Sun, 08/20/2017 - 15:57

Keeneland's QE II could set up as Del Mar Oaks rematch

Benoit & Associates
Dream Dancing paid $15.20 in winning the Del Mar Oaks on Saturday.

DEL MAR, Calif. – The three fillies separated by a nose and a neck at the finish of Saturday’s Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks may meet again in the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland on Oct. 14.

Race winner Dream Dancing prevailed by a nose over Beau Recall, who was a neck in front of Madam Dancealot in a furious finish in a field of 12.

Mark Casse, who trains Dream Dancing for John Oxley, said late Saturday he would look strongly at the $500,000 Queen Elizabeth, which is run at 1 1/8 miles on turf for 3-year-old fillies.

Sun, 08/20/2017 - 14:58

Good Samaritan puts in five-furlong prep for Travers Stakes

Barbara D. Livingston
Good Samaritan, left and Boule work Sunday morning over the Oklahoma training track at Saratoga.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Good Samaritan, the Grade 2 Jim Dandy winner, worked five furlongs in 1:01.67 Sunday morning over the Oklahoma training track, his final serious move before next Saturday’s Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers Stakes.

Sun, 08/20/2017 - 14:21

Elate, after Alabama triumph, points to BC Distaff

Barbara D. Livingston
Elate earned a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 98 in the Alabama.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Bill Mott, who holds the record for most Breeders' Cup Distaff wins by a trainer with five, looks to have another contender in Elate, who will be aimed at this year’s $2 million Distaff at Del Mar following her dominant 5 1/2-length victory in Saturday’s Grade 1 Alabama at Saratoga.

While Mott said Sunday he hasn’t specifically discussed the Distaff with Claiborne Farms and Adele Dilschneider, Elate's owners and breeders, he admitted “I was thinking about it this morning, wondering what the schedule might be.”

Sun, 08/20/2017 - 13:58

Collected may skip prep and train up to BC Classic

Emily Shields
Collected held off stablemate Arrogate to post a half-length victory in the Grade 1 Pacific Classic on Saturday at Del Mar.

DEL MAR, Calif. – Both Collected and Arrogate came out of the Pacific Classic in good order and will be pointed to the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 4, and while it was certain before Saturday that Arrogate would not have a prep, trainer Bob Baffert on Sunday said he might entertain the same strategy with Collected, too.

“I could train him up to the race,” Baffert said. “I haven’t decided.”

Sat, 08/19/2017 - 14:07

Brown leaning toward Travers for Cloud Computing

Debra A. Roma
Cloud Computing, under jockey Javier Castellano, works five furlongs Saturday ahead of a possible start in next weekend's Travers Stakes.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – While Chad Brown said he is leaning toward running Cloud Computing in next Saturday’s Travers Stakes, the trainer stopped short of committing the Preakness winner to the Grade 1, $1.25 million race at Saratoga.

Brown was pleased with Cloud Computing’s five-furlong move in 1:01.76 over the Saratoga main track Saturday morning, but the colt’s last-place finish in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy Stakes here on July 28 still weighs heavily on his mind.

Fri, 08/18/2017 - 15:08

Skye Diamonds gets break before Breeders' Cup

Benoit & Associates
Skye Diamonds paid $3.60 in winning the Rancho Bernardo Handicap at Del Mar on Sunday.

Skye Diamonds, the dominant female sprinter in California this year, will not race again until Nov. 4 at Del Mar in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint, a race in which she figures to be a leading candidate.

Skye Diamonds won the Grade 2 Great Lady M. Stakes at Los Alamitos in July and the Grade 3 Rancho Bernardo Handicap on Aug. 13 at Del Mar. Trainer Bill Spawr said earlier this week that he would prefer to give Skye Diamonds a lengthy break between starts as opposed to adding a race at Santa Anita in October.

Fri, 08/18/2017 - 14:56

Milestone day for trio of trainers at Del Mar

DEL MAR, Calif. – There were milestones for trainers Andrew Lerner, Mark Tsalagalakis, and Reed Saldana during Thursday’s program at Del Mar.

They all won for the first time at the track.

For Lerner, Be a Lady’s win in the first race was his first career win six months after he began training. Tsagalakis, who has a very small number of horses in training, won the third race with Arch of Troy. He first began training in the 1980s.

Fri, 08/18/2017 - 14:50

American Pharoah full brother St. Patrick's Day set for debut

Barbara D. Livingston
St. Patrick's Day will debut as part of a 10-horse field in a six-furlong race.

DEL MAR, Calif. – St. Patrick’s Day will be the center of attention in a maiden race for 2-year-olds Sunday at Del Mar. Having an older brother named American Pharoah tends to leave a colt firmly in the spotlight.

Owned by Susan Magnier and trained by Bob Baffert, who guided American Pharoah to the 2015 Triple Crown, St. Patrick’s Day has worked well for his debut in the ninth race, run at six furlongs.

Fri, 08/18/2017 - 14:26

Phi Beta Express earns right to step up for Allen Jerkens Memorial

Debra A. Roma
Coal Front and jockey John Velazquez win the Grade 2 Amsterdam Stakes by 1 1/2 lengths.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Seven weeks ago, Phi Beta Express was still a maiden, having lost the first three starts of his career, including a runner-up finish for maiden $50,000 claiming at Fair Grounds in January.

But after posting two wins in 20 days, Phi Beta Express will now step into Grade 1 company in next Saturday’s $500,000 Allen Jerkens Memorial (formerly the King’s Bishop) on the Travers card at Saratoga.

Fri, 08/18/2017 - 14:26

Mind Your Biscuits works way into Forego; Curlin's Approval coming north for Ballerina

Barbara D. Livingston
Mind Your Biscuits, under Joel Rosario, drills half a mile in 49.70 seconds Friday.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Following a lackluster work over the main track here one week prior, trainer Chad Summers needed to see more from Mind Your Biscuits before confirming him as a starter in next Saturday’s Grade 1 Forego. And that’s exactly what he got over the Oklahoma training track shortly after dawn Friday.

With regular rider Joel Rosario aboard, Mind Your Biscuits worked four furlongs in driving rain in 49.70 seconds, completing his final quarter in 24.20 before galloping out in 1:02.80 and pulling up three-quarters in 1:15.60, according to Daily Racing Form.