Blood-Horse

Trainers reported March 10 that the top three finishers of Aqueduct Racetrack's Gotham Stakes (G3) are doing well, and planning has begun for the next steps on the Kentucky Derby trail.

Not a thing has changed with the way two-time Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots graded stakes winner War of Will has trained, and his connections wouldn't have it any other way.

New York-bred Espresso Shot rallied from near the back of the pack to earn a three-quarter-length score in the March 9 $250,000 Busher Stakes to close out a lucrative Gotham Day card at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Homebred Somelikeithotbrown's performance in the $200,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) matched the mantle of heavy favorite the colt bore March 9 into the starting gate at Turfway Park.

Debby Oxley's Chocolate Kisses earned 50 points and a spot in the gate for the May 3 Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) with her come-from-behind victory in the $200,000 Honeybee Stakes (G3) March 9 at Oaklawn Park.

Ken and Sarah Ramsey's homebred filly Naughty Joker picked up her first stakes win March 9 in the $100,000 Maxim Crane Bourbonette Oaks for 3-year-old fillies at Turfway Park. 

A patient ride by Ricardo Santana Jr. delivered an easy win by grade 1 winner Whitmore, a 6-year-old gelded son of Pleasantly Perfect, in his 2019 debut in the listed $150,000 Hot Springs Stakes at Oaklawn Park.

True to his previous form, Shadwell Farm's homebred Haikal produced a devastating kick in the last eighth of the $300,000 Gotham Stakes (G3) to capture his second consecutive stakes and his first graded victory.

A patient ride by Ricardo Santana Jr. delivered an easy win by grade 1 winner Whitmore, a 6-year-old gelded son of Pleasantly Perfect, in his 2019 debut in the listed $150,000 Hot Springs Stakes at Oaklawn Park.

Ashbrook Farm and BBN Racing's Concrete Rose emerged victorious in her sophomore debut March 9 at Tampa Bay Downs, earning the second graded score of her career in the $200,000 Florida Oaks (G3T). 

The California racing industry was trying to grapple with the ramifications of the indefinite cancellation of racing at Santa Anita Park March 9, as the closed main track continued to undergo testing.

Juddmonte Farms' Tacitus galloped to victory March 9 in the $400,000 Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby (G2) at Tampa Bay Downs and took his first strides on the Road to the Kentucky Derby in impressive fashion.

Vino Rosso shook off the cobwebs and turned back a game opponent March 9 to win the $150,000 Stymie Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack, his first start since a fifth-place finish in the Aug. 25 Runhappy Travers Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1).

True to his previous form, Shadwell Farm's homebred Haikal produced a devastating kick in the last eighth of the $300,000 Gotham Stakes (G3) to capture his second consecutive stakes and his first graded victory.

A colt by The Big Beast breezed an eighth-mile in :09 3/5 during the tack show in preparation for next week's Ocala Breeders' Sales March 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale, the fastest of hundreds of 2-year-olds working the distance.

Son of Redoute's Choice took March 9 Randwick Guineas

The San Felipe Stakes (G2), a key Road to the Kentucky Derby prep race, will not be contested in 2019 according to a Los Angeles Times story posted March 8.

The New York Racing Association is not saying whether it will shift its early fall racing meet from Belmont Park to Aqueduct Racetrack, but its 2019 budget is making plans for such a switch.

Thunder Snow (IRE) was a well-beaten second at Meydan Racecourse March 9 in the feature race on "Super Saturday," a preview card of the Dubai World Cup program three weeks down the road.

Each week, the NTRA will provide a guide to the best stakes races in North America and beyond, including approximate race times and television coverage.