Sun, 07/25/2021 - 16:28

Caravel hopes to be next female winner of BC Turf Sprint

Debra A. Roma
Caravel was given a 97 Beyer Speed Figure for her victory in the Caress Stakes at Saratoga on Saturday.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Females have won the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint each of the last two years and four times in the 13-year history of the race.

Caravel's connections hope to get the opportunity to continue that trend later this year. Caravel, who won Saturday’s Grade 3 Caress Stakes at Saratoga on Saturday, will be aimed at the Turf Sprint, this year a five-furlong race at Del Mar on Nov. 6.

The path to get there could include at least one start against males perhaps as early as Aug. 22 in the Grade 1, $300,000 Highlander Stakes at Woodbine.

Sun, 07/25/2021 - 13:19

Trainer gives credit to jockey for Maracuja's CCA Oaks upset

Barbara D. Livingston
Maracuja (2) catches Malathaat (1) to win the Coaching Club American Oaks on Saturday at Saratoga.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Even some 20 hours later, Rob Atras still sounded in shock when talking about his filly Maracuja’s upset over heavily favored Malathaat in Saturday’s $500,000 Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga, which gave the trainer his first career Grade 1 victory.

“Every win’s great. To win a race like that, a prestigious Grade 1, especially in Saratoga, I can’t put it into words,” Atras said. “I never expected it, caught me off guard.”

Sat, 07/24/2021 - 19:38

Sunday pick-six carryover is $257,811

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - There will be a pick-six carryover of $257,811 into Sunday’s card at Saratoga after the wager went unhit Saturday.

There were live tickets to five of the 11 horses entering the last leg, but when Mike’s Girl ($19) won the finale, that triggered the carryover.

The pick six, which is a $1 minimum wager, had a pool of $405,240 on Saturday.

The sequence began in race 6 with first-time starter Midnight Worker ($22) upsetting a field of 2-year-old maidens. Sifting Sands, despite being a turf horse trained by Chad Brown, returned $58 in race 7.

Sat, 07/24/2021 - 16:57

Life Is Good, Essential Quality, First Captain work within minutes of each other

Barbara Livingston
Essential Quality breezes five furlongs outside Bingo John for next Saturday's Jim Dandy Stakes. Luis Saez was aboard for the work.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Life Is Good was the top 3-year-old this winter. Essential Quality, last year’s 2-year-old champion, emerged as the top 3-year-old of the spring. First Captain is attempting to get into the conversation this summer.

On Saturday, at dawn in Saratoga, the trio of 3-year-olds, each put in workouts within about a 10-minute span.

Life Is Good, now in the barn of Todd Pletcher, worked four furlongs in 48.88 seconds just after the Oklahoma training track opened at 5:30 a.m. He got his last quarter in 23.76 seconds.

Fri, 07/23/2021 - 16:38

Jockeys suspended for violating Monmouth whip rule

Two jockeys have been suspended five days each and fined $500 by Monmouth Park stewards for violating the strict whip rules put in place this year by the New Jersey Racing Commission.

The pair of cases are the first to come up at the Monmouth meet, which began in late May.

Carlos Montalvo was suspended from Aug. 24 through Aug. 28 after stewards held a July 16 hearing regarding his case. Carlos Lopez waived his right to a hearing and was suspended July 24 through 28.

Fri, 07/23/2021 - 16:17

Dirt races moved to turf at Ellis Park after tractor damages inner rail

Because the inner rail on the main track incurred damage, two of the last four races Friday at Ellis Park (races 5 and 7) were switched to the turf course. The other two remaining races already were scheduled for the turf.

Track spokeswoman Jennie Rees said a safety issue became apparent when, during a routine resurfacing, a tractor accidentally ran into the rail about 100 yards from the wire, damaging it. Whether main-track races could be run Saturday and Sunday was still to be determined as of late Friday afternoon.

Fri, 07/23/2021 - 15:10

Maxfield works over main track for Whitney

Debra A. Roma
Maxfield (left) works Friday at Saratoga with Business Model. He runs next in the Aug. 7 Whitney at Saratoga.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Maxfield got his first feel for the Saratoga main track Friday when he worked five furlongs in 1:01 09 in company with Business Model. Maxfield got his final quarter in 24.40 seconds and galloped out six furlongs in 1:14.41 and seven furlongs in 1:27.46.

Maxfield, winner of the Grade 2 Stephen Foster at Churchill Downs in his most recent start, is pointing to the Grade 1 Whitney on Aug. 7.

Fri, 07/23/2021 - 15:06

Kimari ‘not quite right,' held out of Honorable Miss

Coady Photography
Grade 1 Madison Stakes winner Kimari was scheduled to run next Wednesday in the Honorable Miss at Saratoga but was not entered.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Kimari, the Grade 1 Madison Stakes winner, was held out of a planned start in next Wednesday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Honorable Miss Handicap when entries were taken Friday.

Trainer Wesley Ward said he felt the 4-year-old filly wasn’t 100 percent this week. Though a complete evaluation by Dr. Luis Castro, complete with X-rays and ultrasounds, showed no physical issues, Ward said he wasn’t comfortable entering Kimari in the six-furlong race.

Fri, 07/23/2021 - 15:00

Channel Maker to start his second half in Bowling Green

Barbara D. Livingston
Channel Maker, with War Like Goddess to his outside, works six furlongs Friday over the Oklahoma turf course.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – After chasing big prizes in the Middle East during the winter, Channel Maker, North America’s male turf champion of 2020, will kick off the U.S. portion of his 7-year-old campaign in next Saturday’s Grade 2, $250,000 Bowling Green Stakes at Saratoga.

Fri, 07/23/2021 - 14:46

Quick work puts Beren's next start up in the air

Bill Denver/Equi-Photo
Beren wins the Crowd Pleaser Stakes at Parx Racing by 9 1/2 lengths.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Butch Reid Jr. would love to run his red-hot 3-year-old Beren next Friday in the 1 1/8-mile Curlin at Saratoga. But after Beren worked four furlongs in a blistering 46.78 seconds here just before the renovation break on Friday, Reid is having second thoughts.

“His work this morning was too good, too fast,” Reid said. “I really wanted him to go like he did last time, easy, in 48 and change, which is why I didn’t put a jock on him. It just doesn’t feel right to send him a mile and one-eighth in one week off a work like this.”