SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The most authoritative victory on Saturday's Travers Day card belonged to the 3-year-old filly Artemis Agrotera, who defeated older rivals in the Grade 1 Ballerina by 6 1/2 lengths.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Shortly after 5:30 a.m. and only minutes before a thick fog enveloped Saratoga, two-time reigning Horse of the Year Wise Dan put in an eye-catching half-mile workout in 48.10 seconds Sunday in preparation for Saturday’s Grade 2, $250,000 Bernard Baruch Handicap.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Decisions won’t be made for several weeks, but don’t be surprised if the top three finishers from Saturday’s Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers Stakes at Saratoga end up meeting again in the $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup on Sept. 27 at Belmont Park.
Pat Mouton reached a milestone of 1,000 career training wins since 1976 on Saturday, when Hylands Will ($3.40) won the fourth race at Louisiana Downs. The horse owned by Iron Oak Stable won the $12,500 maiden-claiming sprint by five lengths under jockey Richard Eramia.
Mouton began training in 1970, which pre-dates by six years the start of the racing industry’s computerized database of win records. Prior to 1976, annual win and start records are available in old issues of the American Racing Manual.
Frac Daddy, the winner of two stakes on synthetic tracks at Keeneland and Woodbine earlier this year, was withdrawn from Sunday’s $1 million Pacific Classic on Saturday after getting a leg over the webbing of his stall, track officials and trainer Ken McPeek said.
McPeek said that Frac Daddy’s injury was being evaluated on Saturday. He said Frac Daddy would be sent to Kentucky soon for treatment and continued evaluation by prominent veterinarian Dr. Larry Bramlage.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – On Friday, the Bill Mott-trained Cigar Street finished second, beaten a half-length by Pick of the Litter, in a third-level allowance race going 1 1/8 miles. It was his first start since winning the Grade 3 Skip Away Stakes at Gulfstream Park in March 2013.
“You can be disappointed that he didn’t win, but you can’t be disappointed that he showed up,” Mott said. “You got to be happy with him. Who even knew if he’d really relish the mud?”
Mott said the Jockey Club Gold Cup on Sept. 27 at Belmont Park is an option.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Riposte, the Juddmonte Farms-owned, Bill Mott-trained mare who has won two graded stakes this year on the turf, will not race again this year, and her racing future will be decided at a later date.
Riposte, winner of the Sheepshead Bay and New York Stakes – both Grade 2 stakes at Belmont this spring – has been turned out at Juddmonte Farms in Kentucky, according to Garrett O’Rourke, the operation’s U.S.-based racing manager.
Trainer Ron McAnally’s stable suffered a difficult blow on Friday when Quick Casablanca was sent to a local vet clinic to be treated for colic, the day before a scheduled start in the $200,000 Del Mar Handicap.
Quick Casablanca is expected to recover, but will not race for several months, at best.
Meanwhile, McAnally will send Miss Serendipity in the $200,000 Yellow Ribbon Handicap over 1 1/16 miles on turf on Sept. 1.
Miss Serendipity won the Grade 1 Gamely Stakes at Santa Anita on May 26, but was a troubled sixth in the Grade 2 John Mabee Stakes here on Aug. 10.