DEL MAR, Calif. – Judy the Beauty, the champion female sprinter of 2014, will prep for the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Keeneland on Oct. 31 in the $80,000 CERF Stakes at Del Mar on Sept. 6.
Owner and trainer Wesley Ward said on Saturday that the timing of the CERF Stakes is ideal to prepare Judy the Beauty for the $1 million BC Filly and Mare Sprint, a race she won in 2014 at Santa Anita.
“I’ve been looking at it,” Ward said. “She needs the race, and she’s ready to run.”
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Sudden Surprise and She’s All Ready were good-looking winners of the Funny Cide and Seeking the Ante stakes, respectively, on Friday. Both horses are now 2 for 2 in New York-bred company.
For now, it appears that both will remain racing against statebreds.
Todd Pletcher said Sudden Surprise, who earned a 79 Beyer Speed Figure for his two-length win in the Funny Cide, will make his next start in the $150,000 Bertram F. Bongard Stakes, a seven-furlong race at Belmont Park on Sept. 27.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Todd Pletcher may not have had a 3-year-old to run in Saturday’s Grade 1 Travers Stakes at Saratoga, but he spent part of the morning preparing a bevy of older horses for next Saturday’s Grade 1, $600,000 Woodward Stakes here.
Liam’s Map, a heartbreaking second to Honor Code in the Grade 1 Whitney on Aug. 8, worked a half-mile in 49.79 seconds, with a very strong gallop-out of five furlongs in 1:02.15, six furlongs in 1:14.66, and seven-eighths in 1:28.77.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Ralph Nicks said he was leaning toward running his impressive debut winner Tap to It in the Grade 1 Spinaway after sending her out to work four furlongs in 47.60 seconds under jockey Joel Rosario on Saturday.
Tap to It, a daughter of Tapit, won at first asking Aug. 16 despite an extremely eventful trip that began with a slow start and included a few traffic stops along the way.
The ultimate objective for Texas Chrome this season is the $250,000 Springboard Mile at Remington Park, but the undefeated 2-year-old’s path to that Oklahoma City fixture could run through Retama Park near San Antonio. Danny Keene and trainer Shea Stuart on Friday were debating their next move with Texas Chrome, who improved his record to 3 for 3 with a win in the $100,000 Gold Rush Futurity earlier this month at Arapahoe Park.
“We’ve got to decide whether to go to the Stallion Stakes at Retama or the Kip Deville at Remington,” said Stuart.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Wicked Strong, fourth in the Grade 1 Whitney here Aug. 8, put in a solid six-furlong workout Thursday morning over the main track, going six furlongs in 1:12.41 under exercise rider Kelvin Pahal in preparation for the Woodward next Saturday.
Wearing his thin-cupped blinkers for the move, Wicked Strong went in splits of 13.18 seconds, 25.33, 37.14, and 48.18 and galloped out seven furlongs in 1:26.25.
“I liked it,” trainer Jimmy Jerkens said. “He looked like he was running all the way. The track was very fast, and they were just bouncing over it.”
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Cavorting, who runs next Sunday in the Prioress, is just one of several stakes runners Kiaran McLaughlin will have on closing weekend at the Spa.
Bay of Plenty, who won the Alydar Stakes by 2 1/2 lengths, will run in next Saturday’s Grade 1, $600,000 Woodward. On Friday, Bay of Plenty worked five furlongs in 59 seconds over the synthetic surface at the Greentree training facility owned by Sheikh Mohammed’s Godolphin Racing.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Wanting to keep Cavorting in her own age group as long as possible, trainer Kiaran McLaughlin plans to run the Grade 1 Test winner back in the Grade 2, $300,000 Prioress Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Saratoga on Sept. 6.
McLaughlin announced his intentions to run in the Prioress after Cavorting worked four furlongs in 49.25 seconds on the main track Friday.
DEL MAR, Calif. – Trainer Doug O’Neill will have a team of 2-year-olds spread across the nation on Labor Day.
On Friday, O’Neill said he plans to run Nyquist, the winner of the Grade 2 Best Pal Stakes at Del Mar on Aug. 8, in the $300,000 Del Mar Futurity at seven furlongs Sept. 7, closing day of the summer meeting. Mrazek, the winner of the Graduation Stakes for California-breds on Aug. 5, is bound for Saratoga and the $350,000 Hopeful Stakes at seven furlongs Sept. 7, closing day of that meeting.
DEL MAR, Calif. – Beholder, the winner of the $1 million Pacific Classic against males Aug. 22, was on the track before dawn Friday at Del Mar for light exercise.
Trainer Richard Mandella said Beholder was ponied at 4:45 a.m., her first day of racetrack activity since the Pacific Classic. Beholder is scheduled to resume galloping Sunday and make her next start in the $300,000 Zenyatta Stakes against fillies and mares Sept. 26 at Santa Anita.
