The list of veteran riders aiming for Del Mar this summer is growing.
Joe Bravo, who has won 5,749 races in a career that began in 1988, said on Thursday that he plans to move from South Florida to California next month for the start of the Del Mar summer meeting on July 17. Earlier this week, Julien Leparoux said he plans to leave Kentucky for California in coming weeks.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Ag Bullet returned to Santa Anita from Saratoga on Tuesday after her solid runner-up comeback June 6 in the Grade 1, $500,000 Jaipur.
Ag Bullet trains in Southern California, but purses on the circuit do not compete with the Midwest and East. The next turf sprint in California for fillies and mares is the $100,000 Daisycutter Handicap on July 25 at Del Mar.
Therefore, Ag Bullet will return to the Midwest for her next start.
ARCADIA, Calif. – The flashiest 2-year-old winner this spring at Santa Anita is headed to Kentucky for his next start.
He Is No Lie, trained by Doug O’Neill and sired by hot first-crop stallion Early Voting, will target the $225,000 Bashford Manor Stakes on June 28 at Churchill Downs following his eight-length romp May 15 at Santa Anita.
“The Bashford Manor in June, if all goes well,” O’Neill said Wednesday. “That stallion is impressive, huh?”
Jockey Julien Leparoux, a two-time Eclipse Award winner in the 2000s, is moving from Kentucky to California in early July in advance of the Del Mar summer meeting.
“The goal is to find good horses,” Leparoux said on Wednesday.
“What’s not to like about Del Mar? I’m trying to get more opportunities. I have had good success there.”
The Del Mar meeting runs from July 17 to Sept. 7. Leparoux will be represented by Ryan Glatt, who also books mounts for Abel Lezcano.
Fred Sahadi, a noted owner and breeder whose construction company built the Barretts Sales Company in Pomona, Calif., died on June 4 at his home in Los Gatos, Calif., near San Jose.
His death was announced on social media by his daughter, the former trainer Jenine Sahadi. Fred Sahadi died of age-related infirmities, Jenine Sahadi said.
“Six years ago, he was diagnosed with congestive heart failure,” Jenine Sahadi said on Wednesday. “Typical Fred, he defied the odds.”
James, a 3-year-old colt trained by Michael Stidham, will make his debut with some well-deserved hype on Friday at Laurel Park. A $250,000 purchase last year, he will tackle 1 1/16 miles on turf in a $47,000 maiden special weight.
“He’s a big, good-looking 3-year-old colt, well bred, and his works in the morning have been solid,” Stidham said. “We’re ready to get him started, but we think he’s got a bright future.”
Trainer Gary Capuano will send out his first juveniles this year in a $47,000 maiden special weight on Sunday at Laurel Park. As the track winds its way toward a summer hiatus in July, Capuano and several other trainers are looking to make hay in the five-furlong sprint.
The field of eight juveniles will include six first-time starters, including a pair of colts from Capuano’s barn. Westbound Cat and Lucky Siete were both purchased at auction last year and are sure to earn respect from bettors, if only because of their connections.
Trainer Brittany Russell said she is hoping to keep Taj Mahal in action this summer after the colt came up empty in the Grade 1 Woody Stephens last Saturday at Saratoga. The Preakness favorite has faded well back in his last two starts after winning three straight to start his career at Laurel Park.
“There’s not much to say,” Russell said. “We ran him back quick and he didn’t respond. It was a really tough race. We’ll just freshen him up and find a spot this summer for him.”
The Hell We Did, runner-up in the Grade 3 Lexington who in his last start was seventh in the Preakness, is scheduled to work Friday at Lone Star Park, according to his trainer, Todd Fincher.
The Hell We Did had his first work out of the Preakness on June 4, going a half-mile in 49 seconds.
“We worked him the other day and are planning to work him on Friday, just getting back on schedule,” Fincher said. “He’s good. We’re getting him ready to go, then we’ll look [for a race].”
The Grade 3, $400,000 Oklahoma Derby will be run on Sept. 27, according to a press release from Remington Park. The race is one of 30 stakes worth a cumulative $3.7 million for the upcoming meet that opens Aug. 21. The season runs through Dec. 19.
The Oklahoma Derby will anchor a card of eight stakes that will include the $200,000 Remington Park Oaks. The $250,000 Great West, a five-furlong turf sprint introduced last season, will again be run on Oklahoma Derby Day.
