Trainer Al Stall Jr. is thinking about the Nov. 3 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Churchill for C Z Rocket after the colt earned a career-high 103 Beyer Speed Figure with a four-length victory Saturday in the seven-furlong Kelly’s Landing.
The Kelly’s Landing was a return to form for C Z Rocket, who had finished sixth in the Grade 1 Malibu on Dec. 26 at Santa Anita and third in an optional claimer June 1 at Churchill.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The remarkable victory by Restless Rider on closing day of the Churchill Downs spring meet had the filly’s trainer, Kenny McPeek, reaching for superlatives nearly 48 hours later.
“I don’t think I’ve been as excited about a young filly since Take Charge Lady,” said McPeek, referring to the only horse to win the Alcibiades, Ashland, and Spinster at Keeneland, his home track.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Wonder Gadot drew away to win the 159th running of the $1 million Queen’s Plate by 4 3/4 lengths at Woodbine on Saturday, and will likely use the $400,000 Prince of Wales Stakes to set up a start in the Grade 1, $600,000 Alabama Stakes at Saratoga on Aug. 18, trainer Mark Casse said.
Trainer Bob Baffert will have stakes-winning older horses racing across the country this month.
Hoppertunity, the 7-year-old multiple stakes-winning millionaire, will start in the Grade 2 Suburban Stakes at 1 1/4 miles at Belmont Park on Saturday. Hoppertunity, who won the Grade 2 Brooklyn Invitational at Belmont Park on June 9, worked six furlongs in 1:13.40 at Santa Anita on Sunday.
Unique Bella, the champion female sprinter of 2017, is within a month of her next start.
The 4-year-old Unique Bella, who worked five furlongs in 1:01.60 at Santa Anita on Saturday, is expected to have her first start of the summer in the Grade 1 Clement L. Hirsch Stakes for fillies and mares at Del Mar on July 29. Unique Bella won the Grade 1 Beholder Mile for fillies and mares at Santa Anita on June 2.
The five-furlong workout was Unique Bella’s third workout since the Beholder Mile, her eighth win in 11 starts for Don Alberto Stable.
CYPRESS, Calif. – The 2-year-old Bellafina is held in such high regard that jockey Flavien Prat is flying in from New York to ride the filly in her debut at Los Alamitos on Wednesday.
Prat, the leading rider at the Santa Anita spring-summer meeting, has no other mounts on Wednesday’s nine-race program.
Trained by Simon Callaghan for Kaleem Shah, Bellafina drew the rail in a maiden special weight race at five furlongs. The field of seven includes five other first-time starters.
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas – Lullaby Bling has established himself as a leading contender for the $100,000 Texas Thoroughbred Futurity July 15 at Lone Star Park with an eye-catching debut win here last Saturday. He rolled by 6 1/4 lengths in the maiden special weight.
“He came out of the race very well,” trainer Danele Durham said. “The next step is the Futurity.”
The Texas Thoroughbred Futurity has two divisions, each at five furlongs. The races are part of the annual Stars of Texas Day card of four restricted stakes worth a total of $300,000.
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas – The Gray Dehere was a clear winner of a maiden special weight for 2-year-olds last Sunday at Lone Star Park, and trainer J.R. Caldwell said the colt is now on pace to test stakes company in the $65,000 Prairie Gold Juvenile on July 20 at Prairie Meadows.
CYPRESS, Calif. – Apprentice jockey Kellie McDaid, who rides regularly in evening Thoroughbred races at Los Alamitos, won her first race on the Southern California afternoon circuit when Swallows Inn Gal ($38.20) scored an upset in a maiden claimer at Los Alamitos on Thursday.
The victory was career win No. 34 for McDaid, 28. She has a seven-pound apprentice claim that will be reduced to five pounds after her 35th win.
“That means I can eat,” McDaid joked between races Thursday.
CYPRESS, Calif. – Tisbutadream, a minor stakes winner in England last year, has joined trainer Ben Cecil’s stable for the Del Mar summer meeting. The 4-year-old filly is owned by King Power Racing, the stable of Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, the owner of the Leicester City soccer team in the English Premier League.
Leicester City famously won the Premier League title in the 2015-16 season at odds as high as 5,000-1.
