Clever Speed will try to carry his speed around three turns when he stretches out to a middle distance for the first time in a first-level allowance race that will serve as Monday’s feature at Northlands Park. He is the only horse with any semblance of speed among the six 3-year-olds and up in the one-mile race, and he could be hard to reel in if he breaks alertly under leading rider Rico Walcott.
Post time for the first of eight races is 1 p.m. Mountain.
Maryland-based trainer Dane Kobiskie and his primary client, PTK LLC, came within a whisker of finishing one-two-three with the 2-year-olds they ran in the Chenery Stakes on closisng day at Colonial Downs earlier this month. Two of those runners are wheeling right back and have a good chance of sweeping split divisions of Monday’s Strike Your Colors Stakes at Delaware Park. Both divisions are worth $50,000 and will be contested at 5 1/2 furlongs on the main track.
DEL MAR, Calif. - Richard’s Kid ended a year of frustration, and a span of 10 losses, with a thrilling defense of his title in Friday’s $100,500 Cougar II Handicap at Del Mar.
Ridden by Joe Talamo, Richard’s Kid ($10.80) closed from sixth in a field of seven to win the Grade 3 Cougar II Handicap over 1 1/2 miles by a half-length over even-money favorite Sky Kingdom. Pacesetter Blueskiesnrainbows was third.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – If there was ever an example of strength in numbers, Darley Stable showed it in the $100,000 Curlin Stakes on Friday at Saratoga, a race in which one of its 3-year-olds, Transparent, was disqualified for interference, but another Darley runner, Romansh, backed into the win.
Joha, narrowly beaten by Notacatbutallama in the $100,000 Solar Splendor Stakes on July 13, wheels back in two weeks to run in Sunday’s $100,000 Sir Cat Stakes at Saratoga.
Joha, winner of the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity at 2, finished 10th in the Grade 3 Hill Prince in June before the game front-running effort in the Solar Splendor.
Uptown Gal will face statebred company and her own age group in an attempt to win her third race of the season in the $75,000 Norm Barron Queen City Oaks at Beulah Park on Sunday. A field of seven 3-year-old Ohio fillies will contest the 1 1/8-mile Oaks.
Uptown Gal most recently finished second in a second-level allowance race going a mile at Presque Isle Downs on July 11. Trained by Jim Rankin, Uptown Gal won a March 23 maiden race at Turfway Park and a one-mile, entry-level allowance race on April 26 at Mountaineer Park.
Gabriel Lagunes will ride for the first time.
With 10 stakes wins between them, Dance to the Star and Wally Van appear to be the chief players in the $40,000 Mount Elbert at Arapahoe Park on Sunday. Dance to the Star has won the 1 1/16-mile race for Colorado-breds twice, last year and in 2010, while Wally Van captured the race in 2011.
The horses are part of a 10-horse field that also includes Tulsa Te, a three-time stakes winner who is a half-brother to multiple stakes winner Get Happy Mister.
DEL MAR, Calif. - Tiz the Key, a highly regarded Tiznow filly trained by Richard Mandella, makes her career debut in Sunday’s first race, which is for 2-year-old fillies.
Owned by Spendthrift Farm, Tiz the Key was purchased for $330,000 at the 2012 Keeneland September yearling sale, and she has impressed Mandella with her recent workouts.
“She’s working really nice,” Mandella said on Friday. “She can really run.”
That’s the Idea will attempt to build on a 15-length debut win Sunday when she meets the undefeated Lady Genius in the $193,730 Rio Grande Senorita Futurity at Ruidoso Downs. The race is one of 11 stakes for New Mexico-breds on a card worth more than $1.2 million. The program features seven races for Thoroughbreds and four for Quarter Horses.
DEL MAR, Calif. - Breeders’ Cup officials say they took an unconventional approach to the Breeders’ Cup prep race program this year by adding Sunday’s $300,000 Bing Crosby Stakes to the list of Win and You’re In races for the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Santa Anita in November.
