Trainer Cal Lynch is backing off one of the promising 2-year-olds in his Laurel Park stable and going for the gold with another.
Lynch had been pointing Tremont Stakes winner Our Braintrust to Saturday’s Grade 3 Sanford Stakes at Saratoga but has decided to back off on the colt's training. Congrats Gal, who has been breaking stopwatches at Laurel, will run Friday in the Grade 3, $150,000 Schuylerville at Saratoga.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Though he has done all of his racing on turf, Grade 1 winner Sadler’s Joy has done virtually all of his training on dirt.
That changed Monday when trainer Tom Albertrani opted to work Sadler’s Joy on turf for the first time in 14 months and just the second time in his career.
On a muggy morning, Sadler’s Joy worked five furlongs in 1:02.56 over the Belmont Park inner turf in preparation for a start in the Grade 2, $250,000 Bowling Green Stakes on July 28 at Saratoga.
Trainer Karl Broberg and jockey Richard Eramia lead their respective standings heading into the final week of the Lone Star Park meet. The season closes Sunday.
Broberg has won 68 races at the meet into Thursday night’s card, with Steve Asmussen ranking second with 56.
Eramia has won 75 races at the meet into Thursday night’s card, 20 more than second-leading rider Iram Diego.
The leading owner is End Zone Athletics, with 38 wins. Broberg is the principal owner of End Zone. The second-leading owner into Thursday night’s card is Asmussen, with 19 wins.
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas – Dance to My Song has been one of the most notable 2-year-old winners to emerge from the Lone Star Park meet, which will close Sunday. He distinguished himself last month, when he won his debut with a Beyer Speed Figure of 71.
The number ranks as the best put up by a 2-year-old at the meet through at least last Saturday.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Trainer Brian Lynch leaves his top two grass runners Heart to Heart and Oscar Performance at Belmont Park during the summer because he believes both horses thrive there.
With one last opportunity to work them over the Belmont turf Monday before the course closes for the summer, Lynch put the two in company for a strong five-furlong move designed to prepare them for upcoming stakes engagements.
Allen Milligan, who is a private trainer for Keene Thoroughbreds, has brought a division of horses to Louisiana Downs. The group arrived last week from Churchill Downs.
Milligan’s local division includes Holiday’s Angel, who was second to Americium in the $50,000 Opelousas on July 6 at Evangeline Downs. Holiday’s Angel invaded for the race from Churchill.
Milligan said Holiday’s Angel is now being pointed to the $60,000 River Cities at Louisiana Downs. The 1 1/16-mile turf race for fillies and mares will be run on the Super Derby undercard Sept. 2.
Analyze This Jet will have a new look for his next start, which is to come in the $60,000 Prelude Stakes at Louisiana Downs.
Trainer Terry Eoff said the stakes winner has been gelded since running fourth in the $65,000 Prairie Mile at Prairie Meadows June 8. The Prelude, at 1 1/16 miles on the main track, will be run Aug. 4. Analyze This Jet came into the Prairie Mile off a fifth-place finish in an allowance at his base of Lone Star Park.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Sunday was a regularly scheduled dark day on the Oklahoma turf course until trainer Todd Pletcher received special permission to work a team on the grass. The multiple graded-stakes placed Stainless and the undefeated 3-year-old filly Cascanueces, who has yet to run in this country, went five furlongs inside the dogs, with Stainless coming out a couple of lengths best.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Steve Asmussen gave his 2-year-olds Bano Solo and Whiskey Echo each an easy three-furlong breeze over the Oklahoma training track on Monday morning, and they are ready to go for Saturday’s Grade 3 Sanford at Saratoga.
Bano Solo, a son of Goldencents, and Whiskey Echo, by Tiznow, each was an easy wire-to-wire winner last month of his only start – Bano Solo at Churchill Downs and Whiskey Echo at Belmont Park.
For only the second time in his last 14 starts, long-distance specialist Itsinthepost will run a distance as short as 1 1/8 miles when he heads the field in the Grade 2, $250,000 Eddie Read Stakes for turf runners at Del Mar on Sunday.
Itsinthepost has won four of his last five starts, most recently the Whittingham going 1 1/4 miles on May 26 at Santa Anita. Rather than sit on him until the 11-furlong Del Mar Handicap on Aug. 18, trainer Jeff Mullins decided to turn him back to nine furlongs, the distance at which Itsinthepost won the San Gabriel in January.
