DEL MAR, Calif. – One cost more than $1 million. Another is a full brother to a Triple Crown winner. Three others are first-time starters purchased for six figures.
A maiden special weight race for 2-year-olds at 6 1/2 furlongs Saturday at Del Mar, the day’s eighth race, could be one of the more productive races of the summer. There are certainly plenty of contenders.
DEL MAR, Calif. – Met Mile winner Mor Spirit, who was given an easy fortnight when he wasn’t training satisfactorily, returned to the work tab in a big way Thursday morning at Del Mar with a half-mile drill in 47 seconds that was the best of the morning at the distance.
“Worked nice. Just freshened him up,” said Bob Baffert, who had not worked Mor Spirit since a dull drill Aug. 12. “The Met Mile was a hard race on him. When he first got here, he was losing interest. He was struggling with the track. He’s fresh now, seems good.”
DEL MAR, Calif. – Gas Station Sushi, who would have been one of the top contenders in the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante on Saturday, likely will scratch after running a high temperature on Wednesday, and then not training Thursday morning, trainer Richard Baltas said Thursday.
Baltas said he would wait until Friday to put in a scratch for Gas Station Sushi. He initially said he was "95 percent" certain she would not run, then, as he kept talking, made it sound like it was closer to 100 percent.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Summer Revolution was a hot topic in the 3-year-old division here last summer for trainer Rudy Rodriguez after launching his career with a pair of impressive victories, including a three-length entry-level allowance tally for which he received a 105 Beyer Speed Figure.
An innovative addition to the daily wagering menu at Kentucky Downs will make its debut this meet with the Jockey7 Wager, which allows horseplayers to bet on individual jockeys and their mounts. The Jockey7 will span the last seven races (4-10) each day.
Win-place-show, exacta, and trifecta wagering will be held on the Jockey7, which will consist of 13 jockeys and their assigned mounts, plus a “field” as a 14th entry.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Whether it’s reinvigorating Three Chimneys Farm or taking on champions like Songbird or Arrogate, Goncalo Torrealba enjoys a challenge.
“I don’t run from a challenge,” Torrealba said. “I definitely don’t.”
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The Grade 1 Spinaway may have come up short on numbers when it was drawn Wednesday, but certainly won’t be lacking for quality when it is run on Saturday. Not with a quartet of undefeated 2-year-old fillies in the lineup, led by Pure Silver, runaway winner of the Grade 2 Adirondack here earlier this summer, and a trio of impressive debut winners, Separationofpowers, Lady Ivanka, and Maryland invader Maya Malibu.
Sam Houston Race Park in Houston escaped significant damage from Hurricane Harvey and is accepting displaced horses for stabling, said the track’s president, Andrea Young.
“We were very fortunate,” she said.
There is not yet a timetable for resuming simulcasting at Sam Houston, which does not have a live meet until January.
“We’ve been closed since Sunday,” Young said Wednesday. “It’s very dangerous to be on the road right now. It’s still raining.”
It’s a long way from Floral Park, N.Y., to Remington Park in Oklahoma City, but the 20-year-old jockey Lane Luzzi has made the journey looking to establish himself in a new market. Luzzi, the son of New York-based rider Mike Luzzi, was an Eclipse Award finalist for the outstanding apprentice of 2016.
Lane Luzzi arrived more than two weeks ahead of the start of the Remington season to work horses and get acquainted with regulars on the circuit. He grew up near Belmont Park in Floral Park, and prior to Remington had been riding at Laurel Park in Maryland.
The stewards suspended jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. five days for careless riding in the 10th race on Sunday’s card at Saratoga.
The stewards also fined jockeys Tyler Gaffalione and Eric Cancel $2,000 each for separate riding infractions over the weekend.
Ortiz rode Significant Form in Sunday’s 10th race. Entering the first turn, Ortiz guided Significant Form to the inside, impeding another horse. Significant Form had stumbled entering the first turn, but recovered to win the race as much the best. He was disqualified and placed seventh.
