Dave Odmark News Today

Whatmakessammyrun was unbeaten in a pair of six furlong turf sprints out of Santa Anita’s turf chute at age three

Sponsored by: Hit the Road and Florent Geroux come up the inside to win the Kilroe Mile In 2013, in his second year of training on his own, Dan Blacker saddled four runners during Keenelands Spring Meet. “I didnt have the right horses then,” the 39-year-old Blacker said Thursday, the morning after he arrived here with what would qualify as a “right horse” in Hit the Road. The Grade 1 winner looms as one of the favorites for Fridays 33rd running of the $300,000 Makers Mark Mile...

Sponsored by: Hit the Road and Florent Geroux come up the inside to win the Kilroe Mile In a thrilling head and head battle to the wire, trainer Dan Blackers Hit the Road prevailed by a neck over 5-2 favorite Smooth Like Strait, in Saturdays $400,000 Frank E. Kilroe Mile at Santa Anita, providing Blacker, 38, with his first Grade 1 triumph.  Ridden for the first time by eastern-based Florent Geroux, Hit the Road, 4-year-old colt by More Than Ready, out of the U S Ranger mare Highway ...

Smooth Like Strait Tops Competitive Group In Frank Kilroe Mile Sponsored by: Smooth Like Strait winning the Mathis Brothers Mile under Umberto Rispoli In what may be the best betting race of the day, trainer Michael McCarthys Smooth Like Strait heads a deep and competitive field of 10 older horses in Saturdays Grade 1, $400,000 Frank E. Kilroe Mile (turf) at Santa Anita. A winner of the opening day Mathis Brothers Mile on Dec. 26, Cannon Thoroughbreds homebred Smooth Like Strait is a ...

Hit The Road Gives Blacker First Graded Stakes Win In Thunder Road Sponsored by: Hit the Road and Umberto Rispoli winning the Thunder Road Idle since winning a restricted stakes at Del Mar July 10, Hit the Road hit the comeback trail running Saturday at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif., as he strode home to a brilliant 3 ¾-length win in the Grade 3, $100,000 Thunder Road Stakes, providing trainer Dan Blacker with his first-ever graded stakes win.  Ridden to his third consecutive win b...