SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - By the Moon turned a rare double Saturday at Saratoga by winning the Grade 1, $500,000 Ballerina. She is now a Grade 1 winner at ages 2 and 5.
Trained throughout her career by Michelle Nevin, By the Moon was precocious enough to win the Grade 1 Frizette in fall 2014 at Belmont Park. She came close to winning Grade 1 races as a 3-year-old and as a 4-year-old, but was denied both times.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Given her propensity to run well fresh, Forever Unbridled will most likely train up to the Breeders’ Cup, her connections said Sunday morning, the day after their horse beat Songbird in the Grade 1 Personal Ensign at Saratoga.
In which Breeders’ Cup race Forever Unbridled will run remains to be decided.
Owner Charles Fipke said Sunday he would consider running Forever Unbridled against males in the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar on Nov. 4.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Sadler's Joy used an eye-catching burst of speed to make up for an awful start in the Grade 1 Sword Dancer at Saratoga on Saturday, running by all six of his rivals in the final furlong of the 1 1/2-mile turf race to win by a half-length under Julien Leparoux.
The victory was the first in a Grade 1 for owners Rene and Lauren Woolcott, who race as Woodslane Farm. Sadler's Joy is the second Grade 1 winner bred by the Woolcotts. They had previously bred four-time Grade 1 winner Tonalist, a winner of $3.6 million.
Heza Streakin Legacy qualified for the $3 million All American Quarter Horse Futurity at Ruidoso Downs, but was not allowed to be entered back in the finale by the stewards on Friday because of a positive hair test for clenbuterol during an out of competition testing program in New Mexico.
“It’s kind of something unprecedented,” said Izzy Trejo, executive director of the New Mexico Racing Commission.
The Sonoma County Fair’s 11-day meet showed a decline in ontrack wagering and all-sources wagering this summer.
Ontrack wagering at Santa Rosa declined 11 percent to $2,787,809 from $3,120,021 in 2016. All-sources handle, including out-of-state and advance-deposit wagering, was down 14 percent to $10,553,939 from $12,253,383.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Givemeaminit finished second in his lone start, but the effort was solid enough for trainer Dallas Stewart to target the Grade 1 Hopeful here Labor Day.
Givemeaminit, a Louisiana-bred son of Star Guitar, finished second to the D. Wayne Lukas-trained Sporting Chance in a July 22 maiden race here going 5 1/2 furlongs. Sporting Chance is also pointing to the Hopeful.
“I love the way my horse is doing,” Stewart said. “Hopefully, a speed situation develops.”
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Todd Pletcher already has Whitney runner-up Keen Ice pointing to the Jockey Club Gold Cup on Oct. 7 at Belmont Park. He could have another Gold Cup runner, perhaps Destin, who won a third-level allowance race by a nose over stablemate Donegal Moon on Thursday at Saratoga.
Destin, beaten a nose by Creator in the 2016 Belmont Stakes, won for the first time since the Tampa Bay Derby in March 2016. He was making just his second start of this year. He had finished third in a similar allowance spot at Belmont Park.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Neolithic and Rally Cry both put in a workout Friday morning over the Oklahoma training track as they prepare for a meeting with top older horse Gun Runner in next Saturday’s Grade 1, $750,000 Woodward Stakes at Saratoga.
Neolithic, who won a second-level allowance race here Aug. 5, went four furlongs under jockey Jose Ortiz in 49.39 seconds, in company with the 3-year-old maiden Zap Zap Zap. The two went their first quarter in 25.04 seconds, got their final quarter in 24.35, and Neolithic galloped out five furlongs in 1:02.51.
DEL MAR, Calif. – Del Mar will run 35 stakes at its 16-day autumn meeting from Nov. 1-26, including 20 stakes on Nov. 3-4, when the track hosts the Breeders’ Cup races for the first time.
The Nov. 3-4 programs will feature the 13 seven-figure Breeders’ Cup races and seven stakes worth $150,000 to $200,000 each. The undercard races include two Grade 2 stakes worth $200,000 each – the Las Vegas Marathon at 1 3/4 miles on Nov. 3 and the Goldikova Stakes for fillies and mares at a mile on turf Nov. 4.
DEL MAR, Calif. – Nero, the highly promising colt who was expected to start early in the Del Mar meeting, will have his long-awaited debut in a maiden race Sunday.
Trained by Bob Baffert, Nero has worked quickly in recent months, first at Los Alamitos and in the last month at Del Mar. On Aug. 19, Nero worked five furlongs in 59 seconds from the gate, the fastest of 85 recorded works at the distance that day.
“He’s quick,” Baffert said. “He took a little while to get going. I was going to run him in the first week.”
