Retama Park: 'Saturday' goes longer

Saturday Deelites should benefit from the added distance he picks up in the $65,000 Retama Park Breeders' Cup Turf Handicap at Retama Park.

A 1 1/16-mile race, the Retama BC is the first stakes race of the meet, and the purse for this year's running was boosted from $50,000. Nine older horses will compete, including Goosey Moose and defending champ A R Crackers.

Saturday Deelites last raced in a hot-paced one-mile turf stakes, the $40,000 Bob Johnson Memorial at Lone Star Park on July 22. He finished fourth, 1 1/2 lengths behind winner Nobodywantmetilnow, who covered the distance in 1:34.80.

Saturday Deelites has registered his last two wins at distances beyond a mile, one at 1 1/16 miles at Churchill Downs in May and the other at 1 1/8 miles at Gulfstream Park in March. Both were turf races for a claiming price of $50,000.

Trainer Chris Hartman has given the mount to Alfredo Juarez Jr.

Goosey Moose and A R Crackers also exit the Bob Johnson. Goosey Moose was fifth in the race, which has already produced one return winner in Cajole. Second in the Bob Johnson, Cajole captured a one-mile turf allowance at Remington Park in 1:36.48 last Sunday.

Goosey Moose is one of the top older horses in trainer Danny Pish's stable this meet. He carries high weight of 118 pounds for the Retama BC, giving a pound to both Saturday Deelites and A R Crackers. Roman Chapa has the mount on Goosey Moose.