Goldy Espony capped a terrific holiday weekend in New York for trainer Chad Brown by going gate to wire under Kendrick Carmouche to take Sunday’s $100,000 River Memories Stakes at Belmont Park.
Shaman Ghost caught another 3-1 shot, the lukewarm favorite Danish Dynaformer, in deep stretch to capture the 156th running of the $1 million Queen’s Plate under Rafael Hernandez at Woodbine on Sunday.
Garnet Barnsdale's analysis of the Monday 7/6 card at Mohawk Racetrack.
Go Blue Or Go Home ($36.60) won the Grade 2, $200,000 Highlander Stakes for the second time Sunday at Woodbine but for the first time on turf, breaking the six-furlong course record in the process.
Grand Bili notched his first stakes victory when turning back the favored Barbados in the Grade 3, $150,000 Carry Back Stakes on the Summit of Speed program Sunday at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.
Aldous Snow ($12.60) held off Dynamic Sky in the final strides to capture the Grade 3, $174,600 Singspiel Stakes for the second year in a row by a head under jockey Eurico Da Silva.
Dogwood Trail avenged her previous setback at the hands of Huasca four weeks earlier when it really counted, in her graded stakes debut, leading throughout to register a 1 1/4-length triumph over the 3-2 favorite in Sunday’s Grade 3, $150,000 Azalea Stakes for 3-year-old fillies.
Now that Monmouth Park has won the American Pharoah lottery, the hard work begins. How do you best prepare the facility to handle an all-time record crowd?
Ready Racer isn’t nearly as good as when he was named the champion sprinter in Alberta in 2013. Nonetheless, he is coming off a sharp win in a $17,500 claiming race going 6 1/2 furlongs June 17, and he appears to have a good chance of repeating when he runs in a slightly shorter race at the same level Wednesday evening at Northlands Park. The six-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds and up drew eight horses, and there is plenty of speed to set up the strong late move of Ready Racer.
Strut the Course made a three-wide move from off the pace under jockey Luis Contreras and held off a charging Watsdachances in the late going to capture the Grade 2, $226,000 Dance Smartly Stakes by a head at Woodbine.
