ELMONT, N.Y. – The connections of Notacatbutallama thought they were “stealing” when they entered their recent Grade 3 stakes winner in Saturday’s $100,000 Solar Splendor, a listed stakes at Belmont Park.
Lo and behold, the 1 1/16-mile turf race drew three other graded stakes winners, making it arguably the toughest field the New York-bred Notacatbutallama has faced to date.
In her last seven starts, Hurricane Girl has three wins and a near-miss while running for a $40,000 claiming tag, so it’s clear that she fits well at that level. The question handicappers must answer in Tuesday’s $45,000 turf feature at Indiana Downs is whether Hurricane Girl can maintain that good form while stepping up substantially in class and changing barns for the third time since January.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Scott Finley has been hired by the New York Racing Association as the company’s director of simulcasting, it was announced Saturday.
Finley will start Aug. 1, replacing Liz Bracken, who is leaving NYRA to teach at the University of Arizona’s Racetrack Industry Program.
If Sports Report can reproduce the 76 Beyer Speed Figure he earned going 1 1/16 miles in a $16,000 claiming race for non-winners of two at Betfair Hollywood Park on June 13, he’ll be tough to beat in a first-level allowance race for 3-year-olds and up at Northlands Park on Monday. The 6 1/2-furlong sprint headlines an eight-race card that begins at 1 p.m. Mountain.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. – They came out one-by-one onto Betfair Hollywood Park’s turf course Friday morning, three horses trained by Jeff Mulllins, bound for workouts.
Unusual Hottie, the stakes-winning California-bred miler, was followed by the 3-year-olds Dry Summer and Gabriel Charles, each going five or six furlongs. Individually, they give Mullins excellent chances for stakes wins at Del Mar this summer. Add the older horses Chips All In and Wilkinson, and Mullins has his best team of turf horses for Del Mar.
What do you do for an encore after winning your fourth straight race for your new connections and setting a track record? In the case of the 7-year-old gelding New Yawker, he’s switching surfaces and running with a claiming tag on his head.
New Yawker, whose current winning streak does include a pair of turf sprints, will follow up on his record-setting performance on dirt by sprinting five furlongs on grass in Monday’s $37,000 feature at Delaware Park.
A look up and down the lineup for Sunday's $40,000 Colorado Derby at Arapahoe Park reveals one main story line: speed, speed and more speed. So, when the 10 3-year-olds go at it over the 1 1/16 miles, the question for players is, do you try to find a closer or the survivor of all that speed?
The $35,000 CTBA Futurity, at six furlongs for Colorado-breds, also is on the Sunday docket.
Needmore Flattery goes for a second consecutive win to begin her career in the $50,000 Hoover at Beulah Park on Sunday. Trained by Tim Hamm, Needmore Flattery won at first asking July 6 at Thistledown in a wide-open maiden event by nearly two lengths in ridden-out fashion. That event was at five furlongs, a half-furlong shorter than the 5 1/2-furlong Hoover. Irwin Rosendo retains the mount.
Hamm also sends out first-time starter Luvaflatterer. Both of Hamm's entrants are fillies.
