The German-bred filly Matilda finished fifth at 19-1 debuting March 30 at Cologne in a conditions race. Two starts and four months later, much has changed – including her owner, trainer, and jockey, and country of residence.
At odds of 9-1, Matilda romped second time out in another Cologne conditions race, and at 25-1 on May 18, she absolutely crushed eight rivals, six of them colts, in the Group 2 German 2000 Guineas. Tracking the leader in a one-turn mile, Matilda took command in midstretch and powered to a 6 1/2-length victory.
Of course, 34-year-old Miguel Clement walked into a ready-made stable when he took over head training duties from his father after the esteemed, beloved Christophe Clement died in early June. It did not take an eagle eye to see, with his first starters at Saratoga, Miguel Clement carried on his shoulders both the sadness of his father’s passing and the weight of expectations.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) is responding to the investigations into suspicious sports betting involving Cleveland Guardians pitchers Luis Ortiz and Emmanuel Clase.
DeWine, who was in office when Ohio legalized sports betting on Dec. 8, 2021, has called for an end to player prop betting. He released a statement on Thursday encouraging the Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) to remove player props from the state’s catalog of available betting markets.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The highly anticipated debut of the 2-year-old colt Schwarzenegger will have to wait.
Listed as the 6-5 morning-line favorite in Friday’s sixth race, a 5 1/2-furlong maiden turf affair, Schwarzenegger was scratched after he hit himself in a front ankle while in his stall Friday morning, according to trainer Wesley Ward.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Mystik Dan, the 2024 Kentucky Derby winner, took his first steps to what is expected to be a surface switch to turf by working five furlongs in 1:02.70 Friday morning over the Oklahoma turf course.
With Luis Rivera Jr. up, Mystik Dan went off easy in 13.60 seconds, then got his last quarter in 23.90 over a drying out turf surface.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – As is the case virtually every year, it was standing room only for the annual induction ceremony for the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, “racing’s annual lovefest,” as retired track announcer and master of ceremonies Tom Durkin dubbed it.
The successful trainer Ignacio Correas, whose earliest equine lessons came in South America and Europe, will retire from American training at the end of this year and go back to his home country, Argentina.
Correas, 65, leaves on his own terms – but then he has only ever done things on his own terms.
Aidan O’Brien does it all the time in Ireland and England. Chad Brown does it too, especially in older filly and mare turf route stakes. But trainer Brian Lynch? It’s not at all standard for him to run three horses in the same stakes race, but he will on Sunday at Ellis Park when Anglophile, Dashman, and Highway Robber all start in the $300,000 Kentucky Downs Preview Turf Cup.
“That’s a first for me,” Lynch said. “It’ll be a good prep for Kentucky Downs.”
A competitive field of 10 3-year-old fillies is entered in Monday’s $100,000 Lady Erie Stakes at Presque Isle Downs. A number of fillies with solid stakes efforts, including at prominent race meets, have entered the six-furlong stakes. However, many of those will be trying a synthetic surface for the first time – and those with synthetic form – are potential overlays.
