Bad trips cost Soul Driver in his races earlier this year. Good trips have helped him in his last two starts, never more so than opening day Thursday at Del Mar, when jockey Mike Smith extricated him from a potentially difficult spot heading to the far turn, and guided him to a narrow victory over a stubborn Forest Blue in the $116,000 Oceanside Stakes for 3-year-old grass runners.
A yearling sale that was scheduled for next month at Lone Star Park near Dallas will not be conducted this year, according to Jeff Hooper, the Thoroughbred auction liaison for Western Bloodstock.
Son of a Nut, trained by Jeffrey Greenhill, was a sharp winner of the $89,550 William Henry Harrison, while Higher Logic captured the $88,750 Shelby County for trainer Mike Lauer in a pair of stakes Thursday at Indiana Grand.
Curvy has won all four of her starts at age 3, and on Saturday at The Curragh in Ireland, she will be among the favorites to win at the Group 1 level for the first time when she meets nine rivals in the Irish Oaks.
One bettor hit the 20-cent Rainbow 6 jackpot at Gulfstream Park on Thursday, earning a payoff of $164,483.
Although not long on quality – no surprise there, what with the stakes-loaded Stars and Stripes Festival happening just two weeks ago and Saratoga opening next week – the final Saturday card of the Belmont Park spring-summer meet does have a few races I found interesting. So, I’ll center my pari-mutuel day, at least in terms of Belmont, around them.
Download DRF Plus handicapping reports for Friday's races, including DRF Bets GamePlan, the Positive ROI Report, and Key Race Report.
The pick four at Del Mar on Friday begins with a wide-open event in Race 5 but closes with a horse who looks like a standout in Race 8. I am going to build a ticket around (2) URLOVENEVERFAILS. The 3-year-old filly just missed when she debuted in a California-bred maiden special weight race at Santa Anita on June 19, and she figures to take a big step forward with a race behind her.
In three starts, Ahh Chocolate has done little wrong, and if her line of progress holds Saturday night at Indiana Grand, she should notch her first stakes victory in the Grade 2, $200,000 Indiana Oaks.
Derick Giwner's analysis of the Saturday 7/18 card at The Meadowlands.
