DEL MAR, Calif. – Victor Espinoza has been in a few unexpected places since he rode American Pharoah to a sweep of the Triple Crown in early June.
He has appeared on “Live with Kelly and Michael,” attended the Country Music Awards in Nashville, and was on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” in New York last Friday, taking part in a phone-booth trivia sketch.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Blessed by great weather and large fields, Saratoga has achieved double-digit increases in all-sources and ontrack handle through the first 22 days of the 2015 meet compared to last year.
All-sources handle through Monday, the 22nd day of the 40-day meet, was $344,347,767, a 15.7 percent increase over last year’s total of $297,695,341 over the same time period.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Jockey Angel Cruz suffered a broken left hand as a result of a spill in Monday’s fifth race at Saratoga and will miss at least the remainder of the meet, according to his agent, Bill Castle.
Cruz was aboard Steve’s Image, a first-time starter, in a maiden 2-year-old race on the turf. Leaving the starting gate, Steve’s Image shied away from a horse on his inside - the eventual winner, Pagan - shortly after the start. When Steve's Image veered in, Cruz lost his balance and landed hard on the firm turf course.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Grand Arch won Saturday’s Grade 2 Fourstardave Handicap here despite losing both of his front shoes, trainer Brian Lynch said Sunday.
“Barefoot or not, he got it done,” Lynch said.
Lynch said he would consider the Woodbine Mile on Sept. 13 for Grand Arch’s next start.
Meanwhile, trainer Shug McGaughey said Fourstardave runner-up Ironicus likely will point to the Grade 1 Shadwell Turf Mile at Keeneland on Oct. 4.
Ironicus was compromised by a slow half-mile of 48.30 seconds in the Fourstardave, said McGaughey.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – A three-time stakes winner on dirt, including in the Grade 1 Donn Handicap in 2014, Lea could be headed back to the turf for his next start.
Lea, in his first breeze since finishing sixth in the Grade 1 Whitney on Aug. 8, worked four furlongs in 50.22 seconds Monday over the Oklahoma turf course. He worked in company with Mosler, starting two lengths in front of that horse and holding him off by a neck at the wire and through the gallop-out.
Lea went his first quarter in 26.47 seconds and his second quarter in 23.75.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Irad Ortiz Jr., who is on a major hot streak at Saratoga, will be taking his talents to England on Friday to ride the 2-year-old filly Acapulco against older males and females in the Group 1 Coolmore Nunthorpe, a five-furlong turf stakes at York.
Acapulco, trained by Wesley Ward, won the Group 1 Queen Mary at the Royal Ascot meeting against 2-year-olds. Ward said he is excited about trying this from the mere standpoint that his filly gets in with 112 pounds, 27 fewer than the older horses.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Neither Curalina nor the stewards chased Larry Jones out of Saratoga for good.
Jones trains I’m a Chatterbox, who was disqualified from first place by the stewards in the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks on July 26, and he is indeed coming back for more in Saturday’s Grade 1 Alabama Stakes. And he’s not just bringing back I’m a Chatterbox. He also is bringing Lovely Maria, the Kentucky Oaks winner.
I’m a Chatterbox bumped late with Curalina in the Coaching Club American Oaks, and Curalina was put up to first place.
DEL MAR, Calif. – Bob Baffert is going to take as much time as he can and weigh all the data before deciding whether Triple Crown winner American Pharoah goes to the Travers Stakes at Saratoga on Aug. 29 or waits for another spot.
On Monday at Del Mar, the day after American Pharoah had his first workout since his overpowering victory in the Haskell Invitational on Aug. 2, Baffert said the timing and spacing of American Pharoah’s races are what he’s mulling.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Exaggerator drew rave reviews for his victory in Sunday’s Grade 2 Saratoga Special. But the most talked about 2-year-old performance on the card might have been that of Tap to It, a daughter of Tapit who overcame all sorts of trouble to win her debut in impressive fashion for owner Mandy Pope and trainer Ralph Nicks.
Los Alamitos will run five stakes worth a total of $450,000 during its 10-day Los Angeles County Fair meeting Sept. 10-25. Los Alamitos conducted eight stakes worth a total of $775,000 at the corresponding meeting in 2014.
The forthcoming season is two days shorter than last year’s, with racing Sept. 26-27 being conducted at Santa Anita for the opening of that track’s autumn meeting. Officials with Los Alamitos and Santa Anita reached a financial settlement in June on the transfer of those two days.
