Last year’s local 3-year-old filly champion Aloha Breeze will face older mares in her 2024 debut on Saturday in the $50,000 Hastings Stakes at Emerald Downs.
Aloha Breeze is a daughter of The Factor, just like recent Emerald stakes winner Appeal Factor. The Tom Wenzel trainee has been working lights-out for her return and will face off yet again with steady pace foe Miss Dynamic along with six others.
Recency edge – Vahva. Pace advantage – Society.
Who ya got in the Chicago Stakes?
Vahva and Society, two of the faster older females in the land, comprise 40 percent of the Grade 3, $250,000 Chicago Stakes, the featured race Saturday at Churchill Downs.
All due respect to Royal Spa and Positano Sunset, but their absolute best-case scenario would be a creditable defeat in this seven-furlong dirt contest.
Grade 1-placed Musical Mischief and Misty Veil, dropping directly out of Grade 1 company, are the top choices in the $250,000 Lady Jacqueline Stakes for open fillies and mares, one of four additional stakes on the Ohio Derby undercard Saturday at Thistledown.
The plan was to give Catching Freedom a bit more time away from the races following a strong spring campaign in which he was fourth in the Kentucky Derby and third in the Preakness Stakes. But then trainer Brad Cox called the colt’s owners after he resumed training at Churchill Downs.
“We were just going to give him some time,” said Jason Loutsch of Albaugh Family Stables. “There are a lot of big races in the next couple months. But he came back so strong. Brad was like, ‘He’s really, really doing well.’ Sometimes, you change the plan and run when they’re doing well.”
The 3-year-old filly Elmalka won the English 1000 Guineas at overlaid odds of 29-1, and thanks to the presence of Opera Singer could offer a fair price again Friday at Ascot in the Group 1 Coronation Stakes.
The Coronation, a one-turn mile for 3-year-old fillies, takes top billing on Day 4 of the Royal meeting, with the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup for 3-year-olds at six furlongs a strong supporting feature. Also carded are a pair of Group 2s, the King Edward for 3-year-olds at 1 1/2 miles and the Albany Stakes, a 2-year-old sprint that includes the Wesley Ward-trained Burning Pine.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – After watching the inaugural meeting between Mentee and Colloquial last Saturday at Aqueduct, it’s hard not to look forward to seeing the two talented juveniles square off again. And that’s a very distinct possibility considering the connections of both have the Grade 1 Hopeful circled as their major goal on the closing-day program at Saratoga.
Abrir Caminos and Harry’s Onthefly have both turned in recent works that help answer some key questions about their form heading into Friday’s ninth race at Gulfstream Park, a first-level allowance going 5 1/2 furlongs on Tapeta.
No Deliberation could go favored in the field of eight as a winner of six of his last seven starts, while another top contender is Takecareofbusiness off a win on Tapeta.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – There are several win-shy runners who look teasingly good on Friday’s Woodbine card, including Sooner Lunar and Gran Spirited in the featured second race for nonwinners-of-three Ontario-sired allowance types and $40,000 claimers going 6 1/2 furlongs on the main turf.
Sooner Lunar held on for third after getting softened up in a speed duel when returning from a layoff in a 7 1/2-furlong inner-turf event around two turns May 19. The turnback on Friday seems appropriate for the 4-year-old as he attempts to break out of an 11-race slump.
California shipper Winter Falcon heads a competitive field of 10 entered in Friday’s $10,000 claiming feature at Emerald Downs.
Winter Falcon is a Blaine Wright trainee by Mizzen Mast who hasn’t raced since April 13 when he was fifth, beaten 6 1/2 lengths, in a starter-allowance event at Golden Gate Fields. The 5-year-old has raced only four times on dirt but did manage a win and a second at Pleasanton.
After a brief freshening, Winter Falcon has been working steadily in recent weeks. He will have the riding services of Kevin Orozco on Friday.
