Sat, 07/22/2017 - 16:24

Bird Song impresses among trio of Vanderbilt workers

Barbara D. Livingston
Bird Song turned in an eye-catching work over the Saratoga main track on July 22, 2017.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Three horses eyeing the Grade 1 Vanderbilt Handicap turned in their final preps here Saturday morning including the up-and-coming El Deal, who shipped over from his Monmouth Park base to breeze five furlongs in 1:02.04 over the main track with Javier Castellano aboard. The Vanderbilt will be decided here at six furlongs next Saturday.

Sat, 07/22/2017 - 14:29

All three Triple Crown race winners work for stakes at Spa

Barbara D. Livingston
Always Dreaming, with jockey John Velazquez aboard, drills five furlongs in 1:01.57 ahead of next Saturday's Grade 2 Jim Dandy Stakes.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The winners of all three of this year’s Triple Crown races put in workouts about an hour apart Saturday morning at Saratoga as they prepare for the second half of the season and a bid for a divisional championship.

Fri, 07/21/2017 - 19:54

Saratoga meet opens with 14 percent handle increase, even attendance

Barbara D. Livingston
An enthusiastic opening-day crowd at Saratoga Race Course on July 21 contributed to a 6.6 percent increase in ontrack handle.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Glorious weather and strong field size led to booming business on opening day at Saratoga as all-sources handle was $20,332,051, an increase of 14.4 percent over opening day 2016 when all-sources handle was 17,763,037.

Attendance was announced at 32,730 down less than 1 percent from last year’s figure of 32,980. However, ontrack handle was $5,016,519, up 6.6 percent from last year’s figure of $4,703,479.

Fri, 07/21/2017 - 15:26

Petrillo hopeful track will rebound at entry box

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – Arlington general manager Tony Petrillo said he hopes a very slow weekend at the entry box is an isolated occurrence and that the pace of Arlington entries will bounce back next week.

Arlington carded only seven races each on its Saturday and Sunday cards this weekend. Saturday’s program drew a mere 47 entrants, Sunday’s 46.

Fri, 07/21/2017 - 15:26

Kasaqui, Dona Bruja on course for Arlington Million, Beverly D.

Four Footed Fotos
Dona Bruja won the Modesty Handicap by a length over Prado's Sweet Ride.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – Trainer Ignacio Correas’s pair of Grade 1 hopefuls for the Aug. 12 Arlington Million card continue to thrive at Keeneland, with Dona Bruja on track for the Beverly D. Stakes and Kasaqui right on course for the Arlington Million.

Fri, 07/21/2017 - 15:06

Arklow to get chance to make amends

Emily Shields
Arklow and jockey Mike Smith score by one length in the American Turf Stakes.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Arklow, the Grade 2 American Turf winner who finished last in the Grade 1 Belmont Derby, worked a half-mile in 51.35 seconds Friday over the Oklahoma turf course. He went in company with the maiden 3-year-old filly Time to Flirt. Arklow got his final quarter in 25.13 seconds.

:: Saratoga Clocker Report: Get in-depth workout analysis for the 2017 summer meet

Fri, 07/21/2017 - 15:00

Unified to get break at farm, racing future uncertain

Barbara D. Livingston
Unified finishes last in the Belmont Sprint Championship earlier this month.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The racing future of Unified, who finished last in the Grade 3 Belmont Sprint Championship, is uncertain.

He was sent to Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Ky., for evaluation after the Belmont Sprint, and according to trainer Jimmy Jerkens, nothing was found to be amiss physically. He will get a little break at Lane’s End Farm, where he will stand at stud next year, before it is determined whether he will race again.

Fri, 07/21/2017 - 14:56

Bowling Green next for Ascend

Barbara D. Livingston
Ascend pulls a 27-1 upset in the Manhattan Stakes at Belmont Park.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Ascend, the upset winner of the Grade 1 Manhattan on Belmont Stakes Day, will make his next start in the Grade 2, $250,000 Bowling Green Stakes at Saratoga next Saturday, trainer Graham Motion said.

Motion had also been considering the Arlington Million for Ascend but thought that race would come up significantly tougher than the Bowling Green.

Fri, 07/21/2017 - 14:46

Diversify has turf in his future

Chelsea Durand
Diversify returned $3.70 in winning the Saginaw Stakes at Belmont.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Diversify has compiled a record of five wins and two seconds in eight career starts, all on dirt, including a tally in the Saginaw Stakes for New York-breds in his Belmont-meet finale. But Diversify could wind up making his Saratoga debut on turf, trainer Rick Violette said on Friday.

Violette worked Diversify on grass Friday for the second time since his 2 3/4-length victory in the July 2 Saginaw, sending him out to breeze five furlongs in 1:04.20 with an overmatched mate over the Oklahoma course.

Fri, 07/21/2017 - 14:46

Paulassilverlining set for Honorable Miss

Barbara D. Livingston
Paulassilverlining breezes a half-mile in 48.75 seconds Friday on Saratoga's main track.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – After winning two Grade 1 races in four weeks, Paulassilverlining was given a bit of a freshening by trainer Chad Brown. On Wednesday, Paulassilverlining will launch the second half of her 5-year-old campaign in the Grade 2, $200,000 Honorable Miss Handicap at Saratoga.

On Friday, Paulassilverlining had her final workout for the Honorable Miss, breezing a half-mile in 48.75 seconds over the Saratoga main track. She went her first quarter in 24.48 seconds, her last quarter in 24.27, and galloped out five furlongs in 1:02.58.