Mon, 06/18/2018 - 12:36

Mind Your Biscuits targeting Whitney

Barbara D. Livingston
Mind Your Biscuits (left) was beaten a nose last time out in the Grade 1 Met Mile.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Mind Your Biscuits, beaten a nose by Bee Jersey in the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap, is targeting the Grade 1 Whitney Stakes at Saratoga on Aug. 4, said his trainer, Chad Summers.

He may have an interesting prep race beforehand as well.

Summers has nominated Mind Your Biscuits to the $100,000 Saginaw Stakes, a 1 1/16-mile stakes for New York-breds at Belmont Park on July 1. Summers said running in the Saginaw may be preferred to having seven weeks between races and simply training the horse to the Whitney.

“I have to think about it,” Summers said.

Mon, 06/18/2018 - 11:56

Stephen Foster card sets handle record for night program

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The 11-race Stephen Foster card drew $10,694,069 in all-sources handle Saturday, establishing a handle record for a Downs After Dark card. The former high mark among the 47 night cards held at Churchill since 2009 was $9,400,176, set last year on Foster night.

Ontrack attendance was 21,053, well off the corresponding 2015 date, when 28,968 turned out to see American Pharoah, the first Triple Crown winner in 37 years. The all-time night-card attendance mark is 38,142, set in April 2011.

Mon, 06/18/2018 - 11:46

Blue Prize likely for Personal Ensign next

Barbara D. Livingston
Blue Prize ran by Farrell for a 1 1/2-length victory in Saturday's Grade 2 Fleur de Lis.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Trainer Ignacio Correas said he is taking a long view on the rest of the year for Blue Prize, who earned a Win and You’re In berth into the Nov. 3 Breeders’ Cup Distaff with her 1 1/2-length triumph Saturday night in the Grade 2 Fleur de Lis Handicap.

Correas said he intends to run Blue Prize in the Grade 1 Personal Ensign at Saratoga on Aug. 25, then the Oct. 7 Spinster at her Keeneland home base and the BC Distaff at Churchill Downs.

Blue Prize earned a 94 Beyer.

Mon, 06/18/2018 - 11:46

Pavel being pointed to Pacific Classic

Barbara D. Livingston
Pavel earned a 101 Beyer Speed Figure for his victory in the Stephen Foster Handicap.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Pavel could make his next start in the Grade 1 Pacific Classic on Aug. 18 at Del Mar, as trainer Doug O’Neill starts looking ahead to the Breeders’ Cup with his latest stable star.

Pavel, with Mario Gutierrez riding for O’Neill and owner Paul Reddam, thrashed a solid group of older horses Saturday night at Churchill Downs in the Grade 1 Stephen Foster Handicap, earning an automatic Win and You’re In berth to the Nov. 3 BC Classic at Churchill.

Mon, 06/18/2018 - 11:20

Touching Rainbows makes stakes debut in San Carlos

Benoit Photo
Touching Rainbows will end a seven-month layoff Friday at Santa Anita.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Trainers Bob Baffert and John Sadler may have two runners each in Saturday’s Grade 2 San Carlos Stakes for sprinters at Santa Anita.

But neither trains the most intriguing horse in the expected field – Touching Rainbows, who will have his stakes debut after having won four consecutive races, all optional claimers, in the last year. Touching Rainbows is trained by Phil D’Amato.

The $250,000 San Carlos Stakes is at seven furlongs.

Mon, 06/18/2018 - 11:16

Sharp Samurai eyes Eddie Read, River Boyne targets La Jolla

Shigeki Kikkawa
River Boyne received an 87 Beyer Speed Figure for his win in the Rainbow Stakes.

ARCADIA, Calif. – This could be a very interesting summer for Red Baron’s Barn and Rancho Temescal.

The Red Baron’s Barn of Jed Cohen, and Rancho Temescal, directed by his son, Tim, own River Boyne, who won his second stakes in the $98,000 Rainbow Stakes for 3-year-olds on turf on Saturday at Santa Anita. They also own the four-time stakes winner Sharp Samurai, who won an allowance race with a $75,000 claiming option in his first start of 2018 on Sunday.

Mon, 06/18/2018 - 10:36

Silent Sting out of Queen's Plate, will get break

Michael Burns
Silent Sting wins the Queenston Stakes at Woodbine on April 22.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – After his seventh-place finish in the $125,000 Plate Trial Stakes at Woodbine on June 9, Queenston Stakes winner Silent Sting is no longer under consideration for the $1 million Queen’s Plate on June 30. Silent Sting trailed the field throughout the Plate Trial and will now be getting a break on the farm, trainer Sid Attard said.

“He’s been going all winter and last year,” Attard said. “It looks like maybe he’s a bit tired, so we’re going to give him a break. He’s doing good. He’s okay.”

Mon, 06/18/2018 - 10:36

Mr Havercamp may hit road in search of turf race

Michael Burns
Mr Havercamp wins the Steady Growth Stakes easily as the favorite Saturday at Woodbine.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Mr Havercamp returned from a six-month layoff to win the $125,000 Steady Growth Stakes by 4 3/4 lengths over Where’s the Widget on Saturday at Woodbine. He was wide throughout the race over 1 1/16 miles on Tapeta, but came home strongly under jockey Eurico Da Silva.

“He’s such a good horse,” trainer Catherine Day Phillips said. “Eurico said he had so much horse. He said at the half-mile pole everyone was riding and he was sitting there cruising. He thought he would stay out of everyone’s way and go wide.”

Mon, 06/18/2018 - 10:30

Pink Lloyd targets Shepperton Stakes

Michael Burns
Pink Lloyd received a 101 Beyer Speed Figure for his victory in the Achievement Stakes.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Pink Lloyd extended his Woodbine stakes winning streak to 11 with a three-length victory in the Achievement Stakes in his most recent start on June 3, and will now be pointed to the $100,000 Shepperton Stakes at Woodbine on July 8.

The Shepperton will be run over 6 1/2-furlongs on Woodbine’s Tapeta for Ontario-sired 3-year-olds and upward.

Sun, 06/17/2018 - 19:26

Justify returns home to California, eyes Haskell or Travers next

Shigeki Kikkawa
Fans gathered to take photos of Justify as he returns to Santa Anita on Sunday.

ARCADIA, Calif. – The only thing that can stop Justify these days is Southern California traffic.

On Sunday, Triple Crown winner Justify was flown from Kentucky to California and then vanned from Ontario International Airport to trainer Bob Baffert’s stable at Santa Anita. The early-afternoon trip from the Ontario airport to the stables was delayed briefly while the motorcade accompanying the horse van negotiated its way past a traffic accident despite police sirens blaring.