Seymourdini to wait until Kelso

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Linda Rice said Monday that she does not plan to run the red-hot Seymourdini here this summer and will point the son of Bernardini to the Kelso at Belmont Park on Sept. 23. Seymourdini has won his last three starts by an average margin of 12 lengths, with the first two of those victories coming at Laurel Park and the most recent a 10 1/2-length triumph in an overnight stakes at Belmont Park for which he received a 113 Beyer Speed Figure.

“He’s not even here right now,” Rice said of Seymourdini. “I couldn’t find the right race for him at this meet. Seven furlongs is too short, and I don’t want to go two turns with him. The ultimate goal right now is the Cigar Mile, not the Breeders’ Cup. I prefer to keep him on the East Coast.”

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Rice, who won the Saratoga training title in 2009, got off to a quick start at the current session, winning a pair of races on opening weekend.

“I didn’t expect to get off to such a good start because we ran a lot of horses at Belmont, especially the last two weeks,” said Rice. “But it’s nice to get the first and second wins out of the way, and hopefully we can keep it going.”

Rice said winning the training title here was one of her greatest moments in racing, but it won’t be easy to defeat Chad Brown or Todd Pletcher this year.

“It was exciting, fun, and one of my proudest accomplishments, although it took a perfect storm that summer to do it,” said Rice, who tied for the training title this past spring at Laurel. “But winning at Saratoga these days is a tough task against Chad and Todd, who really gear up for this meet.”