ELMONT, N.Y. – With the Belmont Stakes in the rearview mirror, the countdown to opening day at Saratoga begins for followers of this circuit. For the record, including Wednesday, there are 24 racing days remaining at Belmont Park before the action shifts upstate for seven weeks.
There figures to be more appealing offerings than Wednesday’s nine-race card, one topped by a $57,000 first-level New York-bred allowance at six furlongs that drew a field of 10 fillies and mares.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Dynamic Sky, who had been blanked in four starts since winning the seven-furlong Pasco Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs on Jan. 12, got back on target when he scored by a nose here in Sunday’s 1 1/8-mile Plate Trial.
Mark Casse, who trains Dynamic Sky for John Oxley, had watched the colt finish third here in the seven-furlong Queenston and had brought in jockey Joel Rosario for the $150,000 Plate Trial for Canadian-bred 3-year-olds.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Bob Baffert has found his Haskell horse.
Despite being a non-factor in this year’s Triple Crown – his only runner, Govenor Charlie, finished next-to-last in the Preakness – Baffert could be a presence in the second half of the 3-year-old season with Power Broker.
On Saturday, Power Broker won his second straight race, a pace-prompting 3 3/4-length victory in the $150,000 Easy Goer Stakes at Belmont Park. Power Broker was coming off an allowance win at Churchill four weeks earlier.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Fort Larned had his final workout toward the Stephen Foster Handicap when breezing five furlongs in 1:01.40 early Monday over a muddy Churchill Downs surface.
Regular rider Brian Hernandez Jr. was aboard Fort Larned for the work, which was his seventh since his last race, a fifth-place finish in the April 13 Oaklawn Handicap. He is one of six older horses expected Saturday night for the Grade 1, $500,000 Foster.
“He went great, finished up real well,” Hernandez said. “He’s happy, I’m happy.”
Purely Hot stayed close to the pace early and then rallied into the stretch to win the $100,000 Satin and Lace Stakes at Presque Isle Downs on Sunday evening.
Jockey Harry Vega kept the 5-year-old mare to the outside of the pace to the turn and rallied to take the lead. Trained by Nick Caruso, Purely Hot drew off in upper stretch and was kept to task to win by five lengths.
Dr. Diamonds Prize, under Deshawn Parker, overcame bumping in the lane to take second, a neck in front of the Ryan Walsh-trained, late-closing Sally Sally in third.
AUBURN, Wash. – Exclusive Diva zipped to an impressive victory Sunday at Emerald Downs in the $50,000 Washington State Legislators Handicap for fillies and mares.
In winning for the seventh time in 11 starts, Exclusive Diva disposed of her nemesis, E Z Kitty, and four others to win by 1 1/4 lengths. She ran 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:14.88 and paid $5.20.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Dance the Wind took advantage of a hotly contested pace to win the $50,000 Vancouver Sun for fillies and mares at Hastings on Sunday. She paid $14.10 as the second choice in the wagering behind Evelyn’s Dancer, who finished last after dueling with Overvalued and P. S. Touch Down during the early stages of the 1 1/16-mile race.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. – It only seems that jockey Joe Talamo has won all the stakes at the spring-summer meeting at Betfair Hollywood Park.
On Sunday, Talamo won his seventh stakes since May 18 with the improving Unusual Hottie in the $90,370 Redondo Beach Stakes for turf females. Talamo rode Unusual Hottie to victory in the Fran’s Valentine Stakes on May 18, the day he began a streak of five consecutive stakes wins that lasted until May 26.
On Saturday, Talamo won the Grade 2 Charles Whittingham Handicap with Tale of a Champion.
Cartel Quick remained undefeated in two starts Sunday, when he held on for a nose win over You N How Many More in the Grade 1, $750,000 Ruidoso Downs Futurity for Quarter Horses.
The race was the first of three major futurities run each season at the New Mexico track. The Rainbow is next month, while the All American Futurity will be held in September.
Odds-on favorite Surfcup ($3.80) improved his record on turf to 3 for 3 with a facile win in the $100,000 Silky Sullivan on Sunday at Golden Gate Fields.
Coming off a win in the $300,000 Snow Chief at Betfair Hollywood Park, Surfcup won his second straight stakes for 3-year-old California-breds. He covered a mile on the Lakeside Turf Course in 1:37.54 to defeat the comebacking Gervinho by a length.
