Trainer Chris Block will start Captivating Moon in blinkers when he races Saturday in the Grade 1 Secretariat after Captivating Moon had his first work in the equipment Sunday, going a half-mile on Polytrack in 48 seconds. Block said he galloped Captivating Moon in the hood for about a week before Carlos Marquez worked the colt in his new headgear.
“I thought he was a little more involved in the work from the beginning,” Block said. “Carlos thought he finished it off really well.”
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – With a bottomless string of high-level female turf performers, trainer Chad Brown seems to have multiple entries in nearly every graded grass stakes for older fillies and mares East of the Mississippi. Indeed, he has pre-entered four in the Grade 1 Beverly D. on the Arlington Million card here Saturday.
Trainer Jeremiah Englehart said Sandy’z Slew was resting comfortably on Monday, 24 hours after being vanned off following his wire-to-wire victory in Sunday’s Grade 3 Troy Stakes.
“He was walking around on it pretty good today,” said Englehart. “It’s a suspensory injury. Whether he hit it, pulled it, or strained it, we’ll see.”
Englehart said Sandy’z Slew had been fitted with a gel cast in an effort to reduce inflammation and that the horse would have a scan on Tuesday to determine the extent of the injury.
Trainer Bill Mott won two races with juveniles Saturday, with Mucho looking most impressive winning by 9 3/4 lengths and earning a 90 Beyer Speed Figure.
Mucho, a son of Blame, had finished second in his debut at Belmont on June 10, beaten 3 3/4 lengths by Whiskey Echo. Saturday, Mucho was much improved, attending the pace, backing off slightly to be third, then rallying three wide to take charge turning for home. He ran six furlongs in 1:10.19.
Mr Freeze ran away with Saturday’s Grade 3 West Virginia Derby and might have run his way into the Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers Stakes on Aug. 25.
Mr Freeze won the West Virginia Derby by eight lengths and earned a 102 Beyer Speed Figure. Though Mr Freeze was sent back to Churchill Downs, trainer Dale Romans said he might run him back in three weeks in the Travers.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – It took less than a New York minute Monday morning for Catholic Boy to go from possible to probable for the Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers Stakes.
Catholic Boy, with jockey Javier Castellano up, worked five furlongs in 59.72 seconds over the Saratoga main track Monday, galloping out six furlongs in 1:13.08 and seven furlongs in 1:27.50.
Catholic Boy worked inside of the graded stakes winner March and went quick early with fractions of 11.79 seconds, 23.44, and 34.90 and still finished pretty well.
Special Rockstar, who won the $50,000 Fiesta Mile for Texas-bred fillies and mares for the second year in a row Saturday night at Retama Park near San Antonio, is now headed to Remington Park. Trainer Mindy Willis said the mare is a candidate for the $75,000 Ricks Memorial at the Oklahoma City track Sept. 30.
“She deserves a shot at that,” Willis said. “We’ll maybe have a couple of races up there and then give her a break and get her ready for Sam Houston.” Special Rockstar is one of six horses Willis has shipped in for races at Retama. Her base this fall will be Remington.
Monte Man won his sixth straight race Saturday in the $60,000 Louisiana Cup Sprint at Louisiana Downs. His primary objective the remainder of the year is the Louisiana Champions Day Sprint at Fair Grounds, trainer Ron Faucheux said Monday.
The path Monte Man will take to that race, which holds a traditional December spot on the calendar, will be discussed with owner Brian Ivery.
“I’m going to get with Brian in the next week or two to come up with a game plan,” Faucheux said.
Autumn Warrior will head into next month’s Grade 3, $300,000 Super Derby at Louisiana Downs undefeated in three starts after he overcame a less-than-ideal trip to win the track’s local prep, the $60,000 Prelude, on Saturday.
“Right now, I’d have to say it’s a go,” trainer Al Stall Jr. said Monday.
