SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – There are a million ways to celebrate Memorial Day, but trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. may have found a new one. This past Monday, Joseph spent the afternoon sitting in his hotel room in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., rooting home three members of his potent stable in stakes races, with Be Your Best and Skippylongstocking making it a holiday to remember after capturing the Grade 1 Gamely and Grade 2 Hollywood Gold Cup at Santa Anita.
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DRF Past Performances
ARCADIA, Calif. – An hour after Seismic Beauty’s dominant win in Sunday’s Grade 2 Santa Margarita Stakes at Santa Anita, syndicate manager Joe Moran stood beaming near the track’s paddock.
Moran, 30, had watched the 4-year-old Seismic Beauty take command of the $200,000 Santa Margarita Stakes at the start and lead throughout, sailing to a five-length win in her stakes debut.
“She’s 4 and just getting going,” Moran said.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Iron Man Cal, second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Del Mar last November, but sixth in the Grade 1 American Turf Stakes at Churchill Downs on May 3 in his first race this year, is scheduled to start in the $100,000 Oceanside Stakes at Del Mar on July 18.
The gap between the $1 million American Turf and the restricted Oceanside is not ideal, trainer Phil D’Amato said over the weekend at Santa Anita.
“I wish there was a race at the end of the meet [at Santa Anita],” he said.
The popular border oval Fort Erie launches its 2025 season on Tuesday with an eight-race card, the first of 40 racing days during a meet which is scheduled to conclude Oct. 21.
Racing will be conducted on Tuesdays until June 15, Father’s Day, the first of four Sunday programs during the meet. Mondays will be added to the schedule June 23. There will be no Tuesday racing June 17, July 15, July 29, and Aug. 19.
Ag Bullet ended her 2024 season nearly winning the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint over five furlongs and finishing a strong third in the Grade 1 Matriarch at one mile, but her 2025 campaign began with a whimper. Favored in the Grade 3 Unbridled Sidney Stakes on May 2 at Churchill Downs, Ag Bullet pulled a tough trip and couldn’t overcome it, finishing seventh.
Wesley Ward unveiled a serious 2-year-old for Royal Ascot on Friday at Churchill, where first-time starter Outfielder debuted in a five-furlong grass race and won by 6 1/4 lengths, barely asked for anything by jockey John Velazquez.
Outfielder, by Speightstown, contested a fast pace and still got his final furlong in a robust 11.45. Outfielder was sent off as the 1-5 favorite in a 10-horse field.
Trainer Mark Casse could find no excuse – other than, perhaps, a sloppy track – for 3-year-old filly La Cara’s ninth-place finish in the Kentucky Oaks.
No excuse was required earlier on the Oaks card for the Casse-trained 3-year-old turf filly Nitrogen, who won her fourth graded stakes race of 2025 with an easy score in the Edgewood.
Thorpedo Anna might return sometime in the coming months to Saratoga, where she won two Grade 1s last summer and nearly took down Fierceness in the Travers Stakes – but probably not next month.
Trainer Kenny McPeek said he’d nominated Thorpedo Anna to the Ogden Phipps on June 6 at Saratoga but is much more inclined to stay home at Churchill Downs and await the Fleur de Lis Stakes on June 28.
The larger point: Thorpedo Anna, after finishing last of seven May 2 as the 2-5 favorite in the La Troienne at Churchill, seems set to resume racing next month.
The 2024 stakes winners Shea Brennan and Speedy Wilson are noticeable absentees from Saturday’s program for California-breds at Santa Anita, but are in training for summertime comebacks, trainer Phil D’Amato said.
Both colts are by Tough Sunday and are owned and bred by Nick Alexander.
Speedy Wilson has not raced since a win in the Golden State Juvenile for 2-year-old statebreds at seven furlongs at Del Mar last November. He missed a scheduled start in the King Glorious Stakes at Los Alamitos in December because of an elevated temperature, D’Amato said at the time.
Miso Phansy, second by a nose in the Grade 3 Honeymoon Stakes on turf at Santa Anita last Sunday, will be withdrawn from Saturday’s $125,000 Melair Stakes for 3-year-old California-bred fillies, trainer Leonard Powell said.
Entries for the Melair were taken last Sunday morning. Powell said the Melair was an option for Miso Phansy if she did not perform to expectations in the Honeymoon Stakes.