Fresh from a big closing weekend of the Churchill meet, Steve Asmussen will be casting a larger presence than ever before this summer at Ellis. Although his top horses will be active later this month at Saratoga, where he will actually be spending most of his time, the Hall of Fame trainer not only has about 80 horses in the care of assistant Mitch Dennison at Ellis, but also has reserves to call on at Churchill.
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DRF Past Performances
It’s been nearly three years since Saham posted his last victory, but the 6-year-old horse looks like he has found a spot to end the drought as the favorite in the Friday feature at Ellis Park in western Kentucky.
Saham was an up-and-coming 3-year-old when he won the Grade 3 Jefferson Cup on Sept. 26, 2015, on the Churchill turf. But while he has been remarkably consistent, never finishing worse than fourth in his last 11 starts, he has somehow remained winless since.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Chief Cicatriz, whose 110 Beyer Speed Figure from the June 2 Aristides at Churchill Downs is the highest so far this year in North America at a sprint distance, could be headed to Del Mar later this month, according to trainer Shawn Davis.
Possible races for him there include the July 28 Bing Crosby, a Win and You’re In event toward the BC Sprint, and the Aug. 25 Pat O’Brien, a Win and You’re In event toward the BC Dirt Mile.
Gulfstream Park reported that it set records for average and total handle at its spring meeting, which began April 4 and concluded Saturday with the Summit of Speed card.
Gulfstream reported total handle for the spring meet was $334 million, up $22 million over 2017 despite six fewer days of racing. Total handle during the spring meet has climbed approximately $88 million since 2015, the track said.
Average daily handle topped $6.3 million, up about $1 million from 2017 and $2.1 million since 2015.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Trainer Aidan O’Brien could send as many as six horses to Belmont Park for Saturday’s Stars and Stripes program, with the most intriguing being Mendelssohn for the Grade 3, $300,000 Dwyer Stakes for 3-year-olds at a mile.
Mendelssohn won the United Arab Emirates Derby by 18 1/2 lengths in Dubai but then finished last, beaten 73 1/4 lengths by Justify, in the Kentucky Derby. O’Brien was quoted in the European press as saying that Mendelssohn was not ready for the Kentucky Derby experience, a 20-horse field with swift early fractions.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Limousine Liberal, third in the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap, and Whitmore, second in the Grade 2 True North, head the field expected for Saturday’s Grade 2, $350,000 Belmont Sprint Championship.
Limousine Liberal is a multiple stakes winner at the Belmont Sprint distance of seven furlongs. He finished 5 1/4 lengths behind Bee Jersey and Mind Your Biscuits in the Met Mile.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Tapwrit, the 2017 Belmont Stakes winner, worked a sharp five furlongs in 1:00.71 on Sunday and was visually impressive galloping out a mile in 1:37.80 while preparing for Saturday’s Grade 2, $700,000 Suburban Stakes.
Tapwrit worked with Patch, who is possible for the Whitney or Woodward at Saratoga.
“I thought it was an excellent work,” trainer Todd Pletcher said. “Did it very well, in hand. Seems like he’s doing well. He’s become a better, more impressive breeze horse, little more straightforward, focused.”
ELMONT, N.Y. – Losses by Analyze It and Significant Form at short prices last month left trainer Chad Brown perhaps a bit disappointed but not deterred from running both 3-year-olds in seven-figure races at longer distances this Saturday at Belmont Park.
Analyze It suffered his first defeat when beaten a neck by Catholic Boy at odds of 1-2 in the Grade 3 Pennine Ridge at 1 1/8 miles at Belmont Park on June 2. He will represent Brown in Saturday’s Grade 1, $1.2 million Belmont Derby Invitational at 1 1/4 miles.