Alabama-breds will be in the spotlight Saturday night at Evangeline Downs in the $50,000 Cotton State Stakes. The one-mile race is for 3-year-olds and up bred in Alabama.
A field of eight has signed on, including three fillies.
Jovie G is one of them, and she could go favored on the strength of her win in the $50,000 Yellow Hammer over males on June 22 at Louisiana Downs.
Tim Thornton has the mount for trainer Jonathan Wong.
Castillo to Louisiana Downs
Robert Norman hit the jackpot at the Texas summer yearling sale in 2023, when he came away with both Coal Battle, an eventual millionaire being pointed to the Oklahoma Derby, and Secret Faith, who brings an 8-for-10 record into Friday night’s Grade 2, $750,000 Charles Town Oaks.
“They came out of the exact same sale,” Norman said.
The auction will be renewed Tuesday at Lone Star Park, and Norman said Lonnie Briley, who trains Coal Battle, and Jayde Gelner, who trains Secret Faith, will both be on the lookout for yearlings for his operation. That was the case in 2023.
Save for the Longacres Mile, where post-time favorite Arrowthegreat prevailed, Sunday at Emerald Downs was filled with upsets, which led to a 50-cent pick four returning $27,835. This Friday, the pick six carryover from Sunday is $12,382, while the pick five carryover is a record $78,841.
Snatching that bag will be a challenging chore. Still, there are some horses worth recommending.
Final declarations for the Yorkshire Oaks on Thursday at York Racecourse, Day Two of the Ebor Festival, hadn’t been made at press time Monday. But the antepost market set by British bookmakers suggests the result is a foregone conclusion.
Minnie Hauk – a winner of the Oaks at Epsom Downs and the Irish Oaks in her last two starts, 3 for 3 at age 3, and a four-time winner in five career starts – traded Monday at odds of about 4-11. Taking a price lower than 1-2 for a horse in a race three days hence suggests that the horse is something close to a cinch.
Jockey Kelsi Harr, who has been on a recent roll at Canterbury Park, has the mount on probable favorite Dual Monarchy in Thursday night’s featured ninth race. It’s a two-other-than allowance for 3-year-olds and up at a mile and has a claiming option of $30,000.
Harr has guided Dual Monarchy to two wins in his last three starts. His most recent came over seven furlongs when he defeated stakes winner Sir Sterling. Dual Monarchy will now be moving back to the distance over which he romped by more than 10 lengths on July 12 at Canterbury.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Steve Asmussen did not get much time to savor Magnitude’s 9 3/4-length victory in February’s Grade 2 Risen Star Stakes.
The morning after that Feb. 15 victory at Fair Grounds, Magnitude was diagnosed with a chip in his front left ankle that would require surgery, effectively removing him from Kentucky Derby consideration.
“Dinner tasted good, breakfast tasted like [crap],” Asmussen said.
Trainer Ray Ashford Jr. has some quality 2-year-olds in his Remington Park barn this season, among them It’s All Right. He won a division of the Texas Thoroughbred Association Sales Futurity at Lone Star Park and is coming off a third-place finish in the $100,000 Prairie Meadows Freshman on Saturday.
Ashford said last week that the son of Cairo Prince who races for Ron Stolich could develop into a candidate for the $150,000 Clever Trevor. The seven-furlong race for 2-year-olds is Sept. 28 at Remington.
Holly Dolly, who won sprint stakes at Remington Park and Zia Park, has been retired to join the broodmare band of her owner, Tom Durant, according to trainer Ray Ashford Jr.
“She’s moved into the broodmare business,” said Ashford.
Holly Dolly came to hand last year at Remington, where she won four straight races, including the Flashy Lady Stakes. From there, she added a fifth consecutive win when shipping to New Mexico for the Zia Park Distaff.
Sassy C W, winner of last month’s Prairie Gold Lassie at Prairie Meadows and the Astoria in June at Saratoga, is being pointed for an upcoming stakes at Kentucky Downs, according to her trainer, Larry Rivelli.
The $1 million Untapable on Sept. 7 is the goal for the unbeaten daughter of Yaupon. It is for 2-year-old fillies at 6 1/2 furlongs on turf.
“We’re going to try her on the turf and see if she can stay undefeated,” said Rivelli.
Colonial Downs will host eight Claiming Crown Preview races on Thursday, and no trainer is better prepared than Jamie Ness. Assembling some of his best runners from Delaware Park and Parx Racing, he entered seven strong contenders in search of automatic bids to Churchill Downs.
“I think it’s a good deal,” Ness said. “We happen to have a lot that qualify this year, and it’s nice to be able to run them here and seeing what we’ve got before we end up shipping all the way to Churchill.”
