Absinthe Minded Won’t Mind the Challenge From Havre De Grace

Last year at this time, eventual Horse of the Year Havre de Grace was gradually building up her fitness training at Oaklawn. Other local rivals had reason to feel the major stakes for fillies and mares would be very challenging.

This season, with Havre de Grace training out-of-sight-but-not-quite-out-of-mind in New Orleans, it has been Briland Farm’s Absinthe Minded who has blossomed into a dominating mare and her Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas isn’t backing down now that Havre de Grace is targeted for the $150,000 Azeri Stakes (G3) March 17.

“We knew races like the Azeri and the Apple Blossom were going to get a lot tougher,” said Lukas. “I had no illusions that some of those horses would be interested, and we might see even more horses like her end up in there before too long.”

Longview Drive Tunes Up for Southwest, Entries to Determine Split

Steve Beneto’s Longview Drive, one of four horses to arrive this week from Southern California for Monday’s $250,000 Southwest Stakes (G3), got a good test over the Oaklawn track Friday, breezing a half mile in 48 1/5, the second fastest of 50 at the distance.

Longview Drive, who is scheduled to be ridden by Martin Garcia, winner of the 2010 Southwest aboard Conveyance, will be making his second start of the season after a third-place finish in the Jan. 7 Sham Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita. He finished just a half-length behind runner-up Secret Circle, who was also on the plane to Hot Springs for the Southwest.