ARCADIA, Calif. – Unique Bella may be racing in a resort town near you this summer.

Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer is targeting the Grade 1 Clement L. Hirsch Stakes at Del Mar on July 29 for Unique Bella after the 4-year-old filly’s impressive win in Saturday’s Grade 1 Beholder Mile at Santa Anita.

In the winner’s circle Saturday, Hollendorfer mentioned a race at Saratoga as another possibility this summer. The most prestigious race for older fillies and mares at that meeting is the Grade 1 Personal Ensign Stakes on Aug. 25.

ELMONT, N.Y. - That Hofburg will compete in two legs of the Triple Crown is more a function of the horse than his trainer.

Having not made his 3-year-old debut until March 3, Hofburg was considered more of a summertime 3-year-old than a spring classic campaigner by his Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Fault, the winner of three consecutive graded stakes at Santa Anita this year, suffered an injury to a hind leg during a gallop on Sunday and may have run her last race.

Trainer Phil D’Amato said Fault was diagnosed with a non-displaced condylar fracture in her left hind leg that will require the insertion of stabilizing screws. An operation is scheduled for Monday.

“She’s comfortable,” D’Amato said.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The morning before Triple Crown hopeful Justify is scheduled to have his final workout in preparation for the Belmont Stakes, it was a projected Belmont longshot, Free Drop Billy, that tuned up Sunday at Churchill Downs with a five-furlong breeze in 59 1/5 seconds.

Traveling over a freshly harrowed track that produced fast times, he went quickly early, covering his first quarter mile in 23 seconds before slowing his pace somewhat with a 36 1/5 split over his final three furlongs. He was timed galloping out six furlongs in 1:12 4/5 by Churchill Downs clockers.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Significant Form heads a strong three-horse entry from trainer Chad Brown in Thursday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Wonder Again Stakes at Belmont Park.

Thursday’s card is the first day of what the New York Racing Association bills as a three-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival that concludes with next Saturday’s rich Belmont Stakes card. From Thursday through Saturday, Belmont will host 18 stakes worth $9.4 million in purses.

ELMONT, N.Y. _ Blended Citizen will be the only one of the expected 11 or 12 starters in the Belmont Stakes with a previous start over the Belmont Park main track. On Saturday, he became the fourth - and probably final - prospective Belmont starter to get a workout over the main track as well.

Blended Citizen, who won the Grade 3 Peter Pan Stakes here three weeks ago, breezed five furlongs in 1:00.88, according to Daily Racing Form clocker Mike Welsch. Blended Citizen, with Mike Luzzi aboard, worked at 12:50 p.m., 40 minutes before the first race on the Belmont card.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Gronkowski passed the audition.

After his second solid workout in a week, the European import was confirmed by trainer Chad Brown as a starter for next Saturday’s $1.5 million Belmont Stakes.

Gronkowski, with Jose Ortiz up, worked inside of Engage, who is pointing to the Grade 2 Woody Stephens, for the second straight week. Gronkowski broke off about three-quarters of a length in front and led Engage through an opening quarter in 25.90 seconds as the two drew on even terms.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – On a Saturday morning at Churchill Downs when Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Justify had a maintenance training day with a gallop, one of his rivals for next Saturday’s Belmont Stakes, Tenfold, got a little more serious, breezing five furlongs in 1:01.60 over a fast track.

Trainer John M. Cooper and his son, Gavyn, died in a plane crash Thursday night shortly after taking off from Midland International Airport in Midland, Texas, according to a press release from Ruidoso Downs in New Mexico.

Cooper, who last weekend qualified a Quarter Horse for the Grade 1, $1 million Ruidoso Futurity, and Gavyn, 16, were the lone people on board the single-engine plane. Gavyn was a quarterback for Midland High School.

The crash, which happened at 7:20 p.m., is being investigated, according to the press release. 

Belmont Park
Friday, June 1
Weather: Rain
Training track: Good/muddy
Temperature: 68

ELMONT, N.Y. – Unfortunately, there will be no Audible in the starting lineup for Saturday’s Belmont Stakes. But there certainly were plenty of weather- and track-related audibles being called around Belmont Park on Friday when it came to the workout schedules for three of the principal players in the final leg of this year’s Triple Crown.