SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Tappan Street, who beat Sovereignty in the Grade 1 Florida Derby before an injury knocked him off the Triple Crown trail, is progressing toward a return to the races by the end of the year, according to Elliott Walden, president and CEO of WinStar Farm which co-owns the colt.

Tappan Street has been galloping at WinStar Farm for two weeks, and he could have his first breeze by the end of August or in early September. Walden said Tappan Street would have a few breezes at WinStar before shipping to trainer Brad Cox at Churchill Downs, likely in October.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – There may not have been a more impressive debut-winning 2-year-old filly at the 2024 Saratoga meet than Senza Parole.

Never touched with the whip and kept several paths wide in the stretch, Senza Parole won her debut by 7 1/2 lengths. She ran six furlongs in 1:09.84 and earned a 94 Beyer Speed Figure. Stunner, the horse who finished second in that race, came back to win her next two starts, including the Tempted Stakes.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Obliteration, winner of the Grade 3 Sanford Stakes and runner-up in the Grade 2 Saratoga Special, both on dirt, will attempt the turf in the $1 million Kentucky Downs Juvenile Turf Sprint on Aug. 31, trainer Steve Asmussen said.

Obliteration has worked twice on the turf, including on Friday, when he went a half-mile in 48.71 seconds over the Oklahoma turf course, according to Daily Racing Form’s Mike Welsch.

The closing-day feature of Ellis Park’s summer 2025 meeting has the feel of a race that came up four days before opening day of the 2025 Kentucky Downs meet.

The Ellis Park Turf, carded for older fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles on grass, offers a purse of $150,000. That is $20,000 less than a maiden race at all-turf Kentucky Downs. And this coming Saturday, Aug. 30, Kentucky Downs cards a race in the same division, the Ladies Turf, worth $2 million.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Mother Nature may be Rhetorical’s biggest rival Sunday when the lightly raced 4-year-old gelding attempts to make his stakes debut in the $150,000 West Point Stakes for New York-breds at Saratoga.

The West Point is scheduled for 1 1/16 miles on the Mellon Turf course, but there is a 40 percent chance of rain Sunday. Oddly, the West Point drew just six runners for turf, but seven for the main track.

As comebacks go, Sweet Azteca was perfect at Los Alamitos on July 5, winning the Grade 2 Great Lady M. Stakes in track-record time in her first start since October. Seven weeks later, Sweet Azteca will be a massive favorite to win Sunday’s Grade 3 Rancho Bernardo Handicap at Del Mar, a race she won by seven lengths as the 1-10 favorite in 2024.

Talliyah Timentwa may be introverted and small of stature, but no one will ever confuse her for being timid. To the contrary, the word that her acquaintances use most frequently to describe the 19-year-old apprentice jockey is “brave.”

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Trainer Bill Tharrenos is loaded for the two $200,000 juvenile stakes on Sunday’s Woodbine card for graduates of Canadian yearling sales, the Simcoe and Muskoka.

In the 6 1/2-furlong Simcoe for colts and geldings, Tharrenos sends out Bank On Big Winner, Big Bold and First, and Silver Is Best. Bank On Big Winner graduated second time out in front-running style in a six-furlong Ontario-sired and $40,000 maiden-claiming sprint under Omar Moreno, for which he got a 55 Beyer Speed Figure.