SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – A year ago, trainer Linda Rice turned Pioneering Spirit back from 1 1/2 miles in the Sword Dancer to win the 1 1/16-mile Bernard Baruch just nine days later. On Sunday, Rice will repeat that scenario hoping for similar results. The $150,000 Baruch serves as the co-feature on the penultimate card of the 2024 Saratoga season.
Beach Party Bingo will try to become a triple-surface threat on Sunday, when she attempts to nail down her first dirt win in the ninth race at Gulfstream Park, a first-level allowance at 6 1/2 furlongs for fillies and mares that helps close out the Royal Palm meet.
Gulfstream’s racing action resumes on Friday with the start of the Sunshine meet that continues into November.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Shamans Girl will try to turn her form around on the grass with an eye toward the Wonder Where Stakes in Sunday’s featured allowance at Woodbine that has a $50,000 claiming option for 3-year-old fillies.
Owned by Stronach Stables, Shamans Girl graduated in style when debuting here Dec. 2 in the Shady Well Stakes, in which she missed the break before closing outside from a trailing sixth to win going away over Vandoo and Little Teddy.
ARCADIA, Calif. – These are tough times for a particular summer stakes tradition at Del Mar. The three-race turf series for 3-year-olds took a hit this season on quality and quantity.
The Oceanside Stakes maintained field-size appeal with 11 runners, but the next two struggled. The downgraded La Jolla Handicap had just five runners. The Grade 2 Del Mar Derby on Sunday has only seven entrants, far below the recent Del Mar Derby field-size average of nearly 11.
Wesley Ward has higher aims for the 4-year-old turf miler Funtastic Again than Sunday’s $500,000 Tight Spot Handicap. Ward scratched Funtastic Again from the restricted $500,000 Tapit Stakes on Thursday at Kentucky Downs and as of Thursday seemed bent on scratching him again from the Tight Spot, looking instead to the $2 million Mint Millions on Sept. 7.
“If you’re gonna be a bear,” Ward texted, replying to a query regarding plans for Funtastic Again, “be a grizzly.”
When Muth walked off the track at Oaklawn Park after an imposing two-length win in the Arkansas Derby on March 30, he was near the top of the list of the nation’s 3-year-old division, seemingly poised for a big spring.
Illness kept Muth out of the Preakness Stakes in mid-May and the major races in early summer. On Sunday at Del Mar, Muth finally makes his return, in the $125,000 Shared Belief Stakes for 3-year-olds at a mile.
“This is a prep for something bigger,” trainer Bob Baffert said. “We have some ideas, but I’m not sure what it will be yet.”
When Dean Delivers showed up at Monmouth Park at the end of May, he hadn’t raced in two months, hadn’t won in 11 months, and, five months into his 5-year-old season looked like a sprinter in decline.
How times have changed.
Dean Delivers in that May 27 race, the Mr. Prospector, walloped seven rivals, winning by eight lengths. When he returns to Monmouth for the $100,000 Rumson Stakes on Sunday, he comes riding a three-race winning streak.
Chai will look to rebound in Sunday’s allowance feature over six furlongs at Emerald Downs. The Kay Cooper trainee disappointed as the 6-5 favorite when sent long for the first time Aug. 11 in the Washington Oaks.
The daughter of Race Day, owned by Jill Fabulich and Lori Heist, ran a steady race, missing by four lengths while finishing fifth. Chai struggled to get comfortable during the first half of the race, usually with some sort of traffic hindering her progress.
There appear to be very few clear-cut favorites on the $450,000 Louisiana Cup card of six divisional stakes Saturday at Louisiana Downs.
“It’s wide open,” said trainer Shane Wilson, who will start a handful of runners led by Behemah Star in the $75,000 Turf Classic. “I told my son if people can pick winners on Saturday, they’re going to make money.”
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y – War Like Goddess and McKulick have combined to win 19 of 38 starts, including 16 stakes, and have combined to earn more than $4.5 million.
While perhaps in the twilight of their careers, both mares are still in top form as they head into a meeting in Saturday’s Grade 2, $500,000 Flower Bowl Stakes at Saratoga, a race that could lead to either or both showing up in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf in November at Del Mar.
