the breeze and Linda said, "At this point I think a good course of action would be to move him to the Finger Lakes where the competition is softer. It’s important that we get some good races under his belt, win a few races, earn some purses, and allow him to build some confidence. He’s a decent horse and he can win some races. We can do well with him in the right spots. I want to get him going in the right direction."

Linda will ship Portuguesemano'war to the Finger Lakes where she keeps a string. She’ll point him to his next start which will probably be a Maiden race going 6 furlongs on June 14.

The Yonaguska colt is training along right on schedule at Paul Sharp’s Willow Creek Ranch in Ocala.

Mike spoke with Paul on Friday and Paul said, “He’s right on target. I’ve got him breezing 3/8s and I plan to work him a 2-minute half on Saturday. He’s very professional in the way that he goes about his business. He’s a real pleasure to have around. ”

Paul then added, “He’s a very talented horse…very talented. Considering that he’s a New York-bred then he’s extremely talented. Believe me; I’ve had a thousand of them come through here. He’s extremely talented for a New York-bred. “

Paul finished by saying, “It shouldn’t be long now. I’ll have him up to Steve fairly soon.”

It’s always reassuring when you get a glowing review from the trainer. It’s not often when all the planets line up. Recent horses include Salt Water Reign and Sextant. All systems are “go” with this colt as Paul gets him ready to ship north to Steve Klesaris at Fair Hill for the next phase of his training. With a little luck Steve will have him ready for Saratoga.

Portuguesemano'war breezed on Thursday over the Belmont Park infield turf course.

Mike spoke with trainer Linda Rice after the breeze and Linda said, "The work was over the infield turf and they don’t time them out there. This is the second trip over the turf and again he didn’t demonstrate that he prefers it. The work was OK but I think the results are still inconclusive. Since we don’t have overwhelming evidence that he wants the grass I think we should shelf the turf experiment for now, work him over the dirt next time, and point for a dirt race. I’ll plan to breeze him back on the dirt next week; either Thursday, Friday, or Saturday and we’ll go from there. Because he didn’t seem to like the grass that much it’s tough to gauge his level of fitness off of that breeze. After his next dirt breeze we’ll better know where we stand."

Linda will move Portuguesemano'war back to the dirt for his training and will get him ready for his next dirt start.

Iron Curtain rolled to an easy win today in his return from a 7 month layoff easily handling a field of 9 other colts in a race for New York state-breds going 6 furlongs on the turf at Belmont Park.

Iron Curtain broke sharply from the gate and raced up along Dont Forget Grampa for a few strides before settling back a length or two. Dont Forget Grampa’s racing style has been pop and stop and jockey Javier Castellano was crafty to not engage him in a speed duel. Iron Curtain stalked along the outside and then rolled past the tiring pacesetter as they exited the turn. He rolled out to the lead and was never challenged as he went on to a 2 ½ length victory.

We spoke with Javier after the race and he said, “He won going very well. He galloped out well and had gas left in the tank. It’s amazing how much he’s grown since I last saw him. He’s really filled out and matured. This was a good win today.”

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the race and he said, “He’s been training very well so I somewhat expected this. He’s a nice horse. I really like him.”

Iron Curtain earned $27,600 for today's victory.

We’ll see how Iron Curtain comes out of the race and Steve will point him accordingly, most likely to a N1X on the turf.

Iron Curtain is entered to run in Thursday's 4th race at Belmont Park, which is a Maiden Special Weight for New York State-breds , 3-years-old and up, going 6 furlongs on the inner turf. He drew post position 8 and jockey Javier Castellano is named to ride. Castellano is currently ranked 3rd in the Belmont Park jockey standings with 8 wins and a 32% winning percentage.

Iron Curtain is 9-2 in the morning line which would be the third choice in the race. He is the top choice in the Daily Racing Form consensus to win the race. Two of the four DRF handicappers select him to win; one of which has him as his best bet of the day. One other DRF handicapper has him to take second.

The purse for this race is $46,000.

First race post time is 1:00 PM and Iron Curtain's race is Race 4, which is scheduled to go off at 2:36 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Belmont Park for a fun day of racing.

Salt Water Reign is entered to run in Sunday's 1st race at Belmont Park, which is a N1X for fillies and mares, 3-years-old and up going 6 ½ furlongs. She drew post position 8 (program number 7) and jockey Cornelio Velasquez is named to ride. Velasquez is currently ranked 4th in the Belmont Park jockey standings with 8 wins and a 22% winning percentage.

Salt Water Reign is the 5-2 morning line favorite and is second choice in the Daily Racing Form consensus to win the race. One of the four DRF handicappers selects her to win. She drew the extreme outside post and appears to be the controlling speed in this field. Her last race Beyer Speed Figure of 88 is the best in the field other than an 89 posted two back by a Florida shipper posted at speedy Gulfstream Park. She clearly fits with this group and we’re expecting a strong performance from her.

The purse for this race is $55,000.

First race post time is 1:00 PM and Salt Water Reign's race is Race 1. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Belmont Park for a fun day of racing.

Mr. Blue Grey breezed Thursday working 5 furlongs from the gate over the Belmont Park dirt training track in 1:03.16.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze who said, "He really worked 4 furlongs in 48 and change and galloped out the 5 furlongs. He broke from the gate a bit slow but finished very well. I don’t know why he’s breaking slowly because he broke fine when I had him here at Delaware Park. If we have to send him back to the gate to give him more schooling we’ll do so. I’ll breeze him back in 6 or 7 days and then look to enter him."

Steve will give Mr. Blue Grey more gate schooling and breeze him back in about a week and then look for a race for his return.

Iron Curtain is entered to run in Saturday's 10th race at Belmont Park, which is a Maiden Special Weight for New York State-breds , 3-years-old and up, going 6 furlongs on the turf. He drew post position 1 (program number 2) and jockey Javier Castellano is named to ride. Castellano is currently ranked 5th in the Belmont Park jockey standings with 4 wins and a 27% winning percentage.

Iron Curtain is the 3-1 morning line favorite and is second choice in the Daily Racing Form consensus to win the race. One of the four DRF handicappers selects him to win.

The purse for this race is $46,000.

First race post time is 1:00 PM and Iron Curtain's race is Race 10, which is scheduled to go off at 5:57 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Belmont Park for a fun day of racing.

It’s important to note that very heavy rains are forecast for the area on Friday putting Saturday’s turf races into question. Trainer Steve Klesaris has decided that he will scratch Iron Curtain if the race is taken off the turf. If you plan on attending the race you should follow the weather and the online scratch board to make sure that Iron Curtain is still in the race.

Salt Water Reign breezed Wednesday working 3 furlongs over the Belmont Park dirt training track in 39:43.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the breeze who said, "It was really just two-mile a leg-stretcher. You’re required to have a published work every 30 days so we just put the clock on her for the last 3 furlongs. Don’t pay any attention to the time. She’s doing fine and we’re going to enter her for Sunday."

Steve will enter Salt Water Reign for Sunday’s N1X for fillies, three years old and up, going 6 1/2 furlongs at Belmont Park.

Sextant breezed 4 furlongs in 49.46 on Sunday over the Belmont Park training track. That work was 30th out of 53 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Linda Rice after the work and Linda said, "I scoped her after the work and she didn't bleed which continues to be great news. She's doing fine but she still isn't as sharp as she was when we were working her back in March. I think she'll need at least two more breezes before she can race. I'm going to look for a N1X going short on the turf for her when the next Belmont condition book comes out. Hopefully she'll be ready by then but we'll have to take it one work at a time."

Linda will continue to work with Sextant to get her to a return race. Linda is targeting mid to late May.

Iron Curtain breezed 4 furlongs in 49.4 on Tuesday over the all weather training track at Fair Hill Training Center. That work was 3rd best out of 8 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the work. Steve said, "That's it. He's ready to go. I'm going to go ahead and enter him for May 10." Mike asked Steve if he planned on breezing him one more time before the race and Steve said, "No, no, he's ready. I'll enter him and as soon as we know that the race fills I'll ship him up to Belmont."

Iron Curtain has been training sharply for his return. We're expecting a strong performance from him. We'll enter him in the Maiden Special Weight for New York-breds 3 years-old and up going 6 furlongs on the turf at Belmont Park on May 10.

Sextant breezed 4 furlongs in 49.86 on Saturday over the Belmont Park training track. That work was 47th out of 62 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Linda Rice after the work and Linda said, "She went very well; better than her last breeze. She’s coming along but she’ll probably need at least two more works before she can race. I know she’s been off for a long time and we’re anxious to get her into a race but we want a good result off the bench and there’s simply no point in entering her when she’s not ready. The good news is that she scoped clean after the breeze; no mucous and no bleeding. That’s the most important thing"

Linda will continue to work with Sextant to get her to a return race. Linda is targeting mid to late May.

Salt Water reign came out of her victory in good order and is being readied for her next race.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris who said, “She ran a big number in her last race. Unlike last year where she was very inconsistent, this year she’s shown great consistency. She’s developed into a very, very nice horse. I’m going to sit down and map out a stakes program for her for the summer. I’ll look for some New York-bred stakes and point her accordingly. If there’s nothing in mid-May then we can look at an open N1X on May 11. I’ll use that as a fallback position. We have options, which are always a good thing.”

Steve will bring Salt Water Reign along and have her ready for a race in mid-May. Steve’s confidence in this horse is apparent in that he’s mapping out an entire summer stakes campaign for her. Getting her some blacktype will be very instrumental in supporting her residual value as a broodmare once her racing career comes to an end. In the meantime, she’s still eligible for the open N1X which has a purse of $55,000 plus a 10% bonus for her because she’d be a New York-bred running in open company. That would put the effective purse north of $60,000 which is better than some overnight stakes. Salt Water Reign’s recent coming into her own underscores the importance of patience in managing a Thoroughbred. Her 2-year-old season consisted of one race and then a layoff. Her 3-year-old season consisted of two wins in five starts and then another layoff. It’s easy to become frustrated but now it appears that the patience may pay dividends.

Iron Curtain breezed 4 furlongs in 49.6 on Monday over the dirt track at Delaware Park.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the work. Steve said, “He’s doing great. No sign of any effects of the knee surgery. I’m very pleased. I really like this horse. I think we’re going to do well with him. I’m expecting to have him ready for the race on May 10.”

Steve will continue to work with Iron Curtain bringing him along for his return to the races. There’s a 6 furlong Maiden Special Weight on the turf in the Belmont Park condition book scheduled for May 10. Steve is pointing Iron Curtain for that race.

The Forest Wildcat filly breezed 2 furlongs in 25.6 on Saturday at Hollywood Park.

Mike spoke with trainer Ron Ellis after the work and Ron said, "It was a nice easy work. I want her to take it easy and relax but she’s so competitive that she just wants to go. I worked her alone rather than in company so she could just take it easy. I’m more interested in condition and stamina right now rather than speed. We already know she can go in 10 flat (based on her breeze at the sale). I’m very encouraged after the way she’s worked this week. I’ll probably keep her on a 9-day work schedule."

Ron will work with the Forest Wildcat filly getting her ready for a debut which could be as early as May.

After considering some names for the filly we looked at the name of her sire and her dam. Her sire’s name is Forest Wildcat and her dam’s name is Scratch Paper. We concluded that Cat Scratch Fever was a logical name. We even solicited and received the approval of Ted Nugent. Unfortunately The Jockey Club has a rule about naming a horse after the name of a copyrighted song or book. So we modified the name to Kat Scratch Fever and received Jockey Club approval. Her official name is Kat Scratch Fever.

We’re pleased to see that Kat Scratch Fever’s 3-year-old brother, Behindatthebar, won the G2 Lexington at Keeneland on Saturday earning $325,000 and a trip to the Kentucky Derby. Forest Wildcat continues to produce stakes winners we’ve got high hopes for our filly.

Iron Curtain breezed 3 furlongs in 37.2 on Tuesday over the dirt track at Delaware Park.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the work. Steve said, “He went well. He’s doing great. As long as everything goes according to plan I think he’ll be ready for a race that’s in the book for May 10.”

Steve will continue to work with Iron Curtain bringing him along for his return to the races. There’s a 6 furlong Maiden Special Weight on the turf in the Belmont Park condition book scheduled for May 10. Steve will point Iron Curtain for that race.

Sextant breezed 4 furlongs in 50.14 on Tuesday over the Belmont Park training track. That work was 25th out of 33 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Linda Rice after the work and Linda said, "It was a nice easy 4 furlongs. She went well. I had her scoped after the work and she scoped clean. There was no mucous and no bleeding. I’ll bring her along gently. She’ll need at least 2 more works before she can race and I’ll work her back in about a week."

Linda will work with Sextant to get her to a return race. Linda is targeting mid to late May.

Portuguesemano’war is entered to run in Thursday's 6th race at Aqueduct, which is a Maiden race for New York state-bred 3-year-olds and up going 1 mile. He’ll be breaking from the 4th post position and jockey Stewart Elliot is once again named to ride. Elliott is currently ranked 6th in the Aqueduct Spring Meet jockey standings with 4 wins.

A close look at the race shows that Portugueseman’war fits with the other competition. There are no standouts in this field and with the favorable post position switch from the last two races we’re confident that Portuguesemano’war will give a good account of himself. Portuguesemano’war is currently 7-2 in the DRF morning line.

The purse for this race is $25,000.

First race post time is 1:00 PM and Portuguesemano’war’s race is Race 6 which is scheduled to go off at 3:25 PM. We'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. As always, everyone is invited to join us at Aqueduct for a fun day of racing. If you're planning on attending please let us know so we can make the appropriate reservations.

Mr. Blue Grey ran a very respectable 5th in his debut on Saturday. He had a few negatives working against him on that day and the 5th place finish with a Beyer Speed Figure of 50 makes his first-time start perfectly acceptable.

Mr. Blue Grey has a tendency to be studdish and that was very obvious in the paddock before the race. His mind was clearly on other things and it was difficult keeping him focused. Additionally, once he was placed into the gate, his gate assistant had to leave him to tend to another horse having problems in the gate. Mr. Blue Grey had never broken from the gate without an assistant so this change in routine took him off guard. When the door sprung open he wasn’t expecting it and therefore broke extremely slow and spotted the field many lengths. Despite all these difficulties Mr. Blue Grey still finished extremely well. Speaking with Steve after the race he said that Mr. Blue Grey has never had any problems breaking from the gate during training and there’s no reason to expect anything other than a clean break next race. Additionally, because of Mr. Blue Grey’s studdishness, he was gelded a few days after the race and he should be much sharper next time out. Steve is not the least bit concerned and expects significant improvement next race.

Mr. Blue Grey is recovering from his gelding nicely and should be back in training any day. We’ll point him towards his next race which should be in May. There’s a race on May 3 at Belmont Park which may be a bit soon. There’s another one on May 17. Additionally, the racing secretary is continually writing this race as an extra so there will be no shortage of opportunities for Mr. Blue Grey when he’s ready for his next start.

The Forest Wildcat filly breezed 1 furlong on Friday at Hollywood Park.

Mike spoke with trainer Ron Ellis after the work and Ron said, "It was her first work so we didn’t do too much with her. She worked an eighth and galloped out the quarter. They don’t put a clock on them here unless they go at least a quarter. She went in 12 and change and galloped out in 24 and change. She’s very feisty and competitive. I worked her in company and she really wanted to go. Next time I’ll work her alone just to reel her in a bit. I think I’ll work her back on Friday probably going a quarter."

Ron will work with the Forest Wildcat filly getting her ready for a debut which could be as early as May.

Salt Water Reign posted a convincing win over a field of 7 in a race for New York state-bred fillies going 7 furlongs at Aqueduct.

She broke alertly along the rail as she usually does and immediately went to the lead in a race somewhat devoid of other early speed. Jockey Mario Pino allowed her to settle into a comfortable pace on the front end throughout the backstretch. She set some very honest fractions going the quarter in 22.3 and the half in 46 flat. She maintained the lead throughout the turn and was challenged by Just Zip It at the head of the stretch. Salt Water Reign casually shook off that confrontation as she widened her lead throughout the stretch and won in a hand ride drawing off by 5½ lengths. This race was more impressive than it looked because the track was playing to outside closers all day long and Salt Water Reign’s main rivals, Rizi’s Twist and What’s Your Point are both deep closers and it appeared that this race set up perfectly for them. The fact that Salt Water Reign put them away and drew off on the front end on the rail completely against the bias is an indication as to how good a horse she really is.

We spoke with jockey Mario Pino after the race and he said, “She won easy. I shook her up a little in the lane just to keep her paying attention but it really was easy for her.”

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the race and he said, “She’s a very good horse. Now that she’s run through her state-bred conditions we have some options. We can try a New York-bred stake or try the open company N1X. If we run in the open company N1X we’ll be eligible for a 10% bonus on top of the purse money. Getting her some blacktype will boost her residual value as a broodmare after her racing career is over. Right now we'll just train her up to her next race and when she’s ready we’ll see what races are available to us and make the decision at that time. What’s nice is that we have options.”

Salt Water Reign earned $28,800 for today's victory bringing her career earnings up over $100,000.

We’ll see how Salt Water Reign comes out of the race and Steve will point her accordingly.

Mr. Blue Grey is entered to run in Saturday's 2nd race at Aqueduct, which is a Maiden Special Weight for New York State-breds, 3-years-old and up, going 6 furlongs. He drew post position 2 and jockey Carol Cedeno is named to ride.

Blue Grey has been training up to this race for quite a while and we’re all very excited to see him make his debut. He’s currently the 7-2 third choice in the morning line. Trainer Steve Klesaris specifically bypassed regular Hibiscus Stables rider Ramon Dominguez in favor of the young aggressive Carol Cedeno. Steve said, “She’s an excellent young rider and I’m going to use her a lot as she shuttles back and forth between New York and Philadelphia. In three or four years she’s going to be one of the best jockeys around.” There are 7 other horses in the field and 5 of the 7 are first-time-starters. There doesn’t seem to be any monsters in the field and it’s a cozy spot for Mr. Blue Grey to make his debut.

The purse for this race is $44,000.

First race post time is 1:00 PM and Mr. Blue Grey's race is Race 2, which is scheduled to go off at 1:29 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Aqueduct for a fun day of racing.

Salt Water Reign is entered to run in Thursday's 8th race at Aqueduct, which is a N2X Allowance Optional Claimer for New York State-bred fillies, 4-years-old and up, going 7 furlongs. She drew post position 1 (program number 2) and veteran jockey Mario Pino is named to ride.

Salt Water Reign ran a very solid 2nd in her last race and we’re hoping to get the “W” on the board on Thursday and get Salt Water Reign through this condition. She’s currently the 7-2 second favorite in the morning line and the rail draw will be a big help with her running style.

First race post time is 1:00 PM and Salt Water Reign's race is Race 8, which is scheduled to go off at 4:25 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Aqueduct for a fun day of racing.

Mr. Blue Grey breezed 4 furlongs 51.06 on Thursday over the Belmont Park training track.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the work and Steve said, "The breeze appears to be not that fast but he worked alone. We tried to get some horses to go with him but none were available so he had to work alone. A horse always works slower alone than when it’s in company. He’s fine."

Mr. Blue Grey is now at Belmont Park awaiting his debut. Steve will continue to work with Mr. Blue Grey getting him ready. He could be entered into a race any day now.

Mr. Blue Grey breezed 4 furlongs 50.06 on Saturday over the Belmont Park training track. That work was 41st out of 65 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris on Wednesday and Steve said, "I moved him up to Belmont Park in anticipation of him making his debut. He put in that breeze on Saturday and he worked fine but after the work he was a little funny. He drank a lot of water and maybe he isn’t as ready as we thought. I’m going to breeze him one more time on Thursday and then look to enter him. The race we had in mind for him didn’t go for Friday so, if they bring it back next week it will all work out anyway."

Steve will continue to work with Mr. Blue Grey getting him ready for his debut which he expects will be in the second week in April.

Iron Curtain breezed 3 furlongs in 37.8 on Wednesday over the dirt track at Delaware Park.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the work. Steve said, “It was his first breeze so he went a nice easy 3 furlongs in 37 and change. He’s doing great and we’ll bring him along looking to get him ready for when the turf course opens later this month or early May.”

Steve will continue to work with Iron Curtain bringing him along for his return to the races which will likely be in May on the Belmont turf course.

Portuguesemano'war breezed 3 furlongs on Wednesday over the Belmont Park training track in 37.64.

Mike spoke with trainer Linda Rice after the breeze and Linda said, "He’s doing great. He came out of his last race in good order and we’re just getting him ready for his next one. We have a few options coming up."

Linda will point Portuguesemano'war to his next start which will be either a Maiden race going 7 ½ furlongs on April 9 or going 1 mile on April 17 both at Aqueduct.

The Forest Wildcat filly arrived at Hollywood Park last week and trainer Ron Ellis reported that she arrived in great condition.

Mike spoke with Ron who said, “She’s doing great. She’s just hanging out in her stall and sticking her head out. You’d never know that she just came out of a sale and flew across the country. I have another horse that I bought right here at Barretts and he lays down in his stall half the day. I’m going to have to turn him out. The vet reported that our filly’s knees are closed and because she’s in such good condition we can just go on with her. Her condition is strictly due to the consigner. I know them and they do a great job. The consigner in this case is a plus. I’ll be able to start breezing her soon and she could be ready for a race by May.”

Salt Water Reign breezed 5 furlongs in 1:02.06 on Saturday over the Belmont Park training track. That work was tied for 31 out of 68 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the work and Steve said, "She worked fine. We missed last race because I wanted to do an internal blister on her back end just to make it stronger. We breezed her and she’s good to go and we’re ready to enter her the next time a race comes up."

Steve will point Salt Water Reign for her next race which is likely a N2X for NY-state-bred fillies, four years old and up, going 6 ½ furlongs at Aqueduct on April 9.

Sextant breezed 5 furlongs in 1:01.42 on Friday over the Belmont Park training track. That work was 7th out of 32 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Linda Rice after the work and Linda said, "She went very well. She went so well that I was certain that she didn’t bleed again. I was tempted to not scope her but I went ahead and had it done just to be safe and I was surprised to see that she bled again. At this point I’m going to put her on some meds and give her a good chance to completely heal. The Belmont Park meet opens on April 30 and they’ll write turf sprints there. We can hold her out until then, allow her to heal, and then we can run her on the grass on the surface over which she won. There’s no point forcing the issue at this point."

Linda will keep Sextant in training but allow her to heal from the bleeding and have her ready for a turf sprint at the beginning of the Belmont Park meet.

Mr. Blue Grey breezed 3 furlongs from the gate in 37 flat on Wednesday over the all weather surface at Fair Hill Training Center. That work was 2nd out of 4 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the work and Steve said, "He came out of that work with his back-end a little funny so I decided to skip the race on Saturday. As it turns out he’s fine now. I’ve watched him gallop and he’s OK. He could have gone in that spot but I didn’t want to take any chances. We’ve come this far with him. He’ll be ready to go the next time a race comes around."

Steve will continue to work with Mr. Blue Grey getting him ready for his debut which he expects will be in the first week in April.

Mr. Blue Grey breezed 3 furlongs from the gate in 37 flat on Monday over the all weather surface at Fair Hill Training Center.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the work and Steve said, "He went well. I think I want to pop him out of the gate one more time before we enter him. Depending on how we can get that scheduled his race on March 22 might be pushed back. We'll have to see. They write these races all the time so it's not that big of a deal."

Steve will continue to work with Mr. Blue Grey getting him ready for his debut which he expects will be in late March.

Portuguesemano’war is entered to run in Sunday's 2nd race at Aqueduct, which is a Maiden Special Weight for New York state-bred 3-year-olds going 1 mile and one sixteenth. The purse in this race is $44,000. Just as in last race he has again drawn post position 9 and jockey Stewart Elliot is again named to ride. Elliott is currently ranked 4th in the Aqueduct jockey standings with 42 wins.

Drawing the extreme outside post is certainly an obstacle and the jump from maiden claiming to maiden special weight is formidable. As a matter of fact, some handicappers say it’s the biggest class hike in the game. That all said, Portuguesemano’war’s exercise rider says that he’s improving every day and we’re optimistic that he’ll be up to the challenge. It will be his time to step up and really show us what he has.

First race post time is 1:00 PM and Portuguesemano’war’s race is Race 2 which is scheduled to go off at 1:29 PM. We'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. As always, everyone is invited to join us at Aqueduct for a fun day of racing. If you're planning on attending please let us know so we can make the appropriate reservations.

Mr. Blue Grey breezed 4 furlongs in 49 flat on Monday over the dirt track at Delaware Park. That work was 3rd out of 6 at the distance. Trainer Steve Klesaris said that he clocked him going 48 flat which would have been the bullet at the distance.

Mike spoke with Steve after the work and Steve said, "He went well. He’s a good horse. I wish he’d finish a little better than he does but he’s a good horse. We’ll be fine with him. He’s a breeze or two away."

Steve will continue to work with Mr. Blue Grey getting him ready for his debut which he expects will be in mid-to-late March.

Portuguesemano'war breezed 4 furlongs on Sunday over the Belmont Park training track in 48.61. That work was 32nd out of 81 at the distance. We’re not exactly sure what the clockers were looking at because Linda clocked him in 47.4 with a gallop-out of 1:01 and change. Had he been correctly recorded at 47.4 his work would have been ranked at 10th out of 81 at the distance!

We were on hand for the breeze and Portuguesemano'war did it the right way rounding the turn on the training track and exploding down the lane with a head of steam. We spoke with trainer Linda Rice after the breeze and Linda said, "I’m very pleased with the work. He came out of it fine. If the racing secretary writes the Maiden Special Weight on March 8 at 1 mile and one sixteenth we’ll enter there. If not we’ll point to March 15."

We also spoke with the exercise rider in the barn after the work. He said, “He went really well this morning…really well. This horse has really improved. I like him. He’s really improved.”

Linda will point Portuguesemano'war to his next start in a Maiden Special Weight going 1 mile and one sixteenth on either March 8 or March 15.

Please note that Portuguesemano'war is currently priced based on the claiming price of his last race making a 10% share $3500. We’ll keep that price until he’s entered into his next race and then adjust the price accordingly. If he enters for March 8 into a Maiden Special Weight then entries will be drawn on Thursday, March 6. If he draws in his price will adjust on Thursday to $6000 for a 10% share.

Sextant Breezed 4 furlongs in 48.02 on Sunday over the Belmont Park training track. That work was 14th out of 81 at the distance.

We were on hand for the breeze and we spoke with trainer Linda Rice after the work and Linda said, "She went well. She looked like she had good acceleration through the lane.” Linda then said, “After the work, though, she coughed and we scoped her. It turns out that she bled during the breeze. This happens all too often when you breeze or race a horse soon after a respiratory illness. This is what I meant when I said last week that we’d have to watch her and play it by ear. I was hoping that she’d be OK but that isn’t the case. Unfortunately we’re now going to have to pass on March 8 and point for March 29."

We also spoke with the exercise rider in the barn after the work. He said, “She went OK.” When we asked him if she worked as good as she had in the fall when she was racing he paused, thought about it, and said, “Hmmm…she went OK.” In hindsight, knowing now but did not know at the time that she had bled, the rider’s lukewarm assessment of the breeze is consistent with that fact.

We knew there was a possibility that March 8 may have been a bit too close to the virus that Sextant had developed. We took the chance with the breeze today but it wasn’t meant to be. Linda will train Sextant up to the next running of the race which is the N1X Allowance for New York State-bred fillies, 3-years-old going 6 furlongs at Aqueduct on March 29.

Portuguesemano’war came out of last week’s race in good order. He’s currently in training preparing for his next race.

Mike spoke with trainer Linda Rice who said, “He came out of the race in good order; he’s really in excellent shape. He went back to the racetrack the second day. He’s training really well. We’ve got many options for his next race. I’m not going to run him back at Maiden $35,000. If there were a Maiden $50,000 going 1 mile and a sixteenth I’d look at it but right now the only Maiden $50,000 is going short. The way he’s been training I think we should try Maiden Special Weight. There’s a Maiden Special Weight going a flat mile on March 1. I really think his ideal distance is 1 mile and 70 yards or 1 mile and a sixteenth. If the mile race comes up light I might take a shot there. If not there’s a Maiden Special Weight going 1 mile and one eighth on March 8 that’s in the book as an extra. I think 1 mile and one eighth may be too much too soon for him but maybe the race won’t fill and they’ll bring it back at 1 mile and a sixteenth. We’ll see. If not there is a Maiden Special Weight scheduled for March 15 at 1 mile and a sixteenth. With all of these options that’s probably the most likely spot for him.”

We’re extremely pleased with Portuguesemano’war’s improvement stretching out to two turns. Linda is very pleased with his training and his progress. Linda will track the entries closely and enter Portuguesemano’war into the most appropriate spot for his next race.

Sextant is recovering from a cold that she developed about a week before her anticipated start on February 21. She was forced to skip that race but she’s recovering nicely and preparing for her return.

Mike spoke with trainer Linda Rice who said, “She never developed a fever which is a good thing. She’s responded well to the antibiotics and she’s just about over the cold. The next scheduled race for her is March 8. It may be a bit too soon for her after the illness but if we miss that one then the next one would be March 29 and I’d hate to have to push her off that far. We’ll have to see. I’m optimistic that she’ll be ready for March 8. We’ll have to watch her daily and play it by ear.”

Linda will continue to train Sextant and point her for a return in an N1X Allowance for New York State-bred fillies, 3-years-old going 6 furlongs at Aqueduct on March 8. If she’s ready she’ll run on that date. If she’s short then we’ll aim for the next running of the race on March 29.

Salt Water Reign came out of her race last week in good order. She’s doing well and training for her next race.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris who said, “There’s a race on February 29 but that’s too soon for her. We don’t want to run her back on only 15 days rest. The next one after that is scheduled for March 21 and that’s a much better interval for her.”

Steve will continue to train Salt Water Reign for her next race. He’ll point her to the N2X for NY-state-bred fillies, four years old and up, going 6 furlongs at Aqueduct on March 21.

Iron Curtain has completed his rehab stint at Dual Crest Equine and has shipped back to Delaware Park to resume training.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris, who said, “He arrived on Wednesday in good order. He looks great. We’ll get him going and in a few weeks I’ll be able to put his first breeze into him. We’ll go from there.”

Steve will begin to bring Iron Curtain back to condition. We’re aiming at a return to the races in May.

Mr. Blue Grey breezed 4 furlongs in 48.4 on Saturday over the dirt track at Delaware Park in an unpublished work.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the work and Steve said, "He went well. We're moving right along with him. He'll need a few more breezes before we can look to enter him. I'd expect that we can look for a debut somewhere in the second half of March."

Steve will continue to work with Mr. Blue Grey getting him ready for his debut which he expects will be in mid-to-late March.

Portuguesemano’war ran a very solid 2nd in his race on Friday beaten by about two lengths.

Prior to the race trainer Linda Rice advised jockey Stewart Elliott to sit back off the speed, allow Portuguesemano’war to settle and then make his bid in the lane. Portuguesemano’war had galloped out strongly in his previous two sprint attempts and in the most recent race he had galloped out past the winner. Linda knew he had late kick and advised the jockey to take advantage of it. Breaking from the 9th post Portuguesemano’war was immediately bumped repeatedly by the horse to his direct inside perhaps knocking him off his stride for a few steps. Rather than rushing him up into contention Elliott instead angled him to the inside in a nice ground-saving move into the first turn. Portuguesemano’war raced off the pace up the backstretch and inched into contention throughout the turn…all the while saving as much ground as possible throughout. Portuguesemano’war was in 4th position around the 1/8th pole and it appeared that he was about to flatten out when he showed his late kick and moved up along with the eventual winner to knock off two horses in deep stretch and, in the final jumps, take 2nd in a photo.

We spoke with jockey Stewart Elliott after the race and he said, “He went really well today. He should do even better next time because he was still a little green going between horses a bit. He finished well.”

We also spoke with trainer Linda Rice after the race and Linda was elated with Portuguesemano’war’s performance. Linda said, “I knew from the beginning that this horse wanted to go long. We put a few foundation sprints into him and today he showed us that late punch that he had been showing us after the wire. Stewart gave us a masterful ride today. It’s too bad that Wednesday’s race got canceled because on Wednesday we had the rail and today we had the 9 post. Given the rail…who knows?…we might have won this race.”

Portuguesemano’war earned $4800 for Friday's performance.

Linda will see how he comes out of the race and point him accordingly. In March there are many maiden races for New York-breds of various levels and distances so we’ll have plenty of options.

Salt Water Reign ran a very solid 2nd in her race on Thursday beaten less than two lengths.

She broke sharply and settled into a stalking position throughout the backstretch. She raced inside moving up along the turn. At the top of the stretch she swung out to challenge the leader but eventual winner, What’s Your Point, was right along side of her. Salt Water Reign poked her head in front for perhaps a few strides but What’s Your Point was too much today and Salt Water Reign settled for second place. The fractions in this race were honest and the 6 furlongs went in a solid 1:10.54.

We spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the race and Steve said, “I’m very pleased with today’s effort. She’s put together two strong back-to-back efforts. She ran a solid race. What I’m not happy about is the fact that this race was originally written as a N2X Optional $25,000 Claimer. When they had trouble filling the race they changed it to Optional $40,000 Claimers. That allowed stronger horses to enter where trainers will risk losing the horse for $40,000 but wouldn’t take that chance for $25,000. The simple fact is that a $40,000 claimer will beat a N2X horse all day long. It’s a mismatch and it’s somewhat unfair. I spoke to the racing office and expressed my opinion and I hope they take it to heart and keep this race as written at $25,000 Optional Claimers next time around. Had they done so today then What’s Your Point probably isn’t in this race and we win it.”

Salt Water Reign earned $9600 for Thursday's performance.

Steve will see how she comes out of the race and point her accordingly. There's a N2X for her in the condition book scheduled for March 21. We’ll have to see how Salt Water Reign comes out of this race but that would be the next logical spot for her to run.

Portuguesemano’war’s race, which had been scheduled to run on Wednesday, was canceled due to poor weather and track conditions. The race has now been rescheduled to be run on Friday.

Portuguesemano’war is entered to run in Friday's 9th race at Aqueduct, which is a maiden race for New York state-bred 3-year-olds going 1 mile and 70 yards. He drew post position 9 and jockey Stewart Elliot is named to ride. Elliott is currently ranked 4th in the Aqueduct jockey standings with 30 wins. He’s also ranked 2nd in terms of winning percentage with a winning percentage of 21%. You may recall that it was Elliott that piloted Smarty Jones in his Triple Crown bid a few years ago.

Trainer Linda Rice feels that Portuguesemano’war will be better served going a route of ground which is why she’s stretching him out to 1 mile and 70 yards. We were able to land a leading jockey in Stewart Elliott. Unfortunately, unlike Wednesday’s race where we drew the rail, in this race we’ve drawn post 9 out of 10. This is a disappointing change of events but we’ll be forced to play the hand that’s been dealt to us. Portuguesemano’war has been training well and we’re optimistic that he’ll give a good account of himself.

First race post time is 12:30 PM and Portuguesemano’war’s race is Race 9 which is scheduled to go off at 4:18 PM. We'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. As always, everyone is invited to join us at Aqueduct for a fun day of racing. If you're planning on attending please let us know so we can make the appropriate reservations.

Salt Water Reign is entered to run in Thursday's 2nd race at Aqueduct, which is a N2X Allowance Optional Claimer for New York State-bred fillies, 4-years-old and up, going 6 furlongs. She drew post position 1 (program number 2) and leading jockey Ramon Dominguez is named to ride. Dominguez is currently ranked 1st the Aqueduct jockey standings both in wins and winning percentage with 67 wins and a winning percentage of 22%.

Salt Water Reign ran a very solid 3rd in her return last month and we’re expecting considerable improvement in her second start off the layoff. Trainer Steve Klesaris is confident that she’s going to get though this condition. His attitude is more of “when” than “if”.

First race post time is 12:30 PM and Salt Water Reign's race is Race 2, which is scheduled to go off at 12:58 PM. As always we'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. Everyone is invited to join us at Aqueduct for a fun day of racing.

Portuguesemano’war is entered to run in Wednesday's 9th race at Aqueduct, which is a maiden race for New York state-bred 3-year-olds going 1 mile and 70 yards. He drew post position 1 and jockey Stewart Elliot is named to ride. Elliott is currently ranked 4th in the Aqueduct jockey standings with 30 wins. He’s also ranked 2nd in terms of winning percentage with a winning percentage of 21%. You may recall that it was Elliott that piloted Smarty Jones in his Triple Crown bid a few years ago.

Trainer Linda Rice feels that Portuguesemano’war will be better served going a route of ground which is why she’s stretching him out to 1 mile and 70 yards. We were able to land a leading jockey in Stewart Elliott and the rail draw is ideal going two turns. Portuguesemano’war has been training well and we’re optimistic that he’ll give a good account of himself.

First race post time is 12:30 PM and Portuguesemano’war’s race is Race 9 which is scheduled to go off at 4:18 PM. We'll be at the Hibiscus table in the clubhouse restaurant. As always, everyone is invited to join us at Aqueduct for a fun day of racing. If you're planning on attending please let us know so we can make the appropriate reservations.

Portuguesemano'war breezed 4 furlongs on Friday over the Belmont Park training track in 50.13. That work was 36th out of 66 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Linda Rice after the breeze. Linda said, "This was a good breeze. He went better in this one than he did in the previous drill. I’m pointing him for a race on February 13th. There’s a maiden twenty five for open horses and a maiden thirty five for New York breds. Both are listed at a mile and seventy and I think that only one of the two will go. Whichever one goes is the one that we’ll enter. I think he wants to go a route of ground and I’m hopeful that he performs better going long."

Linda will point Portuguesemano'war to his next start on February 13. She’ll position him into the appropriate spot based on how the racing secretary juggles the races.

Sextant Breezed 4 furlongs in 49.30 on Friday over the Belmont Park training track. The clockers got it as a 3 furlong work in 36.29 which would have been 2nd out of 14 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Linda Rice after the work and Linda said, "They got it as a 3 furlong drill but she really went 4. The exercise rider got her going slow but she finished really well. She’s coming along right on schedule and we’re still a 'go' for February 21."

Linda is pointing Sextant to the N1X Allowance for New York State-bred fillies, 3-years-old going 6 furlongs at Aqueduct on February 21.

Mr. Blue Grey breezed 3 furlongs in 36.2 on Friday over the dirt track at Delaware Park in an unpublished work.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the work and Steve said, "Everything’s fine. He’s doing real well. It was a nice work. He’s got ability. He’s definitely showing me more than when he was here last fall."

Steve continues to be upbeat about Mr. Blue Grey. He will continue to work with Mr. Blue Grey getting him ready for his debut which he expects will be in early March.

Sextant Breezed 4 furlongs in 49.21 on Thursday over the Belmont Park training track. That work was 15th out of 41 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Linda Rice after the work and Linda said, "She's doing great. She went very well. She didn't get as tired after the half as she did last week. We're right on track for February 21. Also, we had her scoped again after the work and the surgery site is normal."

Linda is affirmatively pointing Sextant to the N1X Allowance for New York State-bred fillies, 3-years-old going 6 furlongs at Aqueduct on February 21.

Mr. Blue Grey breezed 3 furlongs in 38.4 on Tuesday over the dirt track at Delaware Park.

Mike spoke with trainer Steve Klesaris after the work and Steve said, "He's doing great. He's really matured both physically and mentally since we had him last fall. He wants to go so fast that we have to slow him down. He's a nice horse. I expect that we're going to have a lot of fun with him."

These are very encouraging words from Steve who is not one to embellish. Steve will continue to work with Mr. Blue Grey getting him ready for his debut which he expects will be in early March.

Iron curtain has been recovering in Ocala from arthroscopic surgery to remove chips from his knees. He's been rehabilitating at Dual Crest Equine under the care of Ray Flynn.

Mike spoke with Ray on Wednesday who said, "He's coming along great…perfectly…right on schedule. He seems to have grown a bit since he got here. Perhaps a little taller and wider. The surgical sites have healed nicely, almost to the point where you can't see the incisions. The surgeon did a very nice job. Iron Curtain is a nice horse. He's well behaved, he's easy to work with and he eats all of his food. I never have any problems with him. We're going to start him jogging in the round pen in the next day or so. I'll jog him a little bit more each day to the point where he goes for about 20 minutes. That should take about 30 days. After that he should be ready to put the tack back on his back. Then Steve can decide where we'll send him next."

Mike also spoke with Steve Klesaris who said, "He's coming along right on schedule. Barring any setbacks I'd estimate that we'll have him ready to return by late-April or early-May."

Salt Water Reign ran a very respectable 3rd in her return to the races on Friday.

She broke perhaps a step slow and raced in a stalking position throughout. After spotting the field about four lengths on the backstretch she moved around some slower horses and made a nice move in the turn. The two horses that ultimately finished ahead of her were both the favorites and were simply better that day. Considering that she is coming off a 7-month layoff and was forced to make up some ground against the notorious Aqueduct inner track inside speed bias, she ran a very respectable race and gave a good account of herself.

We spoke with jockey Channing Hill after the race and he said he felt that Salt Water Reign ran very well considering her 7-month layoff.

Salt Water Reign earned $4800 for Friday's performance.

Steve will see how she trains and point her accordingly. There's a N2X for her in the condition book scheduled for February 13, however, that book was written before Friday's race was run. It needs to be remembered that Friday's race was originally scheduled for January 21. With the next running of the race scheduled for February 13 it would have allowed 23 days between races. Since the January 21 race was pushed back to January 25 it's a good bet that the February 13 race will be pushed back to around February 17 or so.

Sextant Breezed 4 furlongs in 49.43 on Wednesday over the Belmont Park training track. That work was 11th out of 47 at the distance.

Mike spoke with trainer Linda Rice after the work and Linda said, "Oscar, my rider, said Sextant was tired after a half mile, so I believe we will be pointing towards the February 21 race. This will allows us to get a few more breezes into her. Also, I scoped her after the workout and the surgery site is normal."

We'll see how Sextant comes along in her conditioning and point her accordingly. At this time her next likely start will be a N1X Allowance for New York State-bred fillies, 3-years-