DEL MAR, Calif. – Maiden 2-year-old colts have been running to expectations at Del Mar this summer, and on Saturday, the highly regarded Bolt d’Oro will try to continue that theme.
Bolt d’Oro, a $630,000 Medaglia d’Oro colt owned and trained by Mick Ruis, makes his career debut as the race 7 favorite at 6 1/2 furlongs. If he runs like he works, Bolt d’Oro could make it 3 for 3 for favorites in juvenile maiden special weights.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – As well as she’s run in a pair Grade 1 races, it’s hard to believe that Sassy Little Lila is still in search of her first stakes victory. She could be well spotted to get that stakes win Saturday in a field of 12 for the $100,000 De La Rose at a mile on turf at Saratoga.
Illinois racetracks on Monday submitted applications to the Illinois Racing Board for 2018 race dates, and the requested schedule looks similar to the 2017 racing calendar.
Hawthorne, which applied for 55 Thoroughbred days, did request to start its 2018 spring meet on March 23, about three weeks later than this year. Since Hawthorne raced only two-day weeks in March, that is a loss of only six race days, and the break gives the track more time to convert its surface after a winter Standardbred meet ends March 2.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Chad Brown has won 20 stakes on turf in the U.S. this year, and that’s without contributions from Camelot Kitten, Projected, and Takeover Target. That trio was part of an 11-horse field entered for turf in Saturday’s $100,000 Lure Stakes at a mile at Saratoga.
For Camelot Kitten and Takeover Target, the Lure represents their first start of the year. For Projected, the Lure is his first start since the Grade 3 Poker in June, a race he lost by a neck after being impeded late.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Graham Motion sends out the improving pair of Guilty Twelve and Lottie in Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Waya, one of three turf stakes on the Whitney undercard.
Guilty Twelve, a 5-year-old daughter of Giant’s Causeway, is 2 for 2 this year, with narrow victories in a Belmont allowance and the Grade 3 Robert G. Dick Memorial at Delaware Park. This will be her first start at 1 1/2 miles.
“I don’t think it’s going to hurt,” Motion said of the distance, adding that jockey Chris DeCarlo told Motion after the last race that, “She’ll go all day.”
The Tabulator won his career debut over Arlington’s Polytrack by more than nine lengths before capturing the $85,000 Prairie Gold Juvenile by 2 1/4 lengths over dirt on July 28, but rather than point to the Arlington-Washington Futurity, trainer Larry Rivelli said he will aim The Tabulator at the $150,000 Iroquois on Sept. 16 at Churchill Downs.
“I think he likes dirt better,” said Rivelli. “He really didn’t beat much first time out. If he wins the Iroquois, I can take him either to the Breeders’ Cup [Juvenile] or the Delta Jackpot.”
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – One might think the horses would come out in droves to run for a million dollars, but though it doesn’t usually work that way, a full field is coming together for the Arlington Million on Aug. 12.
As of Wednesday, 14 horses, the most that can start, were considered likely entrants in the Million, for which pre-entries are officially due at midnight Saturday.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – California invaders have had success in this decade shipping east for the Grade 1 Test Stakes, and with no suitable options in the 3-year-old filly sprint division at the Del Mar meeting, a trio of West Coast invaders will try to add to that recent history in the $500,000 Test on Saturday’s Whitney Stakes program at Saratoga.
DEL MAR, Calif. – The Grade 1 winner Big Macher was recently sent to a Southern California farm and has likely run his last race.
Big Macher was entered in the Grade 1 Bing Crosby Stakes at Del Mar on July 29 but was withdrawn when an injury was detected. Trainer Richard Baltas said on Wednesday that Big Macher is at Katie Mansor’s farm in nearby Hemet, Calif. Mansor is the daughter of Tom Mansor, who owns Big Macher with Brendan Bakir.
“As of now, she’ll take care of him,” Baltas said.
DEL MAR, Calif. – Hillhouse High ran a career-best race in winning the Grade 2 Royal Heroine Stakes at a mile on turf at Santa Anita in April. She was unable to duplicate that effort when sixth in the Grade 2 Distaff Turf Mile at Churchill Downs on May 6 and was given a vacation for the remainder of the spring.
Three months later, Hillhouse High will start in Saturday’s Grade 2 Yellow Ribbon Handicap at 1 1/16 miles on turf for fillies and mares at Del Mar. The $200,000 Yellow Ribbon will determine how ambitiously she is campaigned in the coming months.
