The Pickett Factor and Allied Air Raid are both under consideration for next month’s Grade 2, $400,000 Super Derby at Louisiana Downs following their one-two finish in the track’s $100,000 Prelude last Saturday. The Pickett Factor was a 1 1/4-length winner over favorite Allied Air Raid.
The Super Derby is the richest race of the Louisiana Downs meet. The 1 1/8-mile fixture will be run Sept. 12.
Jockey Deshawn Parker is among the new faces at the Remington Park meet that opens Friday night. He was named to ride four horses on the nine-race program, which was drawn Tuesday.
Parker has ridden in the region, having been based at Sam Houston Race Park the past two winters. In addition, he won a Lone Star Park stakes in July.
Parker, a winner of more than 4,800 races, has long been a fixture at Mountaineer.
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – Fifteen horses from Europe have come for the Arlington Million card Saturday, and using history as a guide, they’re highly unlikely to leave empty-handed. If you’re betting the Million card Saturday, you absolutely have to account for the largest overseas contingent of racehorses seen in North American outside the Breeders’ Cup.
Arlington Million
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – Euro Charline already has made history in the Beverly D., having become the first 3-year-old to win the Grade 1 race when doing so last year. Now, Team Valor International has its sights set on her making more history Saturday at Arlington Park.
DEL MAR, Calif. – An unsatisfactory turf work Sunday by Stellar Wind, the Santa Anita Oaks winner, will keep her on dirt and out of the Grade 1, $300,000 Del Mar Oaks on Saturday.
Stellar Wind broke off about four lengths behind a workmate Sunday, and despite urging could not close the gap.
“She didn’t love the grass,” said her trainer, John Sadler. “We want to stay on dirt.”
Sadler said the Grade 3, $100,000 Torrey Pines Stakes on Aug. 30 is next for Stellar Wind. That’s also the likely next spot for the unbeaten Super Majesty, trained by Jerry Hollendorfer.
DEL MAR, Calif. – Sam’s Sister, best known for her win in the Grade 1 La Brea last December, and Taris, who has been idle since finishing second in the La Brea, are scheduled to meet anew Sunday in the Grade 3, $100,000 Rancho Bernardo Handicap for older female sprinters.
Sam’s Sister worked a half-mile in 50.20 seconds Tuesday morning for Jerry Hollendorfer, her trainer and co-owner. She most recently was third in the Desert Stormer at Santa Anita on June 14, her third straight loss. She was assigned top weight of 122 pounds for the Rancho Bernardo, two more than Taris.
DEL MAR, Calif. – Although Martin Garcia has been the regular work and race rider for Bayern, it was Rafael Bejarano who was aboard the horse for a seven-furlong work Tuesday morning as Bayern prepares for the Pacific Classic and seeks to find the form that carried him to a Breeders’ Cup Classic victory last fall.
Working alone, Bayern was timed in 1:25.60 by Del Mar’s head clocker, Dane Nelson, who had Bayern clicking off fractions of 24.60 seconds, 36.40, 48.40, 1:00.60, and 1:13.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer John Terranova has been enjoying a magnificent summer and he thinks he has American Pharoah to thank.
American Pharoah, trained by Bob Baffert, was housed in Terranova’s Belmont barn leading up to his historic run in the Belmont Stakes, which clinched Thoroughbred racing’s first Triple Crown in 37 years. Over the last two months, Terranova has done quite well, winning eight races since June, including five from just 13 starters during the first part of the Saratoga meet.
DEL MAR, Calif. – The likelihood that Beholder will take on males in the Grade 1, $1 million Pacific Classic on Aug. 22 increased Tuesday when she “could not have looked better,” according to trainer Richard Mandella, during a half-mile work in 48.60 seconds at Del Mar.
“Super. Everything’s good,” said Mandella, who also will send out Catch a Flight in the Pacific Classic.
Mandella said Beholder would have one more work early next week and then would be set for the meet’s richest and most-prestigious race.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Tom Morley said Tuesday morning that he’s still strongly considering bringing his 3-year-old filly Amazing Anne back in Thursday’s $100,000 Statue of Liberty Division of the New York Stallion Series Stakes following her second-place finish against males in the open Cab Calloway Division on Monday.
“The filly ate up last night, and at the moment everything is pointing towards running, although obviously we’ve got another day and one-half to make a decision,” Morley said Tuesday.
