Noted: February 22
– In his penultimate workout before the March 4 Santa Anita Handicap, Giacomo worked seven furlongs in 1:25 at Hollywood on Monday, the fastest of seven at that distance. “He was feeling very good this morning,” said trainer John Shirreffs. Giacomo finished third in the February 4 Strub Stakes, which was his first start since last June.
– Happy Ticket’s Saturday night return at Evangeline was nothing less than triumphant. In her first start since the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, Happy Ticket easily won the Premier Night Distaff by 5 1/2 lengths, paying the minimum of $2.10 on a win ticket. “She didn’t have to run hard at all. She works faster than that in the morning,” said trainer Andrew Leggio, who won three stakes on the card.
– Buzzards Bay ran his best race in nearly a year on Monday, when the four-year-old won the All American Handicap by four lengths at Golden Gate.
– Owner Harry Aleo has nominated Lost in the Fog stablemate Frisco Star to this year’s Triple Crown. “Insurance, really,” Aleo said. “I had to put up $90,000 to run Lost in the Fog in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint [because the horse wasn’t an original nominee], so I did this just in case. It’s a one-in-a-million shot, but you never know what will happen to other horses.”
