STICKNEY, Ill. – Seven Illinois-breds were entered in the $75,000 Robert S. Molaro, a six-furlong overnight handicap for 3-year-olds and up at Hawthorne. Scott Becker trains three of them and used to train two others.
“I guess without the ones I used to train there wouldn’t be a race,” Becker said Friday.
It’s Chad versus Todd, their long rivalry shifted from New York to New Jersey and involving a pair of 6-year-old mares.
Chad Brown has Kalifornia Queen for the $100,000 Miss Liberty Stakes, Monmouth Park’s featured fifth race Sunday that’s all but certain to have the Todd Pletcher-trained Scotish Star as the favorite.
The showdown is on.
Top California-bred sprinters Brickyard Ride and The Chosen Vron will meet for the first time in Sunday’s $100,000 Thor’s Echo Stakes for statebreds at six furlongs at Santa Anita.
The Chosen Vron, a 10-time stakes winner who has won six consecutive stakes since September, was entered in Sunday’s $100,000 Crystal Water Stakes at a mile on turf, but trainer and co-owner Eric Kruljac said on Friday he prefers to run The Chosen Vron in the Thor’s Echo.
Unbeaten after four starts, Prince Abu Dhabi has won two sprints and twice around two turns, with all his races on the synthetic track at Golden Gate Fields. The next objective for Prince Abu Dhabi is trying turf in Sunday’s $75,000 Alcatraz Stakes for 3-year-olds at a mile at Golden Gate.
How he runs on turf Sunday will determine where the improving gelding starts in coming months. One possibility is the Grade 2 Del Mar Derby at 1 1/8 miles on turf on Sept. 3, said trainer Blaine Wright.
Emerald Downs racegoers will get their first look at a proven prospect in the form of Bridleuptothebar, whose Emerald roots run as deep as can be, when he faces a half-dozen in Sunday’s allowance feature over 5 1/2 furlongs. Bridleuptothebar, trained by Niccolo Troiani, will begin from post 2 with Javier Matias named to ride.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Like the King has been mired in a slump, but the classy 5-year-old could be rejuvenated as a new gelding in Sunday’s featured conditioned allowance/optional claimer at Woodbine.
Like the King is winless in 13 starts since taking the Grade 3 Jeff Ruby Stakes over Turfway’s Tapeta in 2021, after which he wound up 12th in the Kentucky Derby. He subsequently ran second in the Grade 3 Kent and third in the Grade 3 Saranac before closing out his 3-year-old campaign with a second in the Bryan Station Stakes at Keeneland.
There’s likely to be saltier stakes action on Monday than Saturday this Memorial Day weekend. The Saturday stakes are few and far between, the fields entered in them light. How light? We’ve got to head to Shakopee, Minnesota, to find a play.
Soaring Softly
The 1 1/16-mile distance of the $100,000 Cliff Hanger Stakes would stretch the stamina of Big Everest were the race run at a true tempo. But on paper, Big Everest will be loose on the lead racing on a grass course that often favors front-runners, especially during periods of warm, dry weather, the expected prevailing conditions this weekend.
That’s big trouble for whomever faces Big Everest.
Six others were entered but Danny Gargan, trainer of James Aloysius, said Thursday he’s likely to scratch his charge, a rail-drawn potential pace rival for Big Everest.
The Canterbury Park meet, which opens Saturday night in Shakopee, Minn., will have two recurring themes: Low takeout and lots of turf racing.
The 54-date Canterbury meet runs through Sept. 16 and opens with a nine-race card led by a pair of $50,000 sprint stakes for Minnesota-breds. The 10,000 Lakes drew stalwart Hot Shot Kid – a two-time winner of the race – while Clickbait defends her title in the Lady Slipper.
There are also three turf races on the card.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Both Queen Picasso and Lady Beth had their stakes debuts delayed when the Memories of Silver Stakes, scheduled for April 29, was rained off the turf and both horses were scratched.
Saturday, with no rain forecast, Queen Picasso and Lady Beth make up a third of the six-horse field of 3-year-old fillies set to contest the Grade 3, $175,000 Soaring Softly Stakes, going seven furlongs over Belmont’s outer turf course.
