Three European horses, including two trained by Aidan O’Brien, are shipping to Arlington Park for the trio of Grade 1 turf races on Aug. 14.
O’Brien is sending Armory for the $600,000 Mister D. and Santa Barbara for the $400,000 Beverly D. Stakes. Space Traveller, who ships from England, will start in the Mister D.
Big City Lights, the dazzling 2-year-old who won his first two starts at Santa Anita by nearly 20 combined lengths, will miss the Grade 2 Best Pal Stakes on Saturday at Del Mar and instead aim to the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity on Sept. 6.
Trained by Luis Mendez and owned by William Peeples, Big City Lights won his debut by more than 12 lengths, and followed with a romp by more than seven on June 20 in the $100,000 Fasig-Tipton Futurity. His 93 debut Beyer at 4 1/2 furlongs is the season’s highest by a U.S. 2-year-old; his 85 in the five-furlong stakes is fifth-highest.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Dalika, Luck Money, and Temple City – the 1-2-3 finishers from the Robert G. Dick Memorial at Delaware Park on July 10 – renew acquaintances in Saturday’s Grade 2, $250,000 Glens Falls Stakes at 1 1/2 miles on the turf at Saratoga.
Dalika, trained by Al Stall, was part of the early pace in the Dick, and held off a late charge from Luck Money, who was 13 lengths back at one stage, and Temple City, who was 18 lengths back.
Also entered in the Glens Falls are Call Me Love, War Like Goddess, Orglandes, and My Sister Nat.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Dreams of Tomorrow, a winner of two straight allowance races, will step back into stakes company when he runs in Saturday’s $120,000 Lure Stakes for horses who have not won a graded stakes in 2021. The Lure is at one mile on the turf.
Dreams of Tomorrow is trained by Shug McGaughey, who trained Lure, a two-time turf champion.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Bolshoi Ballet, winner of the Grade 1 Belmont Derby last month at Belmont Park, has made a return trip from Ireland to head an 11-horse field entered Wednesday for Saturday’s Grade 1, $1 million Saratoga Derby Invitational.
The Saratoga Derby is run at 1 3/16 miles and around a tighter-turned course than the 1 1/4-mile Belmont Derby, run around the wide, sweeping turns of Belmont Park.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The multiple Grade 1 winner Code of Honor could make his return to the races in the Grade 3, $250,000 Iselin Stakes on Aug. 21 at Monmouth Park, trainer Shug McGaughey said Wednesday.
Code of Honor, the 2019 Travers and Jockey Club Gold Cup winner, has not raced since he finished fifth in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Park on Jan 23. He was given time off for bone remodeling issues and he returned to the work tab in June at Niall Brennan’s Farm in Ocala, Fla.
Venetian Harbor was second in the Grade 1 Clement Hirsch Stakes for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles at Del Mar last Sunday in what is expected to be her only start of the summer meeting.
This fall, trainer Richard Baltas is likely to point Venetian Harbor to the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at seven furlongs or the BC Distaff at 1 1/8 miles. Both races are at Del Mar on Nov. 6.
Selecting a race will not be an easy decision, Baltas said on Wednesday.
“That’s a tough one,” he said. “I think she can get a mile, and a mile and a sixteenth on a fast track.”
The first three weeks of the Del Mar summer meeting have not been kind to trainer Phil D’Amato.
Through Sunday, D’Amato had 1 win from 31 runners, far below his normal productivity. Last summer at Del Mar, D’Amato had 20 wins from 83 starters, and was second in the trainers’ standings to Peter Miller, who had 28 wins.
“We’re definitely not where we want to be,” D’Amato said. “Things have been zigging and we’ve been zagging – bad posts and you name it.
Sword Zorro, winner of the Singletary Stakes at Santa Anita in April, will be trainer John Sadler’s lone starter in Sunday’s Grade 3 La Jolla Handicap for 3-year-olds on turf at Del Mar.
Sadler said on Wednesday that Rock Your World, the winner of the Santa Anita Derby in April, will be held out of the $150,000 La Jolla Handicap in favor of the Grade 2 Del Mar Derby on Sept. 4.
“He’s doing beautifully,” Sadler said. “We’re going to wait for a little more spacing for the Del Mar Derby.”
