Fri, 09/27/2019 - 15:00

Champagne among Tagg's options with Tiz the Law

Susie Raisher
Tiz the Law worked five furlongs in 59.44 on Thursday at Belmont Park.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Trainer Barclay Tagg is in a quandary about where to next run Tiz the Law.

Does he take a swing and run the debut winner in next Saturday’s Grade 1, $500,000 Champagne, or take the more conservative approach and point to races like the $250,000 Sleepy Hollow for New York-breds on Oct. 19 or the Grade 3, $150,000 Nashua at Aqueduct on Nov. 3?

“I’d love to run him in the Champagne but I don’t know if off that one maiden race it’d be a good idea,” Tagg said Friday. “He certainly acts like nothing fazes him.”

Fri, 09/27/2019 - 15:00

Performer stretching out in allowance

Ronnie Betor
Performer, a two-time winner in sprints, will try 1 1/16 miles in Sunday's seventh race at Belmont.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Code of Honor may be the most high-profile 3-year-old in trainer Shug McGaughey’s barn, but he is far from being the only talented one.

Performer, a son of Speightstown, has won both his starts this year. Sunday, he will try to stretch out in distance when he runs 1 1/16 miles in a second-level allowance that goes as race 7 on Belmont Park’s nine-race card.

Fri, 09/27/2019 - 08:57

Saez returns to the scene of Kentucky Derby DQ

Barbara D. Livingston
Luis Saez celebrates after crossing the finish line first in the Kentucky Derby. He says he did the best he could to correct Maximum Security when he veered outward.

Jockey Luis Saez will be back Sunday at Churchill for the first time since the historic disqualification of his mount Maximum Security from first to 17th in the May 4 Kentucky Derby.

Saez will be in from New York primarily to ride the maiden Necker Island for Sagamore Farm and trainer Stan Hough in the eighth race. The 2-year-old Hard Spun colt was a troubled third in his career debut on closing weekend of the Saratoga meet.

“He ran pretty well first out, so much that Luis wanted to ride him back,” said Sagamore manager Hunter Rankin. “We’re glad to have him.”

Fri, 09/27/2019 - 08:54

Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile likely spot for Mr. Money

Coady Photography
Mr. Money takes the West Virginia Derby by six lengths, his fourth straight victory under jockey Gabe Saez.

Mr. Money, second by a neck in the Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby at Parx last Saturday, resumed training this week at Churchill and likely will make his next start in the Nov. 2 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Santa Anita, said trainer Bret Calhoun.

“It was a pretty brutal beat,” said Calhoun, “but the colt came back good and we’re happy with him. We’ll watch how he trains and keep the Dirt Mile as our first option.”

Calhoun said that another option for Mr. Money is to wait until the Grade 1 Clark here Nov. 29.

Fri, 09/27/2019 - 08:46

Keeneland packs 10 stakes into first few days of meet

Barbara D. Livingston
Perfect Alibi, with Irad Ortiz Jr. up, wins the Grade 1 Spinaway by 1 1/4 lengths at Saratoga.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The seasonal turnover of stall space has been ongoing at Keeneland as officials at the Lexington, Ky., track continue their preparations for the 17-day fall meet.

Yearlings who went through the sales ring earlier this month have been displaced by active racehorses throughout the barn area at Keeneland, where an action-packed, front-loaded meet will get under way Friday. Ten stakes will be run during the first three days, known as FallStars Weekend.

Wed, 09/25/2019 - 20:22

Fair Grounds adjusts distances of Kentucky Derby preps

Barbara D. Livingston
Fair Grounds will add distance to the Lecomte, Risen Star, and Louisiana Derby in 2020.

Fair Grounds is hoping adding distance will add appeal to its 3-year-old dirt-route stakes races in 2020.

The New Orleans track disseminated a news release Wednesday announcing its 2019-2020 stakes schedule, which reportedly was published online last week. The program includes 56 stakes worth $7.13 million, or almost the same overall stakes commitment as last season, when the track hosted 56 stakes worth $6.89 million.

Wed, 09/25/2019 - 15:56

Imperial Hint to face five as he seeks Vosburgh repeat

Ronnie Betor
Imperial Hint will make his first start Saturday since winning his second straight Vanderbilt Handicap at Saratoga.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Imperial Hint already scored a second straight victory in Saratoga’s Grade 1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap. Saturday, he will be heavily favored to record a second straight win in the Grade 1, $300,000 Vosburgh Stakes at six furlongs.

Imperial Hint won last year’s Vosburgh at odds of 1-5 and figures to be close to that price again on Saturday. Six horses were entered, including Promises Fulfilled and Firenze Fire.

Promises Fulfilled won the Grade 2 John A. Nerud Stakes here in July but finished last in the Grade 1 Forego at Saratoga last out.

Wed, 09/25/2019 - 15:56

Midnight Bisou draws rail in six-horse Beldame

Barbara D. Livingston
Midnight Bisou will try to keep her 2019 record perfect in the Grade 1 Beldame.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Midnight Bisou, the clear leader of the older female dirt division, looms a heavy favorite in a field of six entered Wednesday for Saturday’s Grade 2, $300,000 Beldame Stakes at Belmont Park.

Midnight Bisou comes off a nose victory over Elate in the Grade 1 Personal Ensign, her sixth victory in as many starts this year, all in graded stakes company. That streak includes a 3 1/2-length victory over Come Dancing in the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps here in June. Come Dancing has since come back to win the Grade 1 Ballerina and Grade 2 Gallant Bloom.

Wed, 09/25/2019 - 15:50

Jerkens braves the pain to watch Preservationist work for Gold Cup

Barbara D. Livingston
Woodward winner Preservationist blew out three furlongs at Belmont on Wednesday for the Jockey Club Gold Cup.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Jimmy Jerkens has the type of horses in his barn that make a trainer want to wake up in the morning and go to work.

Even a trainer who just had hip replacement surgery.

On Wednesday morning, less than 48 hours after having his right hip replaced, Jerkens was leaning against the rail on the Belmont Park training track as he watched two of his stable stars put in workouts.

Wed, 09/25/2019 - 15:36

In Reality rematches Liam's Lucky Charm, Chance It

Nicole Thomas/Coglianese Photos
Liam's Lucky Charm won a stretch-long duel with odds-on favorite Chance It in the Affirmed.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Arch-rivals Liam’s Lucky Charm and Chance It will square off in the rubber match when they meet for the third time in eight weeks in Saturday’s $400,000 In Reality Stakes, the final leg of the open division of the Florida Sire Stakes series.

Liam’s Lucky Charm and Chance It top a larger-than-expected field of 10 2-year-old colts and geldings in the 1 1/16-mile In Reality, which shares top billing on Saturday’s 14-race program with its filly counterpart, the $400,000 My Dear Girl.