VANCOUVER, British Columbia – With summer kicking in, 2-year-olds will start to take a more prominent role at the Hastings meet, which is more than a third of the way completed. Saturday’s fourth race, a maiden special weight race for 2-year-olds, drew nine horses and, not surprisingly, trainer Greg Tracy has a couple of very live-looking first-time starters in the field.
Post time for the first of eight races carded is 1:50 p.m. Pacific.
The best race of Air Support’s 18-start career might have been his win in the 2011 Virginia Derby at Colonial Downs, and one of his better performances last season came at Colonial when he was second to a loose-on-the-lead Turbo Compressor in the Colonial Turf Cup. Back in Virginia for another crack at the Grade 2, $300,000 Turf Cup on Saturday, Air Support looks like the favorite in an eight-horse field.
“He runs on about anything, but his two races down there were both really strong,” New York-based trainer Shug McGaughey said.
OCEANPORT, N.J. – Silverette, a comfortable and confident winner of the Red Cross Stakes on Memorial Day, returns to Monmouth Park on Saturday for the $60,000 Blue Sparkler Stakes for filly and mare sprinters.
Silverette landed the rail against five rivals going six furlongs. Paco Lopez has the return call.
A couple of first-level allowance races for 3-year-olds will share top billing at Northlands Park on Saturday.
Keene On Demand looks like the one to beat in the shorter version, which drew six horses going 6 1/2 furlongs in the second race. Just Gone should appreciate stretching out to a mile in the ninth race, which drew seven horses. Post time for the first of 10 races carded is 1 p.m. Mountain.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The summer solstice doing what it does to this western cusp of the Eastern time zone, the sun will still be up when the $100,000 Debutante Stakes is run on an 11-race Downs After Dark card Saturday night at Churchill Downs.
First post is 6 p.m. Eastern, with the Debutante, the seventh race, set for 9:05. This timing portends the perhaps unintended consequence of 11 2-year-old fillies competing in daylight, as opposed to the more glamorous scenario of under the sparkling lights.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Owner/trainer Dennis Lalman was suspended seven days and fined $1,000 after his horse Guyana Princess was found to have a substance banned for raceday use in her system following two races.
The suspension, which went into effect Thursday, was reduced from 15 days for Lalman waiving his right of appeal and is reflective of what a written ruling from the New York State Gaming Commission called “investigation findings.”
The two horses arrived at Santa Anita in May, fresh from a trip from South America and a weeklong quarantine in Miami. The 4-year-olds Di Giorgio and Safety Belt were first and second in separate Group 1 races in Argentina on May 1 and became the newest members of trainer Ron McAnally’s stable when they arrived in Southern California a few weeks ago. They are not well known in American racing.
Give McAnally time.
Trainer Steve Specht was impressed by Marks Mine when she began training as a 2-year-old, but apparently bettors were not. Marks Mine sped away from the field to win a 5 1/2-furlong maiden race by 3 1/2 lengths at Santa Rosa last summer in her debut, returning $44.40.
She’s continued to impress Specht in the seven starts since, and bettors have caught on, too. Marks Mine figures to be well bet Saturday in the $50,000 California Wine Stakes at the Alameda County Fair in Pleasanton. The six-furlong race for 3-year-old fillies attracted a field of seven.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Doinghardtimeagain can prove in Saturday’s $150,000 Hollywood Oaks at Betfair Hollywood Park that she is capable of winning more than stakes for California-breds.
Already a winner of 4 of 8 starts and $483,770, Doinghardtimeagain makes her graded stakes debut in the Grade 2 Hollywood Oaks for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles on the synthetic main track. It is a surface that Doinghardtimeagain has proven she adores.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Trainer Ricky Griffith, known for sending out precocious juveniles, entered No Fruit Degroote and Ba Ba Brett in the first 2-year-old stakes of the Woodbine meet on Saturday, the $150,000 Victoria.
Griffith captured last year’s five-furlong Victoria with Ray’s Away, who was subsequently sold for a pretty penny. Ray’s Away was owned then by Debmar Stable, which owns both Griffith runners in Saturday’s renewal.
