Noted: April 18
– In Derby Watch: Sinister Minister — War Emblem or Bellamy Road? Plus: Baffert calls Sinister Minister “tired” after the Blue Grass, Bob and John and Point Determined work at Santa Anita, and whether Keyed Entry starts in the Derby will depend on how he trains at Churchill this week.
– Fantasy Stakes runner-up Miss Norman, who lost the race after running erratically down the Oaklawn stretch, will start next in the Kentucky Oaks. “She’s come out of the race very well,” said owner Greg Norman. Unsure what caused the filly to duck out twice in the Fantasy, Norman will ask Churchill officials to allow him to work Miss Norman between races on April 29 or 30 to test her reaction to the crowd.
– Claiming activity was intense at Oaklawn this year: “The claiming has gotten insane and that really works against the smaller outfits,” said general manager Eric Jackson, who said that the “frenzied” claiming was partially responsible for Oaklawn’s shrinking fields in the meet’s waning weeks and could lead to revised policies for next year.
– The numbers are tumbling at Texas racetracks: “From 2001 to 2005, total attendance during thoroughbred season at those tracks declined 21.2 percent, from 1,067,357 to 840,923. And during the same period, the “live handle” — money wagered at the tracks on live racing — fell 32 percent, from $65,124,381 to $44,267,788, according to Texas Racing Commission data.”
