As National Treasure cruised home by 6 1/4 lengths in the Grade 1, $1 million Metropolitan Handicap on June 8 at Saratoga, Spendthrift Farm general manager Ned Toffey turned to Mark Toothaker, Spendthrift’s stallion sales manager, who will be responsible for recruiting mares to National Treasure’s book when he eventually retires.
“Ned just said, ‘This makes your job a lot easier!’ ” Toothaker said outside the winner’s circle.
Amidst Waves heads a full field of 3-year-old fillies in Sunday’s $100,000 Stormy Blues Stakes racing 5 1/2 furlongs on turf at Laurel Park.
Trained by George Weaver, Amidst Waves was purchased after graduating in her second start, and immediately reeled off two stakes victories at Monmouth and Saratoga.
Amidst Waves faced males in her final two starts last year, including a 10th-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint. She kicked off her 2024 campaign with a solid third in the Grade 3 Soaring Softly at Aqueduct on May 12.
Final Boss took the lead shortly after the start of an allowance race at 1 1/8 miles on turf on May 12 at Santa Anita and stayed in front throughout, beating four opponents by 1 1/4 lengths.
The same scenario could develop for Final Boss against four different rivals in Sunday’s $100,000 Cinema Stakes for 3-year-olds at 1 1/8 miles on turf at Santa Anita.
Final Boss is expected to set the pace in a field that lacks another clear front-runner.
Miner League, winner of the 2023 Gottstein Futurity at Emerald Downs, tops Sunday’s $50,000 Auburn Stakes. Trained by Tom Wenzel and owned by George Todaro, Miner League returned May 18 with an emphatic 4 1/4-length allowance win in which he covered 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:03.76.
The Mineshaft colt was winning for the third time in four career starts and certainly is the sort who will appreciate the extra yardage of the Auburn Stakes, a six-furlong sprint for 3-year-old males. Carlos Montalvo has been named to ride.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – The classy turf miler Never Surprised makes his Woodbine debut and first start for trainer Kevin Attard in Sunday’s featured conditioned allowance. The race has a $50,000 claiming option and will be run at seven furlongs on the main course.
Planetario and Offlee Naughty are 6-year-old turf marathoners with predictable styles. Do not expect much from them until the final turn. From there, they often command attention.
Last June, Planetario and Offlee Naughty were first and second in the Grade 3 San Juan Capistrano Stakes at about 1 3/4 miles on turf at Santa Anita. They meet again in the same race Sunday, their third consecutive encounter, both seeking their first wins of the year.
First there was rain, and plenty of it, earlier this week at Gulfstream Park. It is followed by the rainbow. The Rainbow 6 to be precise. The wager should attract plenty of action from bettors chasing a carryover of just more than $444,000 on Saturday.
Torrential rains pelted the track, causing racing to be canceled on Thursday and Friday. As a result of interrupted training, Gulfstream officials have delayed a mandatory payout in the Rainbow 6 from Saturday until a date to be determined later this month.
Anyone advocating for limited use of the riding crop need only replay the Belmont Stakes to make the point that the crop can do more harm than good. Mindframe snatched defeat from the jaws of victory after feeling a serious left-hander for the first time in his life, and Dornoch coming back on the rail, Remsen-style, serves as our final image from the 2024 Triple Crown.
Triple Crown’s end opens a door to summer racing. Here we go.
Bed o’ Roses
Making his fourth start in America after being imported from France, Adhamo won the Grade 1 United Nations Stakes in July 2022 at Monmouth Park. In seven starts since, Adhamo has not won a race of any sort, but a return to Monmouth could awaken him Saturday in the Grade 3, $150,000 Monmouth Stakes.
Nine older horses were entered in this 1 1/8-mile grass race, and if Adhamo can’t bounce back, his Chad Brown-trained stablemate Running Bee has a chance, too.
Eddie Owens used to work for trainer Joe Orseno, one of Owens’s stints as an assistant before he went out on his own in 2020. Owens and Orseno stable in the same Monmouth Park barn, and Owens has been keeping a close eye on the Orseno-trained 3-year-old Hades.
“I see him every day,” Owens said.
