DEL MAR, Calif. – Nucky, the easy winner of a $100,000 claimer for maidens at Del Mar on Wednesday, will not be idle for long. Trainer Peter Miller said on Thursday that Nucky is a candidate for the Grade 1 Runhappy Del Mar Futurity at seven furlongs on Sept. 2, the closing day of the summer meeting.

Nucky won the six-furlong race by 10 1/2 lengths under jockey Flavien Prat, the rider’s fourth win of the day. Nucky disputed the early lead from an outside post and took a commanding lead in early stretch. He was timed in 1:10.89 and earned a 78 Beyer Speed Figure.

DEL MAR, Calif. – The ex-claimer Two Thirty Five became a stakes winner in Wednesday’s $89,201 Harry Brubaker Stakes at Del Mar.

Now the team behind the 5-year-old gelding – owners Tom Mansor, Tammi Nielsen, Kim Rasmussen, and trainer Richard Baltas – face a decision on how ambitious to be in the next few months.

One option is the Grade 1 Awesome Again Stakes at 1 1/8 miles at Santa Anita on Sept. 28, a race that could draw the top older horse McKinzie and leading 3-year-olds Game Winner and Omaha Beach.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Trainer Mark Cloutier was thrilled when Explode crossed the finish line a neck behind Journeyman in the Grade 3, $250,000 Canadian Derby last Sunday at Century Mile.

“I was so proud of the way Explode battled in the stretch,” Cloutier said.

Then he heard announcer Dan Jukich say the stewards were looking at the stretch run where Journeyman, under left-handed whipping by Dane Nelson, drifted out and repeatedly bumped Explode, ridden by Amadeo Perez.

DEL MAR, Calif. – Average attendance and handle for the Del Mar summer meeting has improved slightly in recent weeks, but is still well below comparable figures from the 2018 meeting, according to data provided by the racetrack.

Through Sunday, the 25th day of the 36-day meeting, all-sources handle averaged $11,589,562 a card, a decline of 13.8 percent compared to $13,441,923 during a similar period in 2018.

Through July 31, the 10th day of the meeting, all-sources average handle was down 14.3 percent. Ontrack handle through July 31 was down 16.4 percent.

The Los Angeles County Fair meeting at Los Alamitos next month will have 10 days of racing over three weeks from Sept. 6 to 22.

The condition book for the county fair meeting was released on Wednesday. The track is planning three-day racing weeks on Fridays through Sundays from Sept. 6-8 and 13-15, and a four-day week from Sept. 19-22.

DEL MAR, Calif. – Collusion Illusion, the undefeated winner of the Grade 2 Best Pal Stakes for 2-year-olds on Aug. 10, is unlikely to race again until late September.

Trainer Mark Glatt said on Wednesday he plans to run Collusion Illusion in the Grade 1 FrontRunner Stakes at 1 1/16 miles at Santa Anita on Sept. 27 and will pass the Grade1 Del Mar Futurity at seven furlongs on Sept. 2.

“We’ll probably wait for Santa Anita,” Glatt said. “It would be too much racing in a short period of time. Something could change my mind, but that’s my thinking now.”

Mr. Jagermeister, among the best Minnesota-bred racehorse ever, won the $100,000 Chesapeake Bay Stakes by 1 ¾ lengths Saturday at Colonial Downs, earning a robust 97 Beyer Speed Figure.

Getting there was half the battle.

Trainer and part-owner Valorie Lund drove Mr. Jagermeister from her Canterbury Park base to Colonial, which sits some 30 miles southeast of Richmond.

“It took me about 26 hours,” said Lund. “I like to stop several hours, feed them, watch them, give them breaks. They do all right with that.”

Hugh Robertson, no great fan of flying, drove from the Chicago area to Presque Isle Downs in Erie, Penn., to watch Hotshot Anna win the $100,000 Satin N Lace Stakes for the second year in a row on Monday.

Forget about Erie. With the money Hotshot Anna has earned Robertson – who both trains and owns the mare –he could fly first class around the globe a dozen times and barely feel it.

Jockeys for the most part are only as good as their mounts. Riding professionally differs from other athletic pursuits in part because extra effort won’t necessarily get you very far.

Trainer Howard Belvoir said that Muncey came out of his narrow win on Sunday over Harbors Ruler in the $45,500 WTBOA Lads for 2-year-old colts and geldings in good shape and would be pointed to the $100,000 Gottstein Futurity on Sept. 22. The Futurity is the closing-day feature at Emerald.

The way the Kentucky-bred son of Munnings finished with a rush in the six-furlong Lads he could thrive going around two turns in the mile and a sixteenth Futurity.