California Chrome’s baby sister Hope’s Love might make her debut Saturday, when there is a 4 1/2-furlong race for 2-year-old maiden fillies in the condition book. Hope’s Love had to be scratched from her planned debut May 15 when she became ill.
After she was scratched, trainer Steve Sherman said this would be a likely spot for her. Hope’s Love has had three easy half-mile works since the scratch. She went in 49.40 on May 24, 49.20 from the gate May 31, and 49.20 on June 7.
With a successful Pimlico season under his belt, Sal Sinatra, general manager of the Maryland Jockey Club, is switching his attention back to Laurel Park.
The Pimlico season, which ended last Saturday, was up 9.7 percent in daily average handle to $5.2 million. Sinatra said both ontrack handle and the exported simulcast signal showed increases.
Saturday’s $50,000 Albany Stakes marks the return of the 8-year-old Shudacudawudya from a 2 1/2-year layoff and the continuation of Slycy’s Cinderella story.
Golden Gate Fields concludes its long winter-spring meeting Sunday, and the Alameda County Fair in Pleasanton kicks off the Northern California summer-fair season next Thursday.
The Albany will be run at five furlongs on turf. Shudacudawudya won the Albany in 2012 when it was run at six furlongs on the main track. That summer, he also won the Jess Jackson at five furlongs on turf at Santa Rosa.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Shook Up, eased in the Grade 1 Acorn last Saturday at Belmont Park, will remain in a local equine clinic for about two weeks due to injuries she sustained during the race.
Shook Up had some skin removed from the tissue of her right front fetlock – an injury known as “degloving” – and the injury “penetrated her digital flexor tendon sheath,” according to Dr. Kyla Ortved of the Ruffian Equine Medical Center across the street from Belmont Park.
The sheath was scoped and cleaned, and the wound was closed, Ortved said.
ELMONT, N.Y. – The New York Racing Association said there were 94,128 $2 win tickets purchased on American Pharoah for last Saturday’s Belmont Stakes. Of those, 90,237 remain uncashed, many likely purchased as souvenirs.
Any winning mutuel tickets purchased in 2015 must be cashed by March 31. All revenue from uncashed mutuel tickets goes to New York state. American Pharoah returned $3.50 for a $2 win wager.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Curalina, who overcame a disastrous start to rally from last and win Saturday’s Grade 1 Acorn Stakes at Belmont Park, likely will make her next start in the Grade 1, $300,000 Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga on July 26, trainer Todd Pletcher said.
Pletcher said he will skip the Grade 1 Mother Goose with Curalina because it comes back in three weeks.
ELMONT, N.Y. – With five starts in the first five months and a week in 2015, Wedding Toast, the winner of the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps Stakes on Saturday at Belmont Park, could get a little freshening.
Wedding Toast rolled to a five-length victory over defending 3-year-old champion filly Untapable in Saturday’s $1 million Phipps, her third win in five starts this year.
“We’ve run her often this year for us, so we might skip the next one and look for later,” trainer Kiaran McLaughlin said. “Obviously, point for the Breeders’ Cup and back up from there.”
ELMONT, N.Y. – Long or short? One turn or two?
Those are two of the main questions trainer Shug McGaughey must now entertain when it comes to his newly minted Grade 1 millionaire Honor Code, who zoomed from last to first to win last Saturday’s $1.25 million Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont Park.
It was an electric performance turned in by a gorgeous animal with a strong pedigree.
“It makes the horse in every possible way now,” said McGaughey, who was thrilled to capture his first Met Mile.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Frosted had moved into second leaving the five-sixteenths pole of Saturday’s Belmont Stakes, and for a moment, trainer Kiaran McLaughlin allowed himself to get excited.
“I was excited for three strides when we turned for home and pulled out, then I looked at the leader, and whoops, he’s just starting to go now,” McLaughlin said, referring to American Pharoah.
American Pharoah kept going right into the history books, his 5 1/2-length victory in the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes enabling him to complete a Triple Crown sweep, the first since Affirmed in 1978.
ELMONT, N.Y. – After winning the Triple Crown, what can a horse do for an encore? It is a question that has not been asked for 37 years, but as with most of the 11 who preceded him, American Pharoah will get a chance to further cement his legacy with a post-Triple Crown campaign before he goes off to stud.
