Big Macher is the reason Richard Baltas has one of the larger stables in Southern California. The success Baltas has had with Big Macher brought him new clients and deserved recognition for the outstanding training job he’s done overall, and the gift has kept on giving, for Big Macher showed on Monday at Del Mar that he’s back and ready for more.
All good things must come to an end, and so it was Monday for two-time Horse of the Year Wise Dan, whose connections retired him just a few days short of an intended comeback race in the Woodbine Mile.
Killin Me Smalls cruised to a five-length win over Wild Legend in the $75,000 Speed to Spare at Northlands Park on Monday. He paid $7.40 as the second choice in the 1 3/8-mile race for 3-year-olds and up.
Blessed by beautiful weather, full fields, and the appearance of a Triple Crown winner, Saratoga set records for all-sources and ontrack handle in 2015.
Mei Ling made her stakes debut a winning one and helped jockey Nik Juarez remain red-hot Monday at Monmouth Park, sticking her head in front of the pacesetting Checkupfromzneckup with a furlong to go and battling to a three-quarter-length victory in the $74,500 Lighthouse Stakes.
Trainer Doug O’Neill was planning to ship his California-bred stakes winner Mrazek to Saratoga for Monday’s Grade 1 Hopeful Stakes until that horse came out of his most recent workout with body soreness that most likely will sideline him for the remainder of the year.
Like many turf courses in the Northeast, where rain has been scarce this summer, Parx's grass is quite firm and carrying speed farther than it would during a normal year.
Key to Power capitalized on a swift pace when rallying to a two-length victory Monday in the traditional meet-ending feature at Ellis Park, the $50,000 Cliff Guilliams Handicap.
Ironicus helped close out the Saratoga meeting with a record-setting performance Monday, rallying from last to an impressive 1 1/4-length victory over Grand Tito and five other rivals in the $250,000 Bernard Baruch Handicap.
Coming into the $200,000 Turf Amazon Handicap at Parx Racing on Monday, Richies Sweetheart had made the lead in 15 straight races. Well, add on one more.
