SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – As if trainer Todd Pletcher’s arsenal wasn’t strong enough already, he’s also got two more of his big guns, Graydar and Shanghai Bobby, back on the work tab and getting ready to launch their comebacks later this season.
DEL MAR, Calif. – The $100,000 purse of the Graduation Stakes pales compared with the $1.5 million expected to be wagered Wednesday in the Del Mar pick six.
A $261,359 carryover is up for grabs on races 3-8, and bettors holding live tickets into the final two legs will find no easy spots in the race-7 feature.
The desired meeting between the three winners of this year’s Triple Crown races in the $1 million Travers at Saratoga on Aug. 24 is in jeopardy after Preakness winner Oxbow emerged from Sunday’s $1 million Haskell Invitational with a wrenched right front ankle.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Fort Larned carried 117 pounds when he picked up his first Grade 1 win in the 2012 Whitney. He returns to defend that title here Saturday under high weight of 122 pounds, an assignment he earned with a résumé that now features three Grade 1 triumphs, including his victory over Mucho Macho Man in the 2012 Breeders’ Cup Classic.
DEL MAR, Calif. – Include Me Out looks like she’s all set to defend her title in the Grade 1, $300,000 Clement Hirsch Stakes on Saturday at Del Mar. On Monday, she worked a half-mile in 46.80 seconds under regular rider Joe Talamo, and while the time equaled the fastest of 47 at the distance, she did it effortlessly.
EAST BOSTON, Mass. – When Suffolk Downs had a hand in the recent retirement of Convocation, a 7-year-old gelding once owned by Centennial Farms who had dropped to the bottom of the claiming ranks at the track offering the lowest purses on the East Coast, the horse got his happy ending. Although Convocation’s story is wonderful, it is nothing out of the ordinary at this track.
A strong second week of handle at Del Mar has propelled the track to significant increases over the comparable period in 2012.
Through the first two weeks of the meet, Del Mar’s overall daily handle was averaging $12,747,872, an increase of 8.6 percent from a year ago. Del Mar was up 5 percent after the first week, so the uptick during the second week was significant.
The ontrack numbers also are up, to an average of $2,596,137, a 5.9 percent jump from last year. After one week, the ontrack handle was up 3.3 percent.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Five Iron was on his game again here last Saturday, surviving a rainstorm and an inquiry involving the start to lead throughout the $127,750 Toronto Cup over 1 1/8 miles on turf.
The success in an open 3-year-old stakes was the second straight for Five Iron, who had captured the 1 1/8-mile Victoria Park on the main track in similar front-running fashion on June 16.
Live a Little is taking a significant step up in class, but he could be a handful when he runs in a second-level allowance race that will serve as Wednesday’s feature at Northlands Park. The one-mile race for 3-year-olds and up drew six horses and headlines an eight-race card that begins at 6 p.m. Mountain time.
Longtime agent Dennis Patterson is returning to his roots.
Patterson has been booking mounts for Frank Alvarado this summer as a favor for his friend Boon McCanna, but when the current Sonoma County Fair in Santa Rosa ends, he will move back to his brother Bill’s barn working with horses.
Patterson got his start in racing working for his father, also named Dennis, who died earlier this year.
“I think the reason anybody gets in the game is because of horses,” he said.
