Mon, 09/25/2017 - 13:26

Get Jets, Fourstar Crook stepping into open company

Joe Labozzetta/NYRA
Fourstar Crook paid $3.50 in winning the John Hettinger Stakes at Belmont on Sunday.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Get Jets and Fourstar Crook, winners of the two stakes for New York-breds Sunday at Belmont Park, will target open-company stakes for their next engagements, according to their trainers.

Get Jets, who beat Call Provision by a nose in the $125,000 Ashley T. Cole, will skip the Mohawk Stakes for statebreds here Oct. 21 and instead aim for the Grade 3, $200,000 Red Smith Handicap on Nov. 11 at Aqueduct. The Red Smith is run at 1 3/8 miles.

Mon, 09/25/2017 - 13:20

Gallant Bloom win puts Highway Star on road to Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint

Chelsea Durand/NYRA
Highway Star returned $6.20 in winning the Gallant Bloom at Belmont on Sunday.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Trainer Rodrigo Ubillo said it will be “a dream” to participate in this year’s Breeders’ Cup with Highway Star, who earned her shot in the Filly and Mare Sprint on Nov. 4 with a neck victory in the Grade 2 Gallant Bloom Handicap.

In reality, Highway Star earned her Breeders’ Cup chance before Sunday, but her connections wanted to see another good performance before committing to run. Highway Star wore down Carina Mia by a neck for her third graded stakes victory of the year to go along with a head loss to By the Moon in the Grade 1 Ballerina on Aug. 26 at Saratoga.

Mon, 09/25/2017 - 13:20

Sporting Chance has knee chip removed, will return at 3

Barbara D. Livingston
Sporting Chance ducked out abruptly in the late stages of the Hopeful, nearly unseating rider Luis Saez.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Sporting Chance, winner of the Grade 1 Hopeful at Saratoga, will be sidelined the remainder of the year after having a chip removed from a knee, trainer D. Wayne Lukas said Monday.

Lukas was targeting the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity on Oct. 7 at Keeneland and potentially the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on Nov. 4 at Del Mar for Sporting Chance, who had won two of his first three starts and was among the leaders of the 2-year-old division.

Mon, 09/25/2017 - 12:50

Barnes recovering at home from injury

Jimmy Barnes, the longtime assistant to Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, was released Friday from the hospital, where he had been since suffering a fractured pelvis in a morning training accident Sept. 17 at Santa Anita.

Barnes was unseated from a stable pony in an incident Baffert described as a “freaky thing.” Baffert said the pony lost his footing.

Barnes, 58, was resting at home over the weekend, according to his wife, Dana, an exercise rider for Baffert. He is expected to remain at home for a few weeks before returning to work.

Mon, 09/25/2017 - 12:50

Debut winner Candy Crew to stick with sprints

At a time of year when many ambitions for 2-year-olds focus on races around two turns, there are more modest goals for Candy Crew.

Candy Crew won a six-furlong maiden race in his debut Sunday at Los Alamitos, drawing off in the final furlong to prevail by 3 3/4 lengths in 1:10.59. Owners Pete and Kosta Hronis and trainer John Sadler intend to keep Candy Crew sprinting.

“He’s not bred to go on,” Sadler said. “I think he’ll go up to six or seven furlongs.”

Mon, 09/25/2017 - 12:46

Cambodia headed back to her favorite track

Benoit & Associates
Cambodia won the John Mabee Stakes by three-quarters of a length on Saturday.

Cambodia swept the two Grade 2 stakes for fillies and mares on turf at Del Mar’s summer meeting. She will be pointed to a third stakes win at the track’s autumn meeting in either the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf at 1 1/8 miles or the Grade 2 Goldikova Stakes at a mile on turf. Both races are run Nov. 4.

“We’re considering the Breeders’ Cup because she loves Del Mar so much,” owner Don Robinson said. “She seems to be a California girl, and the options are out there.”

Robinson said plans will be finalized after conferring with trainer Tom Proctor.

Mon, 09/25/2017 - 11:36

Summer Sunday gets remainder of year off

Michael Burns
Summer Sunday now has two wins in two starts after Sunday's victory.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Promising 2-year-old filly Summer Sunday will get the rest of the year off, trainer Stuart Simon said. Summer Sunday won the Muskoka Stakes here on Aug. 30 in her last start.

“She’s got some immature 2-year-old things happening, and we’re stopping on her,” he said. “She’s a really nice filly, and I’m just not taking any chances.”

Mon, 09/25/2017 - 11:36

Mr Havercamp won first stakes on only three shoes

Michael Burns
Mr Havercamp wins the Vice Regent Stakes to remain unbeaten in three Woodbine starts.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Mr Havercamp recorded his first stakes win, and the third win in his first four starts, in Saturday’s $125,000 Vice Regent Stakes over a mile on the Woodbine turf, and is emerging as one of Woodbine’s top 3-year-olds.

Trainer Catherine Day Phillips said the son of Court Vision came out of the Vice Regent in good order, despite running the race with just three shoes.

“He’s good,” she said. “He lost his shoe in the race. I think when he came out of the gate, he stumbled a little. Aside from that, he seems to be fine and happy.”

Mon, 09/25/2017 - 11:30

Pink Lloyd working again, may try turf next

Michael Burns
Pink Lloyd wins the Kenora Stakes at Woodbine on Aug. 30.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Canada’s top sprinter Pink Lloyd, who is unbeaten in six stakes starts this year, has a number of options for his next start.

Trainer Bob Tiller said Pink Lloyd could try turf for the first time in the Grade 2, $250,000 Nearctic Stakes over six furlongs on Oct. 15, or wait for the $125,000 Overskate Stakes for Ontario-sired 3-year-olds and upward over seven furlongs on Tapeta on Oct. 29.

Tiller added that the Grade 2, $175,000 Kennedy Road Stakes over six-furlongs on Tapeta on Nov. 25 is also a long-term target.

Sun, 09/24/2017 - 17:08

Run Away unlikely to race again until November's Bob Hope

Benoit
Run Away, left, won his third sprint stakes with the Barretts Juvenile on Saturday.

Simon Callaghan-trained Run Away has earned a brief vacation after winning his third sprint stakes in Saturday’s $100,000 Barretts Juvenile at Los Alamitos.

Callaghan said Sunday that Run Away is unlikely to race again until the Grade 3 Bob Hope Stakes at seven furlongs at Del Mar on Nov. 11.

“The race seems logical,” Callaghan said. “I think he deserves a little break now. We’ll jog him for a few weeks and let him decompress.”